The UTG Journal Issue No. 3

May 2018, ISSN 2208-9500 (online) © United Tasmania Group

Contents:

‘Ecotourism’ – the new greenwash term - by Geoff Holloway page 1 Editorial – Protest rally against proposed cable car on kunanyi page 6 People Power – by Geoff Mosley page 7 Legacy and understanding – by Tom Hogarth page 8

Contact information: For further information please contact: Geoff Holloway (Secretary UTG) [email protected] Facebook sites: https://www.facebook.com/groups/112926085386109/ (general site) https://www.facebook.com/groups/1154609787956205/ (UTG Wilderness Integrity, Tourism & Sustainability) https://www.facebook.com/groups/740273822782089/ (UTG Energy & Climate Change)

UTG also has two email-based systems for non-Facebook users.

Editorial Committee Geoff Hollloway Kevin Kiernan Anne McConnell Keith Antonysen Geoff Mosley Lyn Barclay Debbie Quarmby

Cover photos: Geoff Holloway Inside photo of Barn Bluff, Cradle Mt. National Park, 1936 – from Geoff Holloway Collection

UTG fully supports the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC) and its associated Protocols.

UTG is a signatory/member of: The Rights of Nature https://www.facebook.com/groups/therightsofnature/about/ the Circular Economy https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/ the Steady State Economy http://www.steadystate.org/

2 ‘Ecotourism’ – the new greenwash out, “Tourism has a problem. It is addicted by Geoff Holloway to growth, which is incompatible with term – sustainability goals. Despite three decades ‘Ecotourism’ is a term that is misused across discussing pathways to sustainable tourism, the world – as all international bodies agree; tourism authorities continue to promote but it is particularly abused/misused by the tourism growth despite the ecological and Tasmanian Government and the Tourism social limits of living on a finite planet … Industry Council of Tasmania (TICT). This is The growth fetish is resulting in tourism not to say that there are not some authentic killing tourism. Almost gone are the days ecotourism enterprises in Tasmania, but they when tourism authorities might support are at extreme risk of losing their status. tourism directed to education, social well- More importantly, ‘ecotourism’ is far from being, inclusion and other non-economic new; it used to be something generations of goals”.4 Tasmanians bushwalkers, climbers, skiers, etc did as an outdoor activity/past-time or Other titles used to describe ‘natural’ philosophy, but without any corporate or approaches to tourism include: Responsible government involvement; and while not Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Ethical Travel, strictly ‘tourists’ as such, their activities were Eco-friendly travel, Justice Tourism, and similar. The way the term is used today Linking Tourism & Conservation. The Center covers a wide spectrum of tourist activities, for Responsible Travel produces a summary which usually involves ‘nature’, even if just of brief definitions that are being used in the in the form of what should be called more muesli of tourism terminology.5 accurately ‘scenery mining’. Ecotourism Notwithstanding the above, there have been Responsible travel to natural areas that serious attempts to define, and establish conserves the environment and improves the standards for, ecotourism. For example, The welfare of local people. International ecotourism Society (TIES), Geotourism which claims to have over 750 organisational Tourism that sustains or enhances the and 14,000 individual members plus 85,000 geographical character of a place – its followers on facebook, has at least five key environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture and principles at the base of its definition of wellbeing of its residents. ecotourism, namely that it: Pro-Poor Tourism • is non-consumptive and non-extractive Tourism that results in increased net benefit • creates an ecological conscience for the poor people in a destination. • holds ecocentric values and ethics in Ethical Tourism relation to nature Tourism in a destination where ethical issues • is based on community involvement and are the key driver, e.g. social injustice, human consultation rights, animal welfare or the environment. • recognizes the rights and spiritual beliefs of Responsible Tourism the Indigenous people.1 Tourism that maximizes the benefits to local The succinct TIES definition of ecotourism is: communities, minimizes negative social or “Responsible travel to natural areas that environmental impacts, and helps local conserves the environment, sustains the people conserve fragile cultures and habitats wellbeing of the local people and involves or species. interpretation and education”.2 However, this Sustainable Tourism definition does not meet all the principles Tourism that leads to the management of all previously outlined. resources in such a way that economic, social, and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while Ecotourism is one of many attempts to maintaining cultural integrity, essential promote responsible tourism and ‘sustainable ecological processes, biological diversity and tourism’ - and some commentators argue that life support systems. the later term is an oxymoron 3 . This is because, as Freya Higgins-Desbiolles points

