Minister Burke please protect the Tarkine

An open letter to Tony Burke, Federal Environment Minister

Minister Burke,

I visited the Tarkine for a 4 day bushwalk and was astounded by the regions natural and wilderness qualities.  I believe it should be protected by a National Park.

The coastal region of the Tarkine is one of the world’s great archaeological regions due to the richness and diversity of Aboriginal sites – many of which date back thousands of years.  I viewed hut sites, middens, petroglyphs and pebble causeways during my visit.

With respect to two iron ore mines proposed by Venture Minerals (project reference numbers 2012/6342 and 2012/6339), I draw your attention to the following concerns:

The two mines are proposed in areas that have been assessed by the Australian Heritage Council as being worthy of National Heritage listing. This listing should urgently be reinstated, and the proposals assessed accordingly.

The Tarkine is the second largest cool temperate rainforest left in the world and is home to more than 60 species of rare, threatened and endangered species, including the Tasmanian Devil and the largest freshwater lobster in the world.

These are two iron ore mines that would only operate for two years, but in that short time the values of the Tarkine could be irreversibly damaged.

Please take action to protect the Tarkine region as a National Park and prevent its destruction from mining.

Signed
Peter Campbell
home address supplied

The Tarkine wilderness deserves World Heritage Protection now

Dear Minister Burke,

I am writing to ask you to immediately place the Tarkine on the National Heritage List, to ensure that any impacts to national heritage values from the mining proposals currently are properly assessed.

I visited the Tarkine for an extended bushwalk in 2003.  The natural heritage values were obvious and very signficant, including remote coast line, aboriginal relics and massive sand dunes.  Unfortunately, degradation was occuring right in front of our with four wheel drive and all terrain vehicles and trail bikes traversing the highest sand dunes and frequently driving over aboriginal middens.  Cattle grazing was having a signficant impact too.  Their excrement was contaminating creeks, they were causing severe erosion along much of the coast line and they were spreading noxious weeds such as thistles.

You can view photos of our trip here: http://bit.ly/sdnCIc

As you know, the Tarkine has been under consideration for heritage listing since 2004, and while the Australian Heritage Council is finalising its advice to you, the priceless values of the Tarkine may be lost forever unless you grant it an emergency heritage listing.

If you do not list the Tarkine, only potential impacts to federally listed threatened species will be considered, and there will be no assessment or protection for the Tarkine’s renowned wilderness, geological, cultural, flora and fauna diversity and natural history values. None of these matters will be assessed by the state government.

The Tarkine is the last disease-free refuge for the endangered Tasmanian Devil. Because the Tarkine is not on the National Heritage List, damage as a result of mining exploration, including extensive roading and clearing for test drill sites has not been subject to any environmental impact assessment - yet your government has previously recognized that roading poses a significant threat to the Tasmanian Devil, and granted emergency heritage listing for this reason. Why won’t you do so now?

I call upon you as Environment Minister to use the powers available to you to ensure that the Tarkine and the Tasmanian Devil are afforded the highest level of protection. Please place the Tarkine on the National Heritage List, or provide me with the reasons why you as Environment Minister are placing the interests of mining ahead of conservation.

Peter Campbell

Tarkine photos

Submission on National Heritage Listing of the Tarkine

Peter Campbell
Address supplied

Australian Heritage Council
GPO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2601

Via email: ahc@environment.gov.au

5th March 2010

Public comment submission on: National Heritage Listing of the Tarkine, north west Tasmania.

I am writing to support the recent Emergency National Heritage Listing of the Tarkine.  I have visited the area and was greatly impressed by its cultural and natural values.  I firmly believe these values justify a National Heritage listing.

The natural and cultural values of the Tarkine I think are particularly important and well recognised include;

• One of the richest archaeological sites in Tasmania with the diversity and density of Aboriginal sites ranking it among "the world's greatest archaeological sites''.  There are hut site remains, pebble causeways, numerous extensive middens and petroglyphs
• The largest single tract of rainforest in Australia, and the largest Wilderness dominated by rainforest in Australia with over 190,000 ha of rainforest in total
• The northern limit of Huon Pine
• A high diversity of wet tall eucalypt forests including large, contiguous areas of Eucalyptus obliqua
• A great diversity of other vegetation communities, such as dry sclerophyll forest and woodland, buttongrass moorland, sandy littoral communities, wetlands, grassland, dry coastal vegetation and sphagnum communities
• A high diversity of non-vascular plants (mosses, liverworts and lichens) including at least 151 species of liverworts and 92 species of mosses
• A diverse vertebrate fauna including 28 terrestrial mammals, 111 land and freshwater birds, 11 reptiles, 8 frogs and 13 freshwater fish
• Over 50 rare, threatened and endangered species of flora and fauna, including the Tasmanian Wedge Tailed Eagle and Giant Freshwater Crayfish
• A complex and diverse invertebrate fauna, including; at least 16 species found nowhere else, the largest freshwater invertebrate on earth (Astacopsis gouldi) and one of the richest amphipod (a type of small crustacean) fauna diversities in the world
• Globally unique magnesite karst systems in the Lyons/Keith/Arthur River areas and at Main Rivulet/ Bowry Creek area
• Excellent examples of joint controlled drainage features (e.g. Huskisson syncline, Meredith Range, Rapid River)
• Significant coastal features such as the Sandy Cape dune field, which are among the largest in Australia, and the Arthur River estuary (probably the best example of a large river estuary in good condition in Tasmania)
• Dolomite karst systems in the Trowutta/Sumac/Black River region and Karst landforms in the 'Ahrberg' group (Donaldson and Upper Rapid rivers)
• The largest basalt plateau in Tasmania retaining its original vegetation
• Other geomorphic features such as the Bulgobac glacial end moraine and fossil sites at Marionoak and Hatfield River
• Large areas of high quality wilderness centred on the Meredith Range and the Sumac region and three separate areas (Norfolk Range, Mt Bertha/Donaldson River and Savage/Keith River) which abut each