Australia's World Heritage Properties: Their planning and management

The planning and management arrangements for Australia's world heritage areas (WHAs) are diverse because while the Common-wealth government is ultimately responsible for the management of these areas, it shares this responsibility with other levels of government. The aims of this paper are to review the management arrangements for all 15 Australian WHAs, to describe the nature of development pressures on these areas, to explain how development proposals potentially affecting world heritage values are assessed and approved at the Commonwealth government level, and finally to provide an overview of the development assessment and approval process for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. These aims are fulfilled by way of a literature review and preliminary empirical investigation, undertaken within a qualitative research framework. There are four styles of WHA management, with varying levels of Commonwealth involvement in day-to-day management. Most of Australia's WHAs are subject to existing or potential pressure from tourism development and some are also experiencing other types of development pressure such as mining, fishing, and urban/residential development Development proposals wtih the potential to affect the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area are assessed in accordance with a process outlined in the management plan for the property. Some development proposals may also require assessment under the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Tasmania's land use planning legislation. © 2005, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.