1 Agritourism Last year (2017) was International Year of Agritourism or agro-tourism is a form of Sustainable Tourism for Development – you rural tourism in which tourists see and may not have heard much about this participate in traditional agricultural International Year, as there was not a single practices without destroying the ecosystems. activity within Tasmania. The United Orange tourism Tasmania Group (UTG) did offer to conduct Orange tourism is a sustainable tourism that a seminar but we did not receive a response generates cultural, economic and social until it was too late to organise. However, we development through responsible touristic might try again later this year, given that management of cultural heritage, artistic tourism is, arguably, the greatest threat now production, and cultural and creative facing Tasmania’s National Parks, wilderness industries. and conservation areas. Wellness tourism Travel associated with the goal of Before going into some details about what maintaining or enhancing one’s personal constitutes authentic ecotourism (as the wellbeing. It includes the pursuit of physical, Global Ecotourism Network is now referring mental, spiritual or environmental ‘wellness’. to it), in order to combat the world-wide Adventure tourism problem of exploiting the term ‘ecotourism’ - Adventure tourism includes at least two of and authenticity is one of the key drivers of the following three elements: physical tourists these days, what is very clear in activity, natural environment, and cultural Tasmania is that no transparent standards, immersion. It includes caving, climbing, international or otherwise, are applied to the trekking, camping, birdwatching, rafting, concept or use of the term ‘ecotourism’. Both snorkeling, surfing and other outdoor Government and the Tourism Industry activities. Council of Tasmania (TICT) and its corporate cronies blithely use the term across the board Ecotourism, as such, makes up about 10% of to any venture that they would like to all tourism according to the United National greenwash. This is not to say that there are World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) – no authentic ecotourism ventures in whether it is more or less than that in Tasmania, but even those pale in significance Tasmania is hard to determine. However, the with what happens in some areas overseas Tasmanian Government and the TICT like to (eg, the Grand Canyon8). (mis) apply this term across all sorts of tourism enterprises regardless of validity or In Cabo Verde, with a population the same relevance. One of the reasons for this as Tasmania, where 53% of the GDP comes deceptive behaviour is that governments from tourism, providing 60% of direct and realise that tourists are looking increasingly indirect employment, the term ‘ecotourism’ for ethical, responsible, nature-based tourism has been applied to less than a handful of experiences – some research suggests that enterprises - whereas in Tasmania the term three-quarters of tourists want to contribute is being applied to almost anything that to ethical and responsible tourism AND they operates in the outdoors (including 9 are prepared to pay more for that privilege.6 proposed cable cars). This is sometimes referred to as ‘New Tourism’, and these tourists have a higher Tasmania is like China, where any tourism level of environmental and cultural development or activity located in a natural awareness.7 ‘New tourism’ can be described setting is described as ecotourism; and there as a summation of a few key ethical is no distinction between nature-based principles: tourism and ecotourism, although the latter 1. environmental consciousness can encompass both cultural and 2. responsibility in travel environmental experiences.10 3. cultural awareness 4. supporting the visited communities. Ecotourism is being used as a greenwash term in order to facilitate the privatisation of Tasmania’s National Parks (eg, Three Capes

2 Track, Cradle Mountain, Lake Malbena, Lake protected area authorities and Geeves, the South Coast and Frenchman’s owners to help support Cap). The Three Capes Track was the first cab management costs, and also off the rank; now it is being used as a model sustainable livelihood in both Tasmania and mainland States to put opportunities in local in private and government-funded communities (economic value); infrastructure inside World Heritage Areas and and National Parks to privatise the o contribute towards the exploitation of these areas. The rush has enrichment of society and culture begun . . . and all of this is being conducted (social value); behind closed doors with no public ! developing conservation ethics in visitors consultation or involvement - which and tourists; and contravenes at least Article 3, sections 4 & 5 ! accounting for, and mitigating against, of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, negative impacts, not just benefits, as adopted by UN in 2001 (United Nations & “Every management action in a protected UN World Tourism Organisation).11 Tasmania area, even ones stemming from best is also in breach of other Ethics in this Code. practices, comes with a cost.”15

