Today’s adoption of the draft decision by the World Heritage Committee paves the way for the State and Commonwealth Governments to continue with our constructive engagement with the Committee and its technical advisory bodies in finalising a new management plan for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA).
We fully acknowledge that the World Heritage Committee has expressed concern to ensure that the new plan is genuinely protective of the extraordinary natural and cultural values of the Area.
We share a commitment to the protection of those values and we want to continue to work with the World Heritage Committee to see a responsible outcome achieved.
In developing the new management plan our objective is to facilitate new sensitive tourism experiences within the World Heritage Area in a manner that is consistent with the proper protection of its Outstanding Universal Values.
We do not want to see its values compromised.
We want to ensure that the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is properly protected and managed for the benefit of current and future generations of Tasmanians and for people all around the world.
The Tasmanian Government has been very pleased with the productive nature of the discussions held so far with the World Heritage Committee and its technical advisory bodies. A great deal of information has been exchanged and much progress has already been made.
We very much look forward to the technical advisory bodies coming to Tasmania and we look forward to showing them first-hand the efforts being made to responsibly manage the TWWHA as well as affording an opportunity for them to provide further input as we finalise the new management plan.
We are also determined to ensure that the extraordinary cultural heritage of the TWWHA is properly recognised and protected. That is why we have elevated the importance of Aboriginal cultural heritage in the draft of the new plan. Again, this is an issue we will continue to strongly pursue through constructive engagement with the Committee.
As we have consistently said - the finalisation of the draft management plan is an ongoing process of consultation and feedback. It is a process we remain fully committed to. It’s only by consulting widely and being prepared to genuinely listen that we can secure an outcome that achieves the right balance and of which Tasmania can be truly proud.
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