Public participation and integrated planning in the Tasmanian Private Timber Reserve process

Public participation and integrated land-use planning are recognised as important components of environmental and natural resource management generally, and within the forest industry, as an essential component to the achievement of Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management. Public participation and integrated planning are mutually inclusive. The role of humans in environmental degradation and repair implies that management of environmental problems is essentially the management of people. Thus, an integrated and effective approach to environmental planning and management that is both ecologically and temporally sustainable requires appropriate public participation in the planning process. This article reviews integrated land use planning and public participation in the context of the land-use planning unit, the Private Timber Reserve, a key component in the development of the Tasmanian private forest industry.