Why should all of this matter? As Bricker & Unlike the Tasmanian Government and the Hunt point out, sustainable ‘green’ tourism TICT, many tourism enterprises, such as the makes good business sense as “tourists are world’s largest tourism group, the TUI increasingly showing a preference for Group with revenue of $15 billion (which is products and suppliers that demonstrate more than half that of the whole of good social and environmental Tasmania’s GSP),16 take a much more serious performance”;12 for these authors “Ecotourism 17 is about uniting conservation, communities view of sustainable and responsible tourism. TUI is one of the few tourism organisations and sustainable travel” 13 - none of these criteria are being considered, let alone in the world that actively measures the implemented, in Tasmania. As pointed out impact of their activities in terms of by Monbiot, the term ‘sustainability’ is used sustainability criteria. According to a survey by governments and industry to mean conducted by booking.com 87% of world sustained growth, whereas its original travellers state that they want to travel meaning was directed at environmental sustainably. What do they mean by sustainability, conservation and biosphere ‘sustainable’? “for almost half of travelers integrity: “if sustainability means anything, (46%), ‘sustainable travel’ means staying in eco- it is surely the opposite of sustained growth. friendly or green accommodations, topping the list Sustained growth on a finite planet is the of what people think of when hearing the term. The top reasons travelers give for choosing these essence of unsustainability”. 14 As Freya Higgins-Desbiolles says, the terms eco-friendly places to rest their heads are to help ‘sustainable’ and ‘development’ are very reduce environmental impact (40%), to have a anthropocentric and ignore the locally relevant experience (34%) and wanting to consequences for, and rights of, other species feel good about an accommodation choice (33%)”. 18 and ecological systems. Meanwhile, in Tasmania there is no sustainble tourism strategy. Also, the Tasmanian Government and the tourism industry do nothing to adhere to best Further, at community levels there are practice as outlined in the IUCN/World programs to generate sustainability with Commission on Protected Areas guidelines for tourism. The Global Sustainable Tourism tourism and sustainability in Protected Areas, Council (GSTC) introduced a Destination which include: Stewardship program, which is “an approach to tourism development in which local ! adhering to the triple bottom line: communities, government agencies, NGOs and o contribute to the conservation of the tourism industry are dedicated to taking a nature (environmental value); multi-stakeholder approach to maintaining the o generate economic benefits to cultural, environmental, economic, and aesthetic

3 integrity of their country, region, state, or town through sustainable policy and management frameworks.” 19 These concepts of community involvement, and environmental and aesthetic integrity are totally foreign in Tasmania – tourism is dominated here by: (a) the Premier combining Tourism and Parks & Wildlife portfolios (with the emphasis on privatisation/exploitation and exclusion); (b) Tourism Tasmania having commercial conflicts of interest; and (c) the true body overseeing tourism in Tasmania being the unrepresentative Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania (TICT).20 Photo: Barn Bluff 1936 The GSTC program goes further; the integrated conservation and development Until very recently, this has certainly been (ICD) strategy favours nature over economic the case for almost all ‘ecotourism’ in capital, emphasizing conservation over Tasmania, that is, private, non-commercial, 21 development. Clearly the Tasmanian small-scale adventures in the wilderness and Government (and the Opposition parties) National Parks involving all ages with no hold contrary views to this; as tourism corporate involvement at all. Now, however, authorities are also focussed on development. the sheer volume of ‘traffic’ and the death of Partnerships between conservation and the quintessential isolation/peace that used development interests are often spoken about to be found in these wild areas are internationally, but within Tasmania the discouraging such excursions. Back in 1976 polarisation of public opinion has all but the South West Tasmania Action Committee killed such ventures and, as pointed out by (which was the name of the organisation Bricker, such partnerships, “while valued, are before it was changed to the Tasmanian highly complex, frequently contested and do Wilderness Society) satirically, but with not always deliver” – I would suggest that foresight, produced the ‘South West they will never deliver in Tasmania while Tasmania Annihilation Kit’, which detailed governments maintain a cargo-cult mentality, how the wilderness experience would be exploit at any (short or long-term) cost, and diminished by, among others, tourism. are sucked into a system of patronage and economic/social corruption. As the old Tourists are changing their consumer Tasmanian adage goes, ‘if it flows dam it, if behaviour – they are shifting fast into nature- it stands still cut it down, if it is based travel and activities involving underground dig it up’, to which can be “viewing and photographing nature”22 - what added ‘if the scenery looks good mine it for the tourism industry is actually doing here is all it is worth’. described aptly by Kevin Kiernan as ‘scenery mining’. However, authentic ecotourism (where it is privatised) almost by definition is small- However, curiously, young people aged 6 to scale, locally owned, community-based and 17 are participating less in outdoor very careful in monitoring the environmental recreation, at least in the USA. 23 A part behaviour of its clients. By far the majority of explanation for this may be the advent of the authentic ecotourism is not conducted ‘risk society’, whereby risk has become a key through any large business enterprise but calculation in human, particularly young, simply undertaken privately by individuals. activities. 24 Helicopter rescues from the Tasmanian wilderness were unknown until a few decades ago; now there it is believed that there are, on average, two or three helicopter rescues per week – so the risk factor has been

