Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area expanded!
Some great news this week for forest conservation in Tasmania – the World Heritage Commitee meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia has passed a recommendation to extend Tasmanias World Heritage Area by 172,500 hectares. The new boundaries will now include some of Tasmania’s most pristine wild forests such as the Styx Valley, the Upper Florentine Valley and Weld Valley. All of these areas have long been battlegrounds between forest protestors and the forestry industry but now will be preserved and managed for the outstanding conservation values they contain.
Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, revised map
Anyone wanting to read the report can do so here. The extensions now mean that the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is close to 1.6 million hectares, and with the passing in Tasmania of the Tasmanian Forests Agreement legislation recently there is also the possibility that more conservation reserves may be created in the coming 18 months while the timber industry is radically resized and funds provided to create alternative employment opportunities in regional Tasmania.
Styx Valley World Heritage Area, Tasmania.
In any case the title “Styx Valley of the Giants World Heritage Area” has quite a nice ring to it doesnt it 🙂
Here are some previous posts about these areas:
And a reminder that I run Mt Field & Styx Valley Photography Tours – why not join me for a day out in these newly proclaimed World Heritage areas 🙂
Congratulations to all those involved in making this listing possible.
