UNESCO transparent in Tas: Hodgman

A UN delegation visiting Tasmania to check the welfare of the state's protected forest areas will bring no preconceived ideas, Premier Will Hodgman says.

Four months after rejecting a government proposal to allow specialist timber harvesting in Tasmania's protected Wilderness World Heritage Area, a United Nations delegation has arrived on the island.

Premier Will Hodgman is confident they will keep open minds and reconsider their stance.

The Liberal leader has support from federal colleagues in his bid to open parts of the 1.5 million-hectare sanctioned zone to sensitive industry including the logging of specialist timber and tourism.

"We've every confidence the delegation are open to understanding what we do in Tasmania, and accepting, we believe, that an appropriate balance is in place," he told reporters on Monday ahead of his meeting with the delegation.

But while the visiting representatives will meet a string of state ministers, along with tourism and forestry stakeholders and researchers, they will also hear from conservationists.

Australian Greens senator Nick McKim will spend time with the group on Saturday and The Wilderness Society is due to meet delegates on Tuesday.

Both groups strongly oppose plans to open the area to industry.

Mr Hodgman said his talks will dispel mistruths.

"It's important that we're able to present the facts and give them a true understanding of what is possible, but also to repudiate any false claims that are quite aggressively and often effectively put out by conservationists and environmental groups who misrepresent what the Tasmanian government is trying to achieve," the premier said.

The government's draft management plan for the area excludes industrial logging, but proposed permits be issued for the removal of specialty timbers.

"It's true to say that any harvesting would be subject to considerable controls, environmental protections including at a national level," Mr Hodgman said.

July's annual meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee rejected the plan and resolved that protection measures be upheld, prompting the government to invite representatives to visit.

After the six-day mission, representatives will give recommendations to the committee and government.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world