Regional forest agreements: origins, development and contributions

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis 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.