Protecting nature conservation values on private land in Tasmania

In Tasmania, the focus of the conservation movement and government conservation authorities has been on establishing and managing protected areas on public land. That approach is not adequate to ensure that threats to biodiversity from habitat destruction and fragmentation are redressed. These threats come equally from private land, and private land must be brought into the conservation planning and management system. This thesis examines measures being taken to improve the protection of nature conservation values on private land in Tasmania. Commonwealth and State government policy and legislation, as well as the role of local government, is evaluated. Measures taken in other Australian States and overseas with the aim of achieving nature conservation on private land are examined as a comparison and a source of information to devise an appropriate system for Tasmania. The Tasmanian Resource Management and Planning System, including planning schemes and decisions of the Resource Management and Planning Tribunal, is examined in detail. Both the current emphasis on voluntary community-based programs and the existing limited regulatory measures are found to be an inadequate means of achieving nature conservation goals on private land. An integrated regulatory approach is achievable by using the mechanisms available in the Resource Management and Planning Syst.em along with regional conservation planning. Financial incentives and funding of voluntary community-based efforts, as means of educating and motivating landholders and rural communities, are an essential element of a comprehensive program to achieve nature conservation on private land.