4 reduced considerably and one of the essential What needs to be done: elements of wilderness has been lost 1. Independent certification of ecotourism (especially where outdoor recreationists are and nature-based tourism enterprises, carrying Personal Locator Beacons). with clear differentiation between the two concepts (if that is possible): this is Meanwhile, travellers are demanding more designed to separate authentic individual and authentic travel experiences, ecotourism from corporate and which ecotourism can provide. Travel is government greenwashing.25 about ‘getting under the skin of a place’. 2. Monitoring of all ecotourism and nature- Authenticity is the key, and technology such based tourism in terms of adherence to as cable cars is the antithesis of this. afore-mentioned standards. 3. A new tourism body specific to small Today authentic, individual, non-privatised ecotourism/nature-based tourism ‘ecotourism’ that used to be experienced by enterprises that includes community Tasmanians as weekend bushwalkers, participation: this is designed to generate climbers, etc has been replaced by queuing at genuine representation of the whole boom gates at the entrance to National Parks, tourism sector, not just that of corporate while tourists in minibuses and coaches are bodies, which is the dominant case at the allowed through (Cradle Mountain) – “unless moment. (there is) rotten weather, not school holidays 4. State Government and relevant related and before 8 a.m and no-one else interested bodies sign up for adherence to UNWTO you are lucky to get access to Waldheim”. and IUCN responsible, ethical and Another Tasmanian response: “I think it’s sustainable tourism standards, including going to be a nightmare for us locals to get in the GSTC Destination Stewardship there from now on. Surely we have some standards: at the moment there are no rights!!” - these are just two of many clear standards being applied in examples of how resident Tasmanians are ecotourism or nature-based tourism in responding to being excluded from their own Tasmania; the State Government clearly National Parks, and the situation is only makes up the rules according to when going to get much worse. There are currently and how it suits them. more than two tourists for each Tasmanian 5. Cessation of tourism promotions (ratio 2:1) and, simply by virtue of the designed to bring more tourists to increase of tourism worldwide, the number Tasmania, with the exception of of tourists coming to Tasmania, without any promotions designed to equalise the tourism promotion, is likely to reach 2 impacts and benefits of tourism across all million by 2026 (ratio 4:1) and 3 million by regions of the state: this is designed to 2030 (ratio 6:1, assuming limited domestic counter the fact that the south of the state population growth). attracts two-thirds of all tourists. 6. Abolition of the Tasmanian Government’s tourism marketing organisation Tourism Tasmania: it is not independent and has too many potential commercial conflicts of interest. 7. Separation of the Ministries of Parks and Wildlife from Tourism: there are enormous conflicts of interest between these two portfolios, which have too many competing objectives and can lead to nontransparent and corrupt processes and practices. 8. Amend the Tasmania National Parks Act to recognise wilderness as having value

Photo: Cradle Mt. 2018 (modified) and to provide for its protection against all development. Tasmanian needs a

