Protected areas of Tasmania


Protected areas of Tasmania consist of protected areas located within Tasmania and its immediate onshore waters, including Macquarie Island. It includes areas of crown land managed by Tasmanian Government agencies as well as private reserves. As of 2016, 52% of Tasmania's land area has some form of reservation classification, the majority is managed by the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. Marine protected areas cover about 7.9% of state waters.
Within each classification of reserve there may be a variation of IUCN categories Australia is a signatory to the Convention of Biological Diversity and as such has obligations to report the status of its National Reserve System.IUCN provides on its website a prescription for activities consistent with the categorisation system. Changes made to the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in 2014 permit timber harvesting. These changes made in addition to the already established right to access minerals means that many of the IUCN categorisations assigned to individual reserves in Tasmania are no longer fit for purpose. In addition many reserves have had their reserve status downgraded from a class excluding timber harvesting and mineral extraction to ones where these activities are now permitted. This mis-application of the IUCN protected area categories needs to be remedied or the reserves protected land class under the Nature Conservation Act 2002 should be adjusted to reflect its currently assigned IUCN category.

Legislation and management

Summary of area totals

At 30 June 2016, Tasmania's terrestrial reserves cover, of which Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service manages 823 reserves.
The following table demonstrates the distribution of terrestrial protected areas as of June 2016, any marine areas are excluded. All protected areas not managed by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service or Sustainable Timber Tasmania is grouped into "other", including: formal and informal reserves on public land, reserves on private land, and Wellington Park.

Marine

Commonwealth marine reserves

There are several Commonwealth marine reserves in the vicinity of Tasmania, these reserves are not within state waters and are managed by the Australian government. All of the reserves are part of the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network which contains an additional 4 reserves.

Tasmanian marine protected areas

Marine protected areas in Tasmanian state waters are classed as either conservation area, national park or nature reserve. Only the nature reserve or national park class have either restricted fishing or no take zones. Of the approximately of marine protected areas, about is restricted fishing or no take, Macquarie Island is a wholly no-take zone.
In total 7.9% of Tasmania's State coastal waters is reserved, however only 4.2% is in no-take areas and the majority of this is concentrated around subantarctic Macquarie Island. Only 1.1% of Tasmania's immediate coastal waters are fully protected in no-take areas.

Private reserves

Reserves on private land is about 4% of the terrestrial protected areas in Tasmania.

Conservation Covenant

Landowners may protect some areas of their land by entering into a Conservation Covenant which is legally binding under the Nature Conservation Act and is registered on the land title. Although usually in perpetuity, about 7% of the covenant area in Tasmania is fixed-term. In December 2016, there were 819 covenants covering an area of about.

Indigenous Protected Areas

There are 8 Indigenous Protected Area in Tasmania, covering an area of about.
IUCN V
IUCN VI
  • Preminghana

Private sanctuaries

Land reserved for the significant natural or cultural values while permitting the carrying out of agricultural or other activities consistent on preserving the values of the land.

Wellington Park

Wellington Park is the protected area which encompasses Mount Wellington and surrounds near Hobart. It is IUCN protected area category II and covers an area of about. It is managed by the Wellington Park Management Trust established in 1993 whose members include: Hobart and Glenorchy City Councils, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service, DPIPWE, TasWater and Tourism Tasmania.

State forest

Future potential production forest

'Future potential production forest land' is crown land administered by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) where, except in some circumstances for "special species timbers", no native forest harvesting can be undertaken. It was formally classified as 'future reserve land' under the Tasmanian Forests Agreement. FPPF may be converted to 'permanent timber production zone land' after 2020.

Background

The Tasmanian Forests Agreement which was passed in 2013 after almost 4 years of negotiations, categorised about of crown land native forest as FRL, which included areas of forests of the Styx, Weld, Upper Florentine, Great Western Tiers and Tarkine regions. The fate of FRL was dependent upon Tasmanian forest practices gaining Forest Stewardship Council certification. In the recent 2014 audit, Forestry Tasmania complied with 193 indicators, but needed further action on 10 more.
In September 2014 the Tasmanian government passed legislation which reclassified the 400,000 hectares of FRL as FPPF. After the expiration of the memorandum in April 2020, areas of FPPF can be converted to PTPZ where native forest logging can occur, subject to parliamentary approval. Until 2020, only limited "special species timber" harvesting can be undertaken in FPPF.

Permanent timber production zone land

Sustainable Timber Tasmania is a government business enterprise owned by the Tasmanian Government which manages and operates state forest on crown land. Some of this land has informal protection and is managed for conservation as part of the Tasmanian CAR reserve system. Informal reserves on the public production forest land cover about.

