Regional forest agreements: origins, development and contributions

ABSTRACT

This paper reviews the origins and development of Australia’s regional forest agreements as they approach their 20-year anniversaries, and considers the contributions made by these agreements. Regional forest agreements are 20-year federal-state agreements that underpin the conservation and management of forests in the major commercial forest regions of Australia, covering an area of 39 million ha, and aim to achieve a balance between conservation and sustainable use of the natural, cultural, economic and social values of these forests. The agreements constitute the largest intergovernmental natural resource planning process ever undertaken in Australia, as well as being mechanisms for meeting international obligations for the conservation and sustainable use of forest resources. Processes leading to these agreements were rational, objective and transparent, balancing conservation and sustainable development objectives, and were based on a wealth of knowledge and data. Scientific and economic frameworks were developed for determining conservation, sustainable management and industry development outcomes, that is, ecologically sustainable development. Ten regional forest agreements were signed by governments between 1997 and 2001. These agreements resulted in the implementation of comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve systems and improved systems of environmental management in public and private forests. They have also contributed to the sustainability of forest management and the conservation of biodiversity across all tenures. Regional forest agreements are examples of how governments can make decisions and respond to public policy issues about the ecological, social and economic demands on forest resources through a sustainability framework.

KEYWORDS:

• regional forest agreement
• sustainable yield
• accreditation
• ecologically sustainable forest management
• biodiversity
• conservation
• ecologically sustainable development
• forest policy

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my many Australian and State Government colleagues associated with regional forest agreements over many years, some of whom provided thoughtful input on early versions or sections of this manuscript. Steve Read, Beau Hug and Andrew Wilson provided valuable comments on the draft manuscript.

Notes

¹ Section 4 of the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975 provides a description of National Estate and National Estate values: National Estate consists of those places, being components of the natural or cultural environment of Australia, that have aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance or other special value for future generations as well as for the present community.

² The international use of the term forest land is land carrying forest that is predominantly not under agricultural or urban land use (FAO 2010). This differs from the Australian use of the term forest land which is simply land carrying forest; agricultural use of forest land, such as for grazing, is not an exclusion from the Australian definition of forest land.

³ These requirements originate from the international concept ‘living resource conservation for sustainable development’ (IUCN, UNEP, WWF, FAO & UNESCO 1980).

⁴ ‘Commonwealth responsibility’ relates to meeting the obligations of those international agreements referred to and/or the administration of relevant Commonwealth legislation. Those responsibilities may be discharged in co-operation and/or consultation with the other parties to this Agreement. ‘Commonwealth interest’ relates to initiating or participating in the development of co-operative approaches for dealing with environmental problems, the establishment and delivery of programs, and the provision of funding. Commonwealth interests may vary, from time to time, in relation to the particular matters of interest and the level of Commonwealth involvement (COAG 1997).

⁵ The IGAE states ‘A reference in this Agreement to the words “give full faith and credit” to the results of mutually approved or accredited systems, practices, procedures or processes, means that the Commonwealth and the States acting in accordance with the laws in force in their jurisdictions, will accept and rely on the outcomes of that system or the practices, procedures or processes, as the case may be, as a basis for their decision making.’ (COAG 1992, section 1.5).

⁶ Quoted page numbers correspond to the hardcopy published National Forest Policy Statement. Page numbering in the digital copy differs from the printed version.

⁷ Now incorporated into the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES), Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.

⁸ Now the Department of the Environment and Energy.

⁹ Forest management systems are the suite of legislation, policies, codes, plans and management practices, as were assessed as part of a state or regional assessment of ecologically sustainable forest management systems and processes.

¹⁰ AFFA is now the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.

¹¹ Portfolio in the Australian Government context is a minister’s area of responsibility as a member of Cabinet, comprising, generally, a single department within the portfolio and a number of government agencies and/or statutory authorities administered under the portfolio.

¹² As an action, the Greater Blue Mountains was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000, representing the evolution of Australia’s unique eucalypt vegetation. Refer to https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/blue-mountains.