5 Wilderness Act, like that of the states of Another interesting observation was made by NSW, Victoria and South Australia. a Tasmanian Times reader, that “the people 9. Open, public and widespread community should now be recognised as being listened to participation in the assessment of all because the cable car project is simply just not a ecotourism and nature-based tourism Green inspired campaign to gain brownie points proposals: all proposals should be for them alone” (Robin Charles Halton required to meet the triple bottom line on 08/05/18 at 12:43 PM) – which may be plus demonstrate how any impacts true, but what I have noticed in the daily (environmental, social, economic and comments on the facebook sites, in letters to political) will be addressed. the editor and elsewhere is that, while some 10. Aim for ecologically sound and people say they do not normally vote Green sustainable tourism, as advocated by the arguments they put against the proposed UNWTO and other international tourism cable car, and the way that they say it, bodies. indicates very much that they DO share the same values as conservation organisations and Green parties even though they may not acknowledge it. In other words, there is a Editorial: fundamental ‘greenness’ within the general Protest rally against proposed community. cable car on kunanyi It is simply the polarisation by Labor and - by Geoff Holloway Liberal Tasmanian Governments, and the media, that have made people afraid to share The protest rally that was held at Cascade their common concerns for natural Gardens on Sunday 6th May was an landscapes, ecological integrity and astounding success, with about 6,000 people wilderness and species (both flora and fauna) attending and possibly hundreds who tried as this might see them labelled as ‘greenies’. to attend but turned back due to the traffic on Their concerns arise from the growing the two main arterial roads leading to awareness that species of flora, fauna, birds, Cascade Gardens. Notwithstanding the insects etc are diminishing at an alarming traffic many people walked long distances to rate across the planet. get to the rally. Tasmania is a unique position to stop the The rally has been covered in detail in The Tasmanian Times so please go to that site or one of ‘tsunami’ (Bob Brown’s term) of the main facebook sites for details: degradation of wilderness and natural areas, No cable car for the mountain, Hobart - at least on our small island State – as long as https://www.facebook.com/groups/1576500376 developments in the name of the new god, 07174/ Tourism, are properly assessed against Respect the Mountain - No Cable Car - evidenced-based, environmentally https://www.facebook.com/RespectTheMountai sustainable criteria with open community n.NoCableCar/ involvement. Residents Opposed to the Cable Car - https://rocc.org.au/ Also, from the above comment by Robin Charles Halton that this movement against The day after the rally one of the key rally the cable car is just not a Green inspired organisers, Ted Cutlan, made the comment campaign to gain brownie points for them alone – on ABC radio that this was a very different I agree, it is much broader than that, in the type of rally, it had a different feel to it – and same way as Christine Milne inspired the that is absolutely true, there was a strong movement against the proposed Wesley Vale sense of family/community/celebration pulp mill (as one commentator, Vivien Rice, about the rally – hard to express in words, suggested on facebook), which brought in but certainly not your typical Franklin Square thousands of people from across the socio- or Parliamentary lawns rally. economic spectrum. However, there are many green supporters and conservationists involved in the cable car campaign. Apart

6 from this rally, I have only ever seen so many lack of transparency in planning long-term activists together once before – the decisions – all in the name of tourism 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Lake (and ‘ecotourism’, as argued in the Pedder National Park in 2015. As one previous article in this Journal). commentator said, “I haven't seen that many Tasmanians at a rally since the moratorium A commentator in The Tasmanian Times, Anne, marches and Lake Pedder! (Isabella Mackenzie, described all of the above succinctly, “The in The Tasmanian Times) – the strength of this Hodgman government and the Tourism perception shows what an impact the rally department really do need to take a long had on people. hard look at why it is people want to visit Tasmania. Whether they are wealthy folk or Another factor in the success of the rally backpackers holidaying on a shoestring, they was the role of the social media: without all come here to experience Tasmania’s facebook postings across 5 sites that I know unique wilderness and natural beauty. of this rally would not have been the Emphasis on natural and unspoiled. The very outstanding success that it was for fact this proposal has been shrouded in mobilising people. This has also been a secrecy and a lack of consultation common factor in mobilising people in Latin immediately raises suspicion. Rightly so it America, the USA and Europe (although would seem, so looks like we are gearing up Australia has been slow on the uptake for another environmental campaign. You’d according to some research). think the government would have learned the lesson from the pulp mill saga, and realise From the hundreds of comments, that a community’s determination to oppose observations and postings there are three key a project it absolutely disagrees with, is not common themes behind the arguments: to be messed about with, because it will never, ever give up.” (1) The lack of open and public consultation about the whole process in the

