MEDIA RELEASE
20 September 2011
TARKINE LISTING ‐ AUTHORITY URGES EVIDENCE‐BASED APPROACH
The Cradle Coast Authority has written to Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke, recommending that nationally significant heritage values in the Tarkine be mapped and protected where they actually occur, not where they might be found. Maps showing the broad area in which such values might be found have created uncertainty and cynicism in the region’s community. Public debate has tended to focus on this uncertainty rather than the existence, and protection, of heritage values. The Authority argues that an evidence‐based approach would make more sense to the local community, provide greater certainty for land users, and allow more targeted use of management resources than a blanket listing of the Tarkine as a whole. This position is consistent with the Heritage Council’s own description of the National Heritage listing process, which it says ‘would provide recognition and protection of any outstanding heritage values in the Tarkine and that it is these values, not the entire place, that would be protected’. The same website also makes it clear that ‘the Minister must decide whether the Tarkine, or areas within it, should be listed’, which confirms that listing of specific areas within the Tarkine is definitely an option. The Authority is confident that specific values being assessed for national significance in the Tarkine, including magnesite karst systems, Aboriginal heritage sites and areas of undisturbed rainforest, have fixed locations and can be mapped so they can be properly managed and respected by other land users. More work may be needed to identify these specific areas, and the Authority has offered to work with government agencies to assist the mapping process, and coordinate the involvement of local stakeholders. End… Media contacts: Roger Jaensch – Executive Chairman Amanda Wilson – Communications Manager Ph: 6431 6285 / 0438 316 285 Ph: 6431 6285 / 0457 834 558