Rec 6 In line with a recent Committee request (Decision 39 COM 7B.35), the Management Plan should establish strict criteria for new tourism development within the property, which would be in line with the primary goal of protecting the property’s Outstanding Universal Value, including its wilderness character and cultural attributes. Support Additional criteria will be included in the new management plan to apply to the assessment of commercial tourism proposals in the property. These criteria will ensure protection of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value. Appropriate and sensitive tourism is an important way of presenting the property, as required under the World Heritage Convention, and is important for the Tasmanian economy. Further information is available in section 1.2.3 of the 2016 State Party Report. The 2016 Management Plan includes a number of measures to protect the property’s Outstanding Universal Value, including its wilderness character and cultural attributes. These include: • additional criteria for the assessment of activities and proposals in the property that require assessment under the Reserve Activity Assessment process to ensure World Heritage values are considered (section 3.3.1 of the management plan) • additional strict assessment criteria to ensure commercial tourism proposals do not impact negatively on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (section 6.8 of the management plan) • consideration of impacts on wilderness values in the assessment of any activity in the property (section 8.2 of the management plan). Further information is available in section 1.2.1 of this report. Proposed activities likely to have a significant impact on the property’s World Heritage values, including the property’s wilderness character and cultural attributes, will also be subject to assessment under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Rec 7 The comprehensive Tourism Master Plan details should refine the balance between legitimate tourism development and the management and conservation of the cultural and natural values of the TWWHA based on further consultation and negotiation of competing interests. Support The intent of this recommendation will be achieved primarily through the regulation of land use in the new management plan for the property. The Tourism Master Plan will provide additional guidance, context and policy direction for decision making under the new management plan. In particular the Tourism Master Plan will include consideration of issues, including protection and presentation of values, sustainable use, future visitor trends and expectations. Further information is available in section 1.2.3 of the 2016 State Party Report. The 2016 Management Plan includes a management action to “Develop a Tourism Master Plan for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area in consultation with the tourism industry, Tasmanian Aboriginal people and other key stakeholders” (section 6 of the management plan). The Tourism Master Plan will consider the management and conservation of the cultural and natural values of the property and is due to be completed by December 2019. Further information is available in section 1.2.2 of this report. Rec 8 The term “wilderness” should be retained in the property name, while future dual naming is strongly encouraged to reflect both the Aboriginal heritage and the relationship of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community with the property. Support The term “wilderness” will be retained in the property’s name. The Tasmanian Government is exploring the potential for dual naming of the property in consultation with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. The property will remain named the “Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area”. The 2016 Management Plan includes a management action in section 4.6 to follow the protocols of the Tasmanian Government’s Aboriginal and Dual Naming Policy and request a dual name for the property to reflect its Aboriginal heritage, and the relationship of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people to the area, to complement the existing recognition of its wilderness values. Further information is available in section 1.4 of this report.
Rec 14 The State Party and the Tasmanian Government should jointly ensure an equal and integrated consideration of the cultural and the natural heritage of the mixed property. Support The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that the property’s cultural and natural heritage values are equally considered and is working closely with the Tasmanian Government to achieve this shared objective. The new management plan for the property will integrate the management of natural and cultural values. The Tasmanian Government’s commitment to develop joint management arrangements with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community will strengthen this integrated approach. On completion, the cultural heritage study will provide more detailed information on the cultural heritage values of the property. This will provide a strong basis on which to ensure a more equal and integrated approach to the management of the property’s cultural and natural heritage values. Further information is available in section 1.1 in the 2016 State Party Report. The 2016 Management Plan recognises that for Aboriginal people, natural values are inseparable from their cultural understanding of the natural world. The management plan establishes a framework for management to ensure an appropriate level of integration of research and monitoring related to all values is undertaken in partnership with Aboriginal people. It also recognises that optimal management of natural and Aboriginal cultural values is contingent upon an integrated approach. The Tasmanian Government has established a Cultural Management Group within Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania to oversee implementation of the Aboriginal cultural management outcomes of the management plan and to provide ongoing support of Aboriginal cultural values management in the property. Further information is in section 4 of the management plan.