presentation of this proposal, a total lack of transparency (which is common with PEOPLE POWER - by Geoff Mosley this State Liberal Government) – The media is increasingly using the terms frequently associated with this are ‘populism’ and ‘populist’ to describe the comments about Tasmania being driven growing public dissatisfaction with our party by corruption (social, political and political systems. In one sense that is ironic economic corruption); because in the 1890s these words were actually used in the USA to describe a party (2) An enormous, widespread concern for working for public control of railways and keeping kunyani/Mt. Wellington as it is, limits on private land ownership and in with no desecrating cable scar across its Russia for another one advocating face. The aesthetics, natural beauty and collectivisation. Looking for more useful freedom from technological contrivances terms, UTG has recommended ‘principles and facilities are the basis of frequent and performance’. ‘Vote for people not comments. parties’ to which I would add ‘policy, - Both of these themes were what lead to participation and progress’ all ‘Ps’ belonging the creation of UTG back in 1972 – in the same pod. Surely, above all else, is the different place (Lake Pedder) but need for genuine ‘people power’. So how can basically the same issues. we achieve that in way that replaces our broken party political system? (3) Tourism is the third inter-related issue, one that Tasmanians have only recently The writer Dennis Altman quoted a former become aware of: this includes Labor Minister as saying that when the High overtourism, privatisation of national Court overruled the dam “a psychic shock parks, lack of free access for Tasmanians ran through the whole Island.” Whether that to their own National Parks, and the total is true or not the blocking of the dam on the Lower Gordon certainly seized the

7 imagination of conservationists throughout care of the natural environment once the nation. The decision was a symbol of conservationists possessed political power. hope for the future. The task continues, in Tasmania, particularly with regard to delivering an appropriate The Pedder protesters had said there had to level of protection for the Tarkine, but an be another way of treating such even bigger quest is that of enabling people environments. When it was developed it power to change a system that puts growth saved first Fraser Island and the Great Barrier ahead of everything. Battles must be fought, Reef and then, with true natural justice, the but in the end we need to also win the war. In Franklin Lower Gordon area. my interview for the ACF published book ‘Battle for the Franklin’ by Roger Green Stopping the outrageous abuse of nature in (1984) I finished by saying “What we don’t the South West would have been impossible do in Australia is think about our broad if conservationists had not shown what the choices for the future in any coherent way”. better way was. It was visionary people who This situation continues and needs to change. first challenged the juggernaut of hydro- industrialisation - Ron Brown who first proposed the South West National Park, Olegas Truchanas who showed the completely different values in the lakes and Legacy, and understanding rivers of the region, and many others who - by Tom Hogarth carried on the inspirational work of Olegas and Dick Jones, who converted the new In the mid 1970s, I was living on the West found values into effective political support. Coast of Tasmania. I had come from Sydney, The United Tasmania Group (UTG) and the having worked at the University of Sydney Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) Fisher Library, and living in inner Sydney began to press for much wider boundaries suburbs at that time. Arriving in for the South West National Park in 1973/74 Queenstown, the rain went for 10 days and it was the ACF, rising belatedly to the without stopping, and at the same time the challenge, and inspired by Myles Dunphy’s quarter mile bridge of the former Mount approach of the grand vision, which in 1974 Lyell railway line on the King River, finally also proposed World Heritage recognition after over 15 years of no specific railway and later established the National South West usage, was washed away by the resultant Coalition that turned support of people into floods. I lived in Queenstown for a few years votes. and had regular contact with friends in other parts of Tasmania, and also collected things Sometime after its formation the Tasmanian while I was wandering through bookshops in Wilderness Society (which was the name Hobart and Launceston. It was living in change from the South West Tasmania interesting times, with aspects of Hobart and Action Committee) began the campaign to Tasmania still with a mentality or headspace ‘Save the Franklin River’, which lead to the of the 1950s (or earlier), while the world was famous blockade of 1982. This provided an changing. I subsequently moved back to opportunity for conservationists to Perth, in Western Australia. demonstrate their faith like nothing that had I have canvassed a number of friends who ever occurred before (or since). are in academia and also retired academics about what they might think of doing when The issue revealed much about the innate they downsize or whatever they do with conservatism of Governments. It showed advancing age. The prognosis is that unless that they cannot be trusted to act without specifically tied in with specific notable pressure from the public. Out of the events or publications, unsorted arrays of beginnings of this foment there emerged in materials can be simply of no interest to 1972 the UTG, the first Green party in the archival institutions regardless of the context. world. Some time later, five Green So that means is that photographs of Independents were elected in 1989, showing Queenstown and ‘’pre-no dams era’’, west how a new approach could be applied to the coast Tasmania or ephemera from that era,

