The Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA) is an Australian environmental body. Formed in 1992, the organisation is "charged with managing the

Wet Tropics World Heritage Area The Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Site consists of approximately 8,940 km2 of Australian wet tropical forests growing along the north-east Queensland portion of the Great Dividing Range. The Wet Tropics of Queensland meets all f ...

according to Australia's obligations under the

World Heritage Convention The World Heritage Convention, formally the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, is an international treaty signed on 23 November 1972, which created the World Heritage Sites, with the primary goals of ...

." The Authority is based in Cairns, Queensland. It is jointly funded by the Australian Federal, and Queensland State governments. As of 2017 the WTMA employed about 52 staff. The WTMA operates under the ''Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993''.

Governance

The WTMA has a board of six part-time directors, serving for up to three years, plus a full-time non-voting executive director. The Federal and Queensland governments each nominate two directors. At least one Federal nominee must be an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...

. The Wet Tropics Ministerial Forum, comprising the Federal and Queensland State Ministers with environmental portfolios, nominate the boards chair, and an Aboriginal director. The board usually meets quarterly. The organisation is led by Executive Director Scott Buchanan.

Science Advisory Committee

The WTMA board appoints suitably qualified people to its Scientific Advisory Committee. The committee advises the board on "scientific research that contributes to the protection, conservation and scientific developments relevant to the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area."

References

{{Reflist Environmental protection agencies