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PRIME MINISTER 68/ 95
JOINT STATEMENT BY THE PRIME NMISTER1 THE HON P J KEATING,
MP, THE MINISTER FOR PRIMARY INDUSTRIES AND ENERGY.
SENATOR THE HON BOB COLLINS AND THE MINISTER FOR THE
ENVIRONM: ENT, SPORT AND TERRITORIES, SENATOR THE HON JOHN
FAULKNER FOREST POLICY
The Government today agreed to a Commonwealth position on National Reserve
Criteria designed to esiablish a world class forest conservation reserve system.
These criteria fonii the basis for negotiation with the States on Deferred Forest
Assessments ( DFAs), Regional Forest Agreements ( RFAs) and on nationally agreed
criteria for establishing forest conservation reserves.
The National Reserve Criteria is a central plank of the National Forest Policy
Statement and the Commonwealth's commitment to identify and protect key forest
areas in a comprehensive, adequate and representative ( CAR) reserve system.
The Governmenr's decision took into account more than 50 submissions from
stakeholders as well as an extended process of consultation with thle States, interest
groups, scientists and the National Forest Policy Advisory Foruin.
The criteria reaffirmed the position set out in a Commonwealth Discussion Paper
which was released on 3 0 March 1995. In today's decisio the Government has
amplified and clarified some details regarding the application of these criteria.
The Commonwealth's National Reserve Criteria includes:-
a broad benchmark of 15% of the pre-1750 distribution of each forest
community to be protected within conservation reserves
retention in reserves of at least 60% of existing old growth increasing up
to 100% in some cases for rare old growth
protection of 90% or more wherever practicable of high quality wilderness
recognition of the role of " off-reserve management" to conservation
objectives.
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The Chief Biodiversity Officer of the United Nations' primary nature conservation
body International Union for the Conservation of Nature in his review of the criteria,
stated that it is " an excellent set of criteria which reflects extremely vell the current
art and science of reserve protected area sstem design. It draws on the best
available scie ce in Australia and elsewhere and appropriately reflects current
thinking at the internatlonal" level."
Implementation of a CAP, reserve system, appropriate management of commercial
forests, and the forthcoming wood and paper industries strategy will benefit industry
and regional communities through increased certainty.
The Commonwealth is also committed to ensuring that a high value-added wood
products industry can operate on an ecologically sustainable basis outside these areas.
This is being addressed through the Wood and Paper Industries Strategy to be released
in August.
These policy initiatives will ensure that Australia has both a vibrant forest-based
industry as well as a world class forest conservation reserve
It is recognised that the likely impact of the DFA and RFA processes may be the
withdrawal of some native forest resources. The Government has endorsed a set of
guidelines for consultations with affected businesses, workers and communities to
facilitate the transition to a sustainable higher value-added industry based increasingly
on plantation and regrowth resources.
It will not be possible to estimate detailed structural adjustment requirements until at
least the Deferred Forest Assessments have been completed.
Coupe by coupe assessment of forest areas for the 1995 woodchip licence renewal
process has been replaced this year by a regional approach to protect areas of forest
which may be required for the reserve system, pending the completion of RFAs.
MELBOURNE July 1995