Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Draft Management Plan 2014
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Review of the ‘DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014’: Director’s report and representations July 2016 Review of the ‘DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014’: Director’s report and representations Prepared and published by: Tasmanian Planning Commission GPO Box 1691 Hobart Tasmania 7001 July 2016 email address: [email protected] internet address: www.planning.tas.gov.au Review of the Director’s report and representations: DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014 Review of the Director’s report and representations: DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014 Review of the Director’s report and representations: DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014 Table of contents Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. 1 Glossary ................................................................................................................................................ 2 1.0 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 3 1.1 Referral to the Commission .................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Background to the Draft Plan ............................................................................................... 3 1.3 Review process by the Commission...................................................................................... 5 2.0 Review of representations and the Director’s report ............................................................... 8 2.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Omission of ‘Wilderness Zone’ and attributes ..................................................................... 9 2.3 Timber harvesting ............................................................................................................... 11 2.5 Mining ................................................................................................................................. 12 2.5 Descriptions of values ......................................................................................................... 14 2.6 Application of the plan to specific tenures ......................................................................... 16 2.7 Commercial activities.......................................................................................................... 17 2.8 Aircraft and jet skis ............................................................................................................. 19 2.9 Fire management ................................................................................................................ 22 2.10 West Coast User Issues ....................................................................................................... 22 2.11 Other statutory powers in the TWWHA ............................................................................. 25 2.12 Other ................................................................................................................................... 25 3.0 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 27 Appendix 1 List of representors ..................................................................................................... 30 Review of the Director’s report and representations: DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014 Review of the Director’s report and representations: DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014 Executive Summary In April 2016, the Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage referred 7545 representations and the report of the Director of National Parks and Wildlife, regarding the DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014, to the Tasmanian Planning Commission for review under Part 3 of the National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002. The Commission’s role is limited to reviewing the representations received and the report of the Director, with reference to the Draft Plan. It can not approve, amend or refuse the Draft Plan. Nor can it comment on the merit of the Draft Plan. The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) was first listed in 1982, covers almost a quarter of Tasmania and exceeds 1.58 million hectares. It comprises six national parks and 45 other reserves declared under the Nature Conservation Act 2002. The Commission could only consider the Director’s report and representations, but not the merits of the Draft Plan, in relation to these reserves. The three most contentious issues raised in representations were the removal of the Wilderness Zone and the provision for mining and timber harvesting in parts of the TWWHA. The main issues, relevant to the Commission’s review, raised in many representations were: 1. Omission of ‘wilderness’ zone and attributes; 2. Logging and special species timber harvesting; 3. Mining; 4. Description of values; 5. Application of the plan in relation to specific tenures; 6. Commercial activities; 7. Aircraft and jet skis; 8. Fire management; 9. West Coast user issues; and 10. Other statutory powers in the TWWHA. Other issues were raised related to the World Heritage values management, but these were outside the scope of the Commission’s review. The Commission found that the Director’s report was comprehensive and adequately detailed and addressed most of the concerns and comments from representors. In the Commission’s view, in the majority of cases, the Director adequately responded to the representations and issues raised, including proposing substantial amendments, particularly in relation to several contentious issues. However, the Commission found that there were some omissions or inadequate responses from the Director, and these have been discussed in this report. Executive Summary 1 Review of the Director’s report and representations: DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014 Glossary Australia ICOMOS Australia International Council for Monuments and Sites Commission Tasmanian Planning Commission CPCA Central Plateau Conservation Area current plan Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 1999 Director Director of National Parks and Wildlife DPIPWE Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Draft Plan DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Management Plan 2014 EOI Expressions of Interest EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (AG) FPPFL Future Potential Forest Production Land HRDG Huon Resource Development Group KDO Key Desired Outcome Minister Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage MRD Act Mineral Resources Development Act 1995 MVC Meander Valley Council NC Act Nature Conservation Act 2002 NWI National Wilderness Inventory (Australian Heritage Commission) OUV Outstanding Universal Value PTPZL Permanent Timber Production Zone Land PWS Parks and Wildlife Service RAA Reserve Activity Assessment Regulations National Parks and Reserved Lands Regulations 2009 TCT Tasmanian Conservation Trust TICT Tourism Industry Council Tasmania TNPA Tasmanian National Parks Association TWWHA Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area wAC weetapoona Aboriginal Corporation WCRA West Coast Recreation Association WHA World Heritage Area Glossary 2 Review of the Director’s report and representations: DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Referral to the Commission In April 2016, the Minister for Environment, Parks and Heritage (the Minister) referred 7545 representations and the report of the Director of National Parks and Wildlife (the Director), regarding the DRAFT Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Management Plan 2014 (the Draft Plan), to the Tasmanian Planning Commission (the Commission) for review under Part 3 of the National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002 (the Act). The Commission’s role is limited to reviewing the representations received and the report of the Director, with reference to the Draft Plan. This involves a review of the representations and how the Director has responded to issues raised in representations. The Commission cannot approve, amend or refuse the Draft Plan. Nor can it comment on the merit of the Draft Plan. Further discussion on the scope of the Commission’s role is under 2.1.1 below. 1.2 Background to the Draft Plan The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) is a listed World Heritage Property recognised as having Outstanding Universal Value based on four natural and three cultural criteria, values related to integrity and authenticity of the property and the nature of the management regime and the protection it affords the World Heritage values. It was first inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982. There have been a number of extensions to the TWWHA since then, including a major expansion in 1989 and the latest additions in 2013. The TWWHA covers almost a quarter of Tasmania and exceeds 1.58 million hectares. It comprises six national parks and 45 other reserves declared under the Nature Conservation Act 2002 (NC Act). The reserve classes included are: • national park • State reserve • historic