Review of the Threatened Species Licence Framework

The Forest Practices Authority of Tasmania (FPA) is the independent statutory body which regulates the management of Tasmanian forests, and is experienced in implementing multi-scale landscape approaches to protecting threatened species in forestry operations.

The FPA prepared a preliminary report (PDF 739KB) and final report (PDF 1.4MB) on the proposed multi-scale landscape provisions for protecting threatened species. They found the proposed framework:

• should meet the objectives of the IFOA remake
• will contribute to the overarching goals and objectives as identified in the literature as important for conserving forest biodiversity in production forest areas
• is consistent with the multi-scale landscape approach in other jurisdictions.

Some areas required further consideration, including:

• setting overarching principles to take account of the trade-off between conservation and economic outcomes
• developing clear and measurable outcomes
• developing comprehensive guidelines and a training program for those involved in implementing and monitoring the Coastal IFOA
• developing a monitoring program and process for continuous improvement.

The review also highlights the need to consider:

• further measures for dispersing harvesting (in particular the maximum harvesting threshold)
• the size and composition of habitat clumps
• ways to minimise edge effects impacting on excluded areas
• protecting sensitive species that were not adequately covered by general conditions.

The NSW Government has used the advice and recommendations provided by the FPA to improve the multi-scale landscape threatened species licence framework.