Rec 15 The State Party and the Tasmanian Government should provide and secure an adequate long-term allocation of financial and human resources to allow for proper consideration of cultural heritage. Support The cultural heritage study will be led by the Aboriginal Heritage Council. The Australian and Tasmanian governments are supporting this work. The Tasmanian Government will provide additional resources for cultural heritage management. These commitments will be included in the new management plan for the property. The Australian and Tasmanian governments will continue to commit resources to improving the understanding of the property’s cultural heritage. Further information is available in section 1.4 of the 2016 State Party Report The 2016 Management Plan includes the following management actions to: • increase baseline funding for management of Aboriginal cultural values to a quantum that reflects their importance in the area’s World Heritage listing • produce an implementation plan that clearly outlines the steps to achieve adequate funding of management actions. The implementation plan will determine the relationship between funding increases and actions within the plan that are contingent upon that funding; and identify the parties who are responsible for the implementation of the management actions, timelines and processes of review and consultation (section 4.7 of the management plan). The Australian and Tasmanian governments have provided ‘baseline’ funding for day-to-day management of the property since 1983. Baseline funding for management of Aboriginal cultural values has substantially increased from AUD$160,000 in 2013-14 to AUD$740,000 in 2016-17 and AUD$705,000 in 2017-18. In addition to baseline funding, in 2015 the Australian Government provided AUD$575,000 for work to provide more detail on the cultural heritage of the property and how this relates to its Outstanding Universal Value. The Implementation Plan for the management plan was finalised in November 2017. The Australian and Tasmanian governments have funded the ‘Cultural Values Assessment of the 2013 Extension Area of the TWWHA Project’ which involves community consultation and cultural heritage surveys within the areas added to the property in 2013. Further information is available in section 1.5.4 of this report.
Rec 17 The State Party should ensure adequate resources for fire research and management, so as to better understand the role of fire and to optimize its management. Support On 9 March 2016 the Tasmanian Government announced that it will invest AUD$250,000 in a research project that will examine the impact of climate change in the property and strengthen techniques specific to managing wilderness areas. This project will be completed in consultation with the Australian Government. The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service has a recurrent fire management budget of AUD$1.8 million with AUD$650,000 allocated for ongoing fire management planning in the property. Additional expenditure for fire suppression is directly funded by the Tasmanian Government. Australia is a world leader in fire management and fighting techniques. Both Governments are committed to ongoing maintenance of this capability and continual improvement through review and evaluation. Further information is available in section 2.4 of the 2016 State Party Report. The 2016 Management Plan acknowledges that fire is one of the major threats to the property’s natural and cultural values and includes a number of measures to continue resourcing fire research and management in the property (section 4.3, 5.2.1 and 8.1). The Australian and Tasmanian governments have resourced fire research and management activities since the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area was listed in 1982. Recent examples of resourcing on fire research and management include: • The Tasmanian Government allocated AUD$4 million over four years from 2017 to implement recommendations of the independent reviews of the 2016 fires in the property, including for planning, rehabilitation and fire mitigation activities. • The Australian and Tasmanian governments’ jointly funded the emergency response to managing the January 2016 bushfires in the property at a cost of AUD$11.5 million. • The Tasmanian Government provided AUD$250,000 in 2016 for a research project on the impact of climate change and opportunities to strengthen in the property. The project published its report in December 2016. • In 2016 the Australian Government provided AUD$100,000 to the University of Tasmania to improve understanding and management of fire in the property. This project is expected to be complete by mid-2018.
Rec 20 The State Party should support and consolidate the emerging joint management of the TWWHA with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community. Support The Tasmanian Government is committed to progressing opportunities for joint management with the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. Further information is available in section 1.1 of the 2016 State Party Report. A key desired outcome of the 2016 Management Plan is that management of Aboriginal cultural values will be undertaken through a management governance arrangement that is supported by a dedicated unit, within five years (section 4.2 of the management plan). The following management actions are included to achieve this outcome by establishing: • a Cultural Management Group (CMG) within Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania to oversee implementation of the cultural management outcomes of the management plan and to provide ongoing support for management of the Aboriginal cultural values in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area • governance arrangements that provide a role for a Aboriginal organisation in the joint management of the Aboriginal cultural values of the property.