Forest reserves

Forest reserves are located on 'permanent timber production zone land' and may have recreation or other tourism facilities.
  • Brookerana
  • Dalgarth
  • Griffin
  • Hollybank
  • Jean Brook
  • Lawrence Rivulet
  • Oldina
  • Springfield
  • Tahune
  • Upper Natone
  • Wes Beckett

Conservation areas

A protected area of land predominantly in a natural state. The sustainable use of natural resources may be permitted, such as mining, special species timber harvesting or hunting. There are 438 conservation areas covering a terrestrial area of about. Mostly IUCN protected area categories IV, V or VI.

IUCN Ia or Ib

  • Picton River
  • Unnamed

IUCN II

  • Boyd
  • Drys Bluff
  • Liffey
  • Meander
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed

IUCN III

  • Big Tree
  • Emu River
  • Fossil Cove
  • Gunns Plains
  • Meetus Falls
  • Roger River Road
  • Styx Tall Trees
  • Unnamed

IUCN IV

  • Alma Tier
  • Arve Loop
  • Big Sassy Creek
  • Bligh Point
  • Bluff River
  • Boggy Creek
  • Boot Bay
  • Brother and Sister
  • Brown Mountain
  • Brushy Rivulet
  • Buxton River
  • Christmas Hills
  • Cleveland Lagoon
  • Coal Point
  • Coxs Hill
  • Deep Lagoons
  • Den Hill
  • Denison Ridge
  • Dismal Range
  • Duck River East
  • Eastern Tiers
  • Exe Rivulet
  • Fisher Tier
  • Flowerdale River
  • Franklin Rivulet
  • Gentle Annie
  • Jackeys Creek
  • Kenmere Creek
  • Lake Binney
  • Lake Mikany
  • Lanes Tier
  • Long Hill
  • Lost Falls
  • MacLaines Creek
  • Marion Beach
  • Mersey River
  • Midday Hill
  • Middle Arm
  • Millers Bluff
  • Montagu Island
  • Mount Bruny
  • Mount Dromedary
  • Mount Hicks Road
  • Mount Mangana
  • Mount Midway
  • Mount Morrison
  • Mount Ponsonby
  • Mount Thunderbolt
  • Narrawa Road
  • North Styx
  • Ouse River
  • Pelican Island
  • Plains Creek
  • Quamby Bluff
  • Rebecca Creek
  • Red Reef
  • Reedy Marsh
  • Remarkable Rock
  • Rimons Hill
  • River Hill
  • Royal George
  • Sand River
  • Sandspit River
  • Shannon River
  • Shingle Hill
  • Sisters Island
  • Snake Bay
  • Snaky Creek
  • Table Mountain Shore
  • Tanina Bluff
  • Tarraleah
  • Tippogoree Hills
  • Tooms Lake
  • Tungatinah
  • Virginstow
  • Warrawee
  • Wayatinah
  • Wentworth Creek
  • Whalers Lookout
  • Wild Bee
  • Wyre Forest Creek
  • Yellow Bluff Creek
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed

