Precautionary forest management: a case study from Western Australian legislation, policies, management plans, codes of practice and manuals for the period 1919–1999

Summary

All available official policy documents (190) for the period 1919–1999 relating to forest management in Western Australia were examined. This period is defined by the proclamation of the Forests Act of 1918 in 1919 and the Forest Management Plan 1994–2003. Our objective was to locate and compile definitive statements on 14 topics concerning the protection of forest values or precautionary forest practices.

The study demonstrated the progressively increasing complexity of forest management over 80 years. Early emphasis was on reestablishing forests after logging and protecting them from wildfire. Nature conservation was officially addressed for the first time in the 1930s, becoming a dominant value by the 1970s and 1980s.

Statements from the 1920s onwards show a protective and prudential approach to conservation values within forest management. Our study indicates that strategic planning in forest management in Western Australia has a strong precautionary foundation, well in advance of the formulation of the precautionary principle.

Keywords:

• state government
• legislation
• forest policy
• forest management
• forest administration
• code of practice
• values
• conservation