8 despite whatever the context, may well be of trained to expect at every turn - simply no little relevance to institutions who might information exists. Then there are the lost accept donations. What they want is either contacts, the early tragic deaths of people well described and ordered materials that from the era, and also the privacy at all costs require no homework or extra labour to individuals who are uninterested in sharing accession. But why the biographical detail, what they might have in their possession, for when trying to understand the issues of whatever reason. I propose to anyone still legacy and understanding, of something like with the capacity to delve into what they a group of people in the various groups have not thrown out, to try to consider how including UTG in Tasmania in the 1970s? It is the remaining materials be identified, put in all to do with the possibility or potential of order and considered as a scannable, recoverable records and or items of interest explainable or denotable item for the partial for future generations. But what of other view that we will ever have of the subject people - what have they done? Do they die from the region. In our case, our records and and leave their families with no legacy. understanding of the materials, simply to Editor’s note: Tom’s article is very important have a skip or dump delivery? Maybe they as it fits in with a large, long-term UTG donated to the National Library of Australia? project: the compilation of an information Or is there a potential cohort of lost former database/collection on material concerning members of UTG or other groups who are the ‘missing decade’ – approximately 1970– out there who simply haven’t worked out 1980 information covering not just UTG but where they are going to send their materials? also the development of the modern Are they reachable to see what they might conservation/ Green movement in Tasmania. have? First, the fluidity of place of residence. Very little has been published about this Many people have in the last seventy years period. Other significant material, such as lived in Tasmania for a time, before moving university theses, that fall outside this period back to the mainland or elsewhere. In the will also be included in the database. So far at likelihood of their interests including book least 5GB of material has been collected, but collections or even photographic materials, it needs to be sorted and categorised and that many simply return to the mainland with will be a big task as much of the information local collections none the wiser of their is only camera photo form (from National presence or their materials. In most cases the and Tasmania archives) and needs collating. families and individuals who I knew on the The final objective is to make all this material West Coast have moved on, as well as in publicly available through Wikimedia. As far Hobart. The numbers go down as we age, as possible material will be available not only and the networks of the 1970s clearly have via Internet addresses but also in pdf format. disintegrated in most cases. Everyone is encourage to let us know if they If it was not enough to be aware of my have any material; they do not have to hand personal collection being somewhat short of it over as photo copying of the material can method, I then was able to complete the be arranged. One area where we have had Edith Cowan University museums course, very little response has been obtaining old before it was shut down. There is nothing photos – so please check your storage bins like being trained in history and then etc. We would also like historical car stickers, listening to curatorial logic, it is two different posters, newsletters, etc. Concerning worlds: the historian being trained to assess newsletters we do not have a complete the information, the museum professional collection of UTG newsletters. Finally, this working out ways to simplify and curate information collection does not just cover information to fit displays. The main moral UTG; it covers early conservation groups from my personal collecting, is that there is such as the Lake Pedder Action Committee, no such thing as a ‘perfect field’ of material the South West Tasmania Action Committee, that can be amassed or organised. early Tasmanian Wilderness Society, the Lower Gordon Preservation Society, the There are always things missing, and always Tasmanian Conservation Trust, etc. plenty of brick walls that genealogists are