IUCN V

  • Alpha Pinnacle
  • Anderson Islands
  • Apex Point
  • Arthur River
  • Badger Spur
  • Battery Island
  • Bellettes Bay
  • Big Bay
  • Black River
  • Black River Bridge
  • Black River South
  • Blyth Point
  • Boxen Island
  • Bridgenorth
  • Bull Rock
  • Bun Beetons Point
  • Burnett Point
  • Calder River
  • Calverts Lagoon
  • Cam River
  • Cam River South
  • Cape de la Sortie
  • Cape Portland
  • Carr Villa
  • Cataraqui Point
  • Champion Park
  • Chasm Creek
  • Cheeseberry Hill
  • Chronicle Point
  • City of Melbourne Bay
  • Clarence River
  • Clifton Beach
  • Cone Islet
  • Craggy Island
  • Crooked Billet Bay
  • Doctors Rocks
  • Don Heads
  • Doughboy Island
  • Duck River
  • Eaglehawk Bay-Flinders Bay
  • East Cam River
  • East Moncoeur Island
  • Edgcumbe Beach
  • Egg Beach
  • Eldorado
  • Elizabeth River
  • Esperance Point
  • Esperance River
  • Fannys Bay
  • Fingal Rivulet
  • Five Mile Pinnacles
  • Fletchers Hill West
  • Forth Falls Creek
  • Forwards Beach
  • Fotheringate Bay
  • Four Mile Creek
  • Good Marsh
  • Granite Point
  • Great Lake
  • Great Musselroe River
  • Greens Beach
  • Griggs Creek
  • Harbour Islets
  • Harcus Island
  • Harry Walker Tier
  • Hastings Bay
  • Henderson Islets
  • Holts Point
  • Hunter Island
  • Jones Rivulet
  • Kangaroo Island
  • Lackrana
  • Lake Dulverton
  • Lake River
  • Lighthouse Point
  • Little Island
  • Little Pine Lagoon
  • Little Swanport
  • Little Trefoil
  • Long Bay
  • Long Reach
  • Macquarie River
  • Marriott Reef
  • Marshall Beach
  • McDonalds Point
  • Middle Island
  • Montagu Beach
  • Morass Bay
  • Mount Wedge
  • Murkay Islets
  • Nares Rocks
  • Neds Reef
  • Ninth Island
  • Norfolk Bay
  • North George River
  • North Passage Point
  • North West Bay
  • North West Head
  • North-East Park
  • Ocean Beach
  • Outer North Head
  • Pasco Group
  • Peter Murrell
  • Plenty River
  • Point Bailly
  • Point du Ressac
  • Port Cygnet
  • Port Sorell
  • Prosser River
  • Punchbowl
  • Ralphs Bay
  • Ram Island
  • Red Hut Point
  • River Tyne
  • Rocky Point
  • Roydon Island
  • Running Ground Ridge
  • Salem Bay
  • Sassafras Gully
  • Seacrow Islet
  • Seagull Islet
  • Sentinel Island
  • Settlement Point
  • Sheepwash Bay
  • Shell Islets
  • Sidmouth
  • Simpsons Bay
  • Sloping Main
  • South Pats River
  • Spike Island
  • Split Rock Saddle
  • Stokes Point
  • Stringybark
  • Sugarloaf Rock
  • Tailers Bay
  • Tamar
  • Tea-Tree Bay
  • Trousers Point Beach
  • Truganini
  • Tully River
  • Tyenna River
  • Vansittart Island
  • Wallaby Islands
  • Wayatinah Lagoon
  • Wellwood Creek
  • West Arm
  • White Beach
  • Youngs Creek
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed South Esk

IUCN VI

  • Adamsfield
  • Ansons Bay
  • Ansons River
  • Apsley
  • Arthur Bay
  • Arthur-Pieman
  • Bay of Fires
  • Bernafai Ridge
  • Blythe River
  • Boltons Beach
  • Boobyalla
  • Boobyalla River
  • Bouchers Creek
  • Brick Islands
  • Brid River
  • Briggs Islet
  • Brookerana
  • Brougham Sugarloaf
  • Cat Island
  • Catamaran River
  • Central Plateau
  • Chalky Island
  • Chauncy Vale
  • Chuckle Head
  • Coles Bay
  • Colliers Swamp
  • Coswell Beach
  • Counsel Hill
  • Cressy Beach
  • Crotty
  • Dans Hill
  • Darling Range
  • Dasher River
  • Denison Rivulet
  • Detention Falls
  • Devils Den
  • Double Sandy Point
  • Egg Islands
  • Five Mile Bluff
  • Foochow
  • Forsyth Island
  • Fossil Bluff
  • George Town
  • Goose Island
  • Gordons Ridge
  • Granite Tor
  • Gravelly Ridge
  • Great Western Tiers
  • Gull Island
  • Heazlewood Hill
  • Hogan Group
  • Howie Island
  • Jacksons Cove
  • Judbury
  • Kelvedon Beach
  • Lagoons Beach
  • Lake Beatrice
  • Lees Point
  • Liawenee
  • Lillico Beach
  • Lime Pit Road
  • Limekiln Creek
  • Little Beach
  • Little Boobyalla River
  • Little Chalky Island
  • Little Green Island
  • Little Quoin
  • Logan Lagoon
  • Long Island
  • Long Tom
  • Low Point
  • Marks Point
  • Mayfield Bay
  • Medeas Cove
  • Mile Island
  • Millingtons Beach
  • Molesworth
  • Moss Gully
  • Mount Bethune
  • Mount Faulkner
  • Mount Royal
  • Mount Rumney
  • Mountain Creek
  • Mulligans Hill
  • Murphys Flat
  • Musselroe Bay
  • Night Island
  • Oyster Rocks
  • Pardoe Northdown
  • Parnella
  • Passage Island
  • Patriarchs
  • Peggs Beach
  • Perkins Island
  • Porky Beach
  • Prime Seal Island
  • Princess River
  • Rainbow Point
  • Randalls Bay
  • Raspins Beach
  • Redbill Point
  • Reef Island
  • Roaring Beach
  • Russell Ridge
  • Sea Elephant
  • Sensation Gorge
  • Seymour
  • Shag Lagoon
  • Sherwood Hill
  • Single Tree Plain
  • Sister Islands
  • Slaves Bay
  • South Arm
  • South Esk River
  • Southport Lagoon
  • Spiky Beach
  • Spinning Gum
  • St Clair Lagoon
  • St Helens
  • Stanley
  • Storehouse Island
  • Strickland
  • Summer Camp
  • Surveyors Bay
  • Swansea
  • Swift Creek
  • Table Mountain
  • Tathams Lagoon
  • Tatlows Beach
  • The Dutchman
  • Tiger Rise
  • Top Marshes
  • Tunbridge Tier
  • Upper Blythe
  • Vale of Belvoir
  • Waddles Creek
  • Waterhouse
  • Waterhouse Island
  • Wedge Island
  • West Inlet
  • White Kangaroo
  • Wielangta
  • Woodbridge Hill
  • Wright and Egg Islands
  • Wybalenna Island
  • Yarlington
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed
  • Unnamed

