Parks and Reserves
One of the earliest rationales for the protection of particular areas of Tasmania was a Romantic concern about the impacts of development, particularly on places of aesthetic and scientific value. These were places that were symbolic of a more primitive and natural world free from human interference. The desire to protect such places led to the reservation of local beauty spots such as fern glades and waterfalls, managed by local councils or communities, and favoured for picnics and outings. These areas had little security and were often subject to revocation to enable the land to be used for a variety of economic purposes
Wineglass Bay in Freycinet National Park
Pressure from a variety of groups in the early 1900’s resulted in the passage of the Scenery Preservation Act of 1915 and the Animal and Birds Protection Act of 1919, and the creation of their respective Boards. This provided the administrative framework for the establishment of reserves until they were superseded by the National Parks and Wildlife Act of 1970.
Creation of Statewide reserve systems
In the early 1960’s the Australian Academy of Science facilitated a comprehensive survey of reserves throughout Australia. From 1964 to 1974, the survey aimed to show a way in which a national system of reserves, conserving the greatest variety of plants and animals, could be achieved in the shortest time. The survey proposed that a national conservation network should be based on ecosystems
This notion of the need to develop a representative reserve system, and to centralise its control and management in an independent and professional agency, eventually saw the passage of the National Parks and Wildlife Act of 1970 and the creation of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
A system subject to constant change
The current Tasmanian reserve system reflects an increasingly complex and detailed attempt to protect and conserve the range of environmental values considered important at state, national and international levels. From the simple and local focus on scenery and wildlife that characterised the development of the earliest reserves, Tasmania has since developed a very specific and detailed system that seeks to conserve numerous and often-conflicting natural and cultural values. For the first time, the many classifications of our reserve system have prescribed purposes and specific objectives (Public Land Use Commission, 1997).
The Regional Forest Agreement (1997) and the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement (2005) provide interesting snapshots of the mix of values now considered important with regard to the use, management and protection of our States forests. As a result of these Agreements the Tasmanian reserve system now covers an area of 2,861,400 hectares or 42% of the States area. As a percentage of the land base, this is an enormous figure and by far the largest of any Australian state. 45% of Tasmanias forests fall within this reserve system.