1 Based on Kelly S. Bricker & Mercedes S. Hunt, 15 IUCN/World Commission on Protected Areas, Tourism Ecotourism Outlook 2014, prepared for the TIES 2014 and Management in Protected Areas: guidelines for Outlook Marketing Forum, 2014 sustainability, 2018 2 Kelly S. Bricker & Mercedes S. Hunt, Ecotourism 16 The TUI Group’s revenue is over $15 billion, as Outlook 2014, prepared for the TIES 2014 Outlook compared with Tasmania’s Gross State Product was Marketing Forum, 2014. $28.6 billion in 2016-17 3 For example, Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, University of 17 see https://www.tuigroup.com/en- South Australia; Tema Milstein, recent Visiting en/sustainability/strategy Researcher, University of Tasmania, from University of 18 Where Sustainable Travel is Headed in 2018, New Mexico https://globalnews.booking.com/where-sustainable- 4 Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, Sustainable tourism: travel-is-headed-in-2018 Sustaining tourism or something more? Tourism 19 Global Sustainable Tourism Council, Management Perspectives, December 2017. https://www.gstcouncil.org/gstc-criteria/gstc- 5 Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), The Case for destination-criteria/ Responsible Travel 2016, pages 1-10, 2017 20 According to Ecotourism Australia´s Annual Report 6 Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), The Case for 2016-17 only 60% of their members are members of Responsible Travel 2016, page 3, 2017 their State or Territory tourism councils. 7 A. Davidson, ‘Sustainable Invetsing’ Goes Mainstream, 21 Robyn Bushell & Kelly S. Bricker, Tourism in The Wall Street Journal, 13 January 2016 protected areas: Developing meaningful standards, 8 Kevin Kiernan, 2018, personal correspondence Tourism and Hospitlity Research, March 2016. 22 9 World Travel & Tourism Council, Travel and Tourism Kelly S. Bricker & Mercedes S. Hunt, Ecotourism Economic Impact 2017 Cabo Verde. Outlook 2014, prepared for the TIES 2014 Outlook Marketing Forum, page 7, 2014 10 Sofield, T.H.B., & Li, F.M.S. (2007). China: Ecotourism 23 op cit, page 8 and cultural tourism: Harmony or dissonance? 24 In J. Higham (Ed.), Critical issues in ecotourism: Ulrich Beck, The Risk Society, 1992 Confronting the challenges (pp. 368–385). London: 25 Ecotourism Australia issues 9 different types of Elsevier Science & Butterworth Heinemann, 2007 - as certicates, including ‘Ecotourism’ of which there are quoted in Honggang Xu, Qingming Cui, Trevor Sofield currently 3 such enterprises in Tasmania, plus 9 with & Fung Mei Sarah Li (2014) Attaining harmony: ‘Advanced Ecotourism’ certification; and there is understanding the relationship between ecotourism ‘nature tourism’, for which there is just 1 example in and protected areas in China, Journal of Sustainable Tasmania – the differences between ‘Ecotourism’ and Tourism, 22:8, 1131-1150, 2014 ‘Nature Tourism’ are obscure. To maintain certification

11 involves paying a high annual fee. There is also the Article 3, sections 4 & 5 of the Global Code of Ethics for Climate Action Business certificate, for which there is Tourism, adopted by UN in 2001 (United Nations & UN just one enterprise - the Maria Isand Walk. The World Tourism Organisation). "4. Tourism definition used by Ecotourism Australia is: ‘Ecotourism infrastructure should be designed and tourism is ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus activities programmed in such a way as to protect the on experiencing natural areas that fosters natural heritage composed of ecosystems and environmental and cultural understanding, biodiversity and to preserve endangered species of appreciation and conservation’, but they do not have a wildlife; the stakeholders in tourism development, and definition for ‘nature tourism’. especially professionals, should agree to the imposition of limitations or constraints on their activities when these are exercised in particularly sensitive areas: desert, polar or high mountain regions, coastal areas, tropical forests or wetlands, propitious to the creation of nature reserves or protected areas; 5. Nature tourism and ecotourism are recognized as being particularly conducive to enriching and enhancing the standing of tourism, provided they respect the natural heritage and local populations and are in keeping with the carrying capacity of the sites." 12 Bricker & Hunt, referencing D.C. Esty, D.C. & A.S. Winston, Green to Gold: How smart companies use environmental strategy to innovate, create value, and build competitive advantage. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2006 13 Kelly S. Bricker & Mercedes S. Hunt, op. cit. 14 G. Monbiot, How sustainability became ‘sustained growth. http://www.monbiot.com/2012/06/22/how- sustainability-became-sustained-growth/