Marine conservation areas

Conservation areas that are marine protected areas cover about of state waters, and are all IUCN protected area category VI. Marine conservation areas do not have any fishing restrictions.
  • Blackman Rivulet
  • Central Channel
  • Cloudy Bay Lagoon
  • Hippolyte Rocks
  • Huon Estuary
  • Monk Bay
  • Opossum Bay
  • Port Cygnet
  • River Derwent
  • Roberts Point
  • Simpsons Point
  • Sloping Island
  • South Arm
  • Waterfall-Fortescue

Game reserves

An area of land conserved for containing natural values that are unique, important or have representative value; particularly games species and allowing the sustainable hunting these species. There are 12 game reserves covering an area of about, all are IUCN protected area category VI.

Historic sites

Land with significant historic cultural heritage and is conserved for presentation of these features for public appreciation and education. There are 30 historic sites covering an area of about. Most are IUCN protected area category V.
IUCN II
  • Macquarie Harbour
IUCN IV
  • Cemetery Point
  • Premaydena Point
IUCN V

National parks

A national park in Tasmania is defined as a large natural area of land containing a representative or outstanding sample of major natural regions, features or scenery. National parks serve to protect and maintain the natural and cultural values of the area of land while providing for ecologically sustainable recreation. There are 19 national parks covering a terrestrial area of about, the largest protected area category in Tasmania.
IUCN Ia or Ib
IUCN II

National parks (marine)

Three national parks also have a marine protected area component. These cover about of state waters.

Nature recreation areas

Is predominantly in a natural state or contains sensitive natural sites of significance for recreation. Reserved for public recreation and education consistent with conserving the values of the area. There are 25 nature recreation areas covering an area of about, mostly IUCN protected area category V.
IUCN III
  • Pirates Bay
  • Trevallyn
IUCN V
  • Black Bluff
  • Briant Hill
  • Coningham
  • Donaldson River
  • Gellibrand Point
  • Gordons Hill
  • Hope Island
  • Humbug Point
  • Kate Reed
  • Knopwood Hill
  • Lake Barrington
  • Meehan Range
  • Mount Dial
  • Palana Beach
  • Recherche Bay
  • Reynolds Falls
  • Rosny Hill
  • Snug Tiers
IUCN VI
  • Emita
  • Killiecrankie
  • Mount Tanner

Nature reserves

An area of land that is conserved for the natural values that contribute to the natural biological or geological diversity of the area and are unique, important or have representative value. There are 86 nature reserves covering a terrestrial area of about. Mostly IUCN protected area category Ia.
IUCN Ia
IUCN IV
IUCN V
  • Badger Box Creek
  • Lily Lagoon

Marine nature reserves

Nature reserves that are marine protected areas cover about of state waters.

