Tasmania's Proposed Plan Could Go Under Scanner; May Bring International Embarrassment

Tasmanian Government’s latest plans for its World Heritage forests will go under scanner at the United Nations' key environment committee meeting in Germany.

The 21-member of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is likely to recommend a negative assessment of the Tasmanian Government's proposed management plan. The readjustment of the plan at a global platform could bring international embarrassment to both the Tasmanian and Commonwealth governments.

The agency has warned the Tasmanian Government, against its plans for opening up the historic forests to logging and mining in some areas. The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) is spread across 20 percent of the state. Meanwhile, there is no indication that the committee’s decision would directly influence the forests' World Heritage listing at this point.

For now, the Federal Government is concerned whether the same committee will also decide the fate of Great Barrier Reef and place it up on the "in danger" list. However, the decision to declare the reef “in danger” is unlikely, as a draft decision from the committee already suggested against it.

At this stage, UNESCO is primarily criticising the Tasmanian Government's draft management plan. While the Tasmanian Government planned to open up certain parts of the World Heritage Area for some kind of logging activities, the agency is afraid the draft plan may allow mining.

"Mineral exploration and exploitation is incompatible with World Heritage status," the UN report said. But Tasmania’s Environment Minister Matthew Groom said,” We recognise that the World Heritage Committee is concerned to ensure that the new plan is genuinely protective of the extraordinary natural and cultural values of the area."

Meanwhile, the Tasmanian forests have always featured in great political debates, especially in the last few decades. Back in 2013, the Federal Labor Government successfully extended the World Heritage Area by a remarkable size of forest area, making it one of the largest wilderness areas on earth.

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