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.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
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.