Regional reserves

May have also previously been known as forest reserves, a regional reserve is an area of land with a high mineral potential or prospectively and is predominantly in a natural state. The purpose of reservation is for mineral exploration and the development of mineral deposits and/or the controlled use of other natural resources, including special species timber harvesting, while protecting and maintaining the natural and cultural values. There are 148 regional reserves covering an area of about, a majority are IUCN protected area category IV.
IUCN III
  • Dip Falls
  • Hardings Falls
  • Julius River
  • Lake Chisholm
  • Mount Puzzler
  • South Weld
  • Sumac
IUCN IV
  • Andersons Creek
  • Apslawn
  • Arm River
  • Avenue River
  • Badger River
  • Balfour Track
  • Bells Marsh
  • Black Creek
  • Black Jack Hill
  • Blue Tier
  • Boco Creek
  • Bond Tier
  • Bonneys Tier
  • Borradaile
  • Break O'Day
  • Burns Peak
  • Caroline Creek
  • Coppermine Creek
  • Crayfish Creek
  • Cygnet River
  • Deep Gully
  • Den Ranges
  • Derby
  • Dial Range
  • Dickies Ridge
  • Dip River
  • Dismal Swamp
  • Doctors Peak
  • Dogs Head Hill
  • Dove River
  • Emu Ground
  • Fords Pinnacle
  • Frome
  • German Town
  • Hatfield River
  • Henty
  • Huntsmans Cap
  • Huskisson River
  • John Lynch
  • Joy Creek
  • Kohls Falls
  • Lady Binney
  • Lady Nelson
  • Lake Pieman
  • Laurel Creek
  • Lefroy
  • Lobster Rivulet
  • Long Ridge
  • Lovells Creek
  • Lower Marsh Creek
  • Luncheon Hill
  • Lutregala Creek
  • Mackintosh
  • Maggs Mountain
  • Martins Hill
  • Mathinna Falls
  • Mersey White Water
  • Milkshake Hills
  • Montagu River
  • Montagu Swamp
  • Mount Arthur
  • Mount Careless
  • Mount Horror / Konewongener
  • Mount Kershaw
  • Mount Maurice
  • Mount Stronach
  • Mount Victoria
  • Nicholas Range
  • North Esk
  • North Scottsdale
  • Nunamara
  • Old Park
  • Oxberry Plains
  • Paradise Plains
  • Parangana Sugarloaf
  • Peaked Hill
  • Pepper Hill
  • Pipers River
  • Porcupine Hill
  • Promised Land
  • Prossers
  • Pruana
  • Rayners Hill
  • Ringarooma River
  • Roaring Magg Hill
  • Savage River Pipeline
  • Sawmill Creek
  • Sawpit Ridge
  • Scamander
  • Shakespeare Hills
  • Snow Hill
  • Snowy River
  • South Esk
  • Staverton
  • Swan River
  • Teds Flat
  • Tombstone Creek
  • Trowutta
  • Waratah Creek
  • Warra Creek
  • Weavers Creek
  • Welcome Swamp
  • Winterbrook Falls
IUCN V
  • Evercreech
  • Humboldt Ridge
  • Lizard Hill
  • Styx River
  • Weld River
IUCN VI
  • Avoca
  • Barway Spur
  • Briggs
  • Cameron
  • Castle Cary
  • Clear Hill
  • Crotty Ridge
  • Dip Range
  • Dog Kennels
  • Florentine River
  • Four Mile Beach
  • Gog Range
  • Leven Canyon
  • Lukes Knob
  • Meredith Range
  • Mount Dundas
  • Mount Farrell
  • Mount Heemskirk
  • Mount Murchison
  • Mount Roland
  • Parting Creek
  • Renison Bell
  • St Pauls
  • Teepookana
  • Tikkawoppa Plateau
  • Tyndall
  • West Coast Range

State reserves

An area of land which provides protection and maintenance for significant natural landscapes, features, or sites of significance to Aboriginal people. There are 65 state reserves covering an area of about. Most are IUCN protected area category II or III.
IUCN Ia
IUCN II
IUCN III
  • Bradys Lookout
  • Cape Wickham
  • Derwent Cliffs
  • Eaglehawk Bay
  • Eugenana
  • Fairy Glade
  • Ferndene
  • Forest Vale
  • Forth Falls
  • Gunns Plains Cave
  • Hastings Caves
  • Henty Glacial Erratics
  • Holwell Gorge
  • Ida Bay
  • Junee Cave
  • Kimberley Springs
  • Liffey Falls
  • Little Peggs Beach
  • Lookout Rock
  • Marriotts Falls
  • Mersey Bluff
  • Mount Barrow
  • Mount Barrow Falls
  • Mount Montgomery
  • Mount Pearson
  • Notley Gorge
  • Quarantine Station
  • Roger River
  • Safety Cove
  • Seal Rocks
  • St Columba Falls
  • St Marys Pass
  • Stewarts Bay
  • Sundown Point
  • Table Cape
  • Tessellated Pavement
  • The Nut
  • The Steppes
  • Three Thumbs
  • Trial Harbour
  • Trowutta Caves
  • Waterfall Creek
  • Weldborough Pass
  • West Point
  • Yellow Creek