Spotlight on government inaction to protect Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area

Today, at the conclusion of the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting (48COM), in Korea, the world’s spotlight has been shone on the mismanagement of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. 

Through a powerful collaboration, the Wilderness Society and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre brought global attention to the failure to deliver on decade-old commitments, as well as mounting evidence of significant impacts from salmon farming and other industrial activities within the area. 

Thanks to the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on World Heritage, the world now knows that free, prior and informed consent is not obtained from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community for decisions affecting the outstanding universal values of the Tasmanian Wilderness, in breach of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

Key points: 

• The impacts from salmon and other industries were discussed at the meeting, as were Palawa people’s rights to decision making over their land and heritage through their own representative structures. 
• Tasmanian and Australian governments can no longer hide behind the excuses they have been making for a decade on shared decision-making and cultural heritage assessments. The ongoing and significant impacts from the salmon industry have been laid bare. 
• Officials at the World Heritage Centre and its advisory bodies, the IUCN and ICOMOS, acknowledged civil society’s concerns and requested specific additional information be provided as soon as possible. 
• The International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on World Heritage made their remarks in the context of the World Heritage Committee’s commitment to enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ participation in the Convention in accordance with decisions made at the 2025 and 2026 meetings. 
• The Roadmap for the development of a Proposal to Enhance Indigenous Peoples’ Engagement in the World Heritage Convention adopted at 48COM commits Committee members to a process that aims to further recognise Indigenous peoples rights and beliefs within statements of Universal Outstanding Value and increase Indigenous participation in the World Heritage Convention, empowering Indigenous self determination. 
• Key impacts raised at 48COM include: declining federal protections; increasingly severe fire impacts due to climate change impacts; an inappropriate fire management regime; increasing threats to the Maugean skate which teeters on the brink of extinction primarily due to salmon farming; poor boundary management: invasive feral deer; an inappropriate tourism development policy; and the unrestored flooded Lake Pedder. 
• Federal and state crossbench MPs sent joint open letters in support during the course of 48COM. 

Eloise Carr, Policy Advisor, the Wilderness Society said: 

“Salmon and other industries’ impacts on the Tasmanian Wilderness were raised at the World Heritage meeting in Korea. The salmon industry can no longer rely on government support to shield it from growing public and international scrutiny. The world now knows the destructive power of the salmon industry and they want action to protect Tasmanians precious world heritage. 

“The role of civil society in holding governments to account is crucial to the success of the World Heritage Convention. Without it, governments, including Australia’s, will continue to use smoke and mirrors to hide and deflect attention away from their failure to protect humanity’s most precious cultural and natural heritage. 

“The concerns raised at 48COM can no longer be dismissed. We hope the World Heritage Centre will hold Australia to account for failing to protect the outstanding universal values of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. Watch this space.” 

Andry Scoulthorpe, Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre said: 

“There is a great deal of interest from the international community about our concerns. 

“For Palawa people, natural heritage is cultural heritage – there is no distinction between them. No free, prior and informed consent is obtained for decisions that are significantly impacting our land and heritage, whether for fish farming, the current fire management regime or the inappropriate tourism development policy of the Tasmanian government. 

“The stolen cultural landscape of the Tasmanian Wilderness should be returned to Palawa ownership. There are numerous examples elsewhere in Australia where World Heritage Areas have been returned and management is shared under the World Heritage Convention. It’s long overdue for the Australian Government to meet its obligations on this decade-old commitment to our cultural landscape.” 

The message from 48COM is clear: the protection of this globally significant landscape requires meaningful action, accountability, and respect for the rights and knowledge of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.