Media Release 2.3.15
Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area Under Threat
Public Meeting Tomorrow 3.3.15
Hobart Town Hall – 12 noon
In Hobart Town Hall tomorrow at 12noon a Public Meeting will be held to outline concerns about the Tasmanian
Government’s plans to weaken wilderness protection in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, and
encourage people to have their say. Speakers are World Heritage Expert Jamie Kirkpatrick, Environmentalist Bob
Brown, Champion Orienteer & Runner Hanny Allston, and Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre’s Ruth Langford.
Hanny Allston, Champion Orienteer & Runner will join the speakers tomorrow, “As an athlete and a coach, I
appreciate that not everyone instantly loves to get sweaty and suffer through exercise. Similarly, I appreciate that
not all of us instantly fall in love with the intimate side of the wilderness - mud, insects, sleeping on the ground in a
tent. But you can learn to love it and appreciate what the wilderness stands for to you; be it beauty from a far or
softly & intimately involved. It has taken me 29 years and developing an outdoor business in Tasmania to fully
appreciate what Tasmania and its unique wild areas have to offer me.”
“Some of us need wilderness and its protected qualities to make us feel whole. Some of us need the sanctuary of
wilderness to unwind whilst others need it as a place to play. Artists need it for inspiration, photographers to
experience, Parks & Wildlife Staff to protect & nurture. We all have our reasons for needing the wilderness zones
intact. But a remote recreation zone? With less protection for its values and only highlighting the ‘recreational’
aspect - this cannot do justice for what wilderness means to us all. After all, wilderness is part of our island's identity
and helps to make us uniquely Tasmania,” Hanny Allston said.
Markets For Change CEO Peg Putt states, "The issue is not whether to allow tourism activities in the World Heritage
Area as that is already provided for, with many already operating. The issue is whether to open the most remote,
wild, sensitive places to injurious impacts on place and experience, without recognising that wilderness is a quality
that exists and should be kept safe whilst tourism business activities are directed into the most appropriate places
for managing their level of impact."
Environment Tasmania’s CEO Charlie Sherwin stated, "The Hodgman Government is effectively privatising public
lands- they have already covenanted the Parks and Wildlife Service to the tourism industry without any consultation
at all, and now they want to wreck wilderness and parks by doing sweetheart deals with private business interests
with as little public consultation as they can get away with."
BirdLife Tasmania has raised concerns of the potential impacts to endangered birds from the changes proposed by
the Tasmanian Government. The convenor, Dr Eric Woehler said that the TWWHA supports significant breeding
populations of endangered species that are of international significance. “More infrastructure, more people and
more disturbance will see greater pressures on our endangered bird species, pushing them closer to extinction”, he
added.
The Wilderness Society’s Vica Bayley said, "People have an opportunity to comment on the backward steps
Government wants to take regarding wilderness and other protections and this meeting is an opportunity to get
more information. Strong protections, including wilderness, have been critical to securing the World Heritage Area
against negative development impacts, biosecurity threats, logging and mining and are critical to preserve the
outstanding values of the area”.
Tasmanian Conservation Trust's Peter McGlone states, “The draft plan for managing the Tasmanian Wilderness
World Heritage Area is weak and needs to be drastically altered to ensure protection for the World Heritage Area. In
current draft form the plan has been changed to fit the interests of the proponents for development inside the WHA.
The Government has released details of just eight projects interested in developments in the World Heritage Area
but these include private 20 huts and lodges (all with helicopter access) and the draft plan places no limit on how
many may be allowed.”
The meeting is being organised by an alliance of concerned environment groups, who have recently been joined by
the Lake Pedder Restoration Committee. This alliance includes; Birdlife Tasmania, Bob Brown Foundation,
Environment Tasmania, Markets for Change, Tasmanian Conservation Trust, The Wilderness Society, Tasmanian
National Parks Association.
Contact
Jenny Weber 0427 366 929
Charlie Sherwin 0431 004702
Vica Bayley 0400 644 939