The Regional Forest Agreements (RFA) are 20 year plans for the conservation and sustainable management of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
's native forests, and are intended to provide certainty to commercial forestry operations while protecting environmental values. The 10 RFA's were progressively signed between 1997 and 2001. The RFA process grew out of the 1992 National Forest Policy Statement.
The Agreements relies on a mix of community and industry consultation combined with scientific research. While the Agreements are supported by
forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
industry, they are widely criticized by
environmentalist
An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...
groups.
In Tasmania, a forestry operation that is undertaken in accordance with an RFA is not required obtain environmental approvals otherwise required by the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act
The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...
, nor to protect rare or threatened species listed in the CAR Reserve System. A
conclusive presumption was added to the agreement in 2007 which states "The Parties agree that the CAR Reserve System, established in accordance with this Agreement, and the application of management strategies and management prescriptions developed under Tasmania's Forest Management Systems, protect rare and threatened fauna and flora species and Forest Communities". That is, the threatened species have simply been declared to be protected without regard for actual circumstances.
Brown v Forestry Tasmania
/ref>
Regions
There are currently 10 regions covered by RFAs:
*Western Australia,
*West Victoria,
*North East Victoria,
*Central Highlands Victoria,
*Gippsland Victoria,
*East Gippsland Victoria,
*Tasmania,
*Southern New South Wales,
*Eden New South Wales,
*North East New South Wales
See also
*Forestry
Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...
*Deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...
* Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
*Montréal Process
The Montréal Process, officially known as the Montréal Process Working Group on Criteria and Indicators for the Conservation and Sustainable Management of Temperate and Boreal Forests, is a voluntary agreement on sustainable forest management. I ...
*Woodchipping in Australia
Woodchipping is the act and industry of chipping wood for pulp. Timber is converted to woodchips and sold, primarily, for paper manufacture. In Australia, woodchips are produced by clearcutting or thinning of native forests or plantations. In o ...
References
External links
Australian Government's RFA siteWilderness Society Overview of the RFA
Nature conservation in Australia
Forests of Australia
{{australia-gov-stub