FT Welcomes World Heritage Committee

Bob Gordon

I would like to welcome the members of the World Heritage Committee to Tasmania. Their visit is an opportunity to showcase the state’s land management practices and we appreciate the committee taking the time to see first hand how forest management is practised in Tasmania.

I am confident that the committee will see for themselves why the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in its report called “Building Nature’s Safety Net 2008”, acknowledged that Tasmania has made the second highest proportional contribution to the national reserve system – the national network of public, indigenous and private protected areas.

The WWF report also said that Tasmania is expected to meet the major targets it has committed to for protecting ecosystem diversity and endangered species by 2010-2015.

Forestry Tasmania is always prepared to have its practices put up to scientific analysis. We did this through the Old Forests New Management Conference held last month, and the Committee’s visit is another opportunity to demonstrate how the science of forest management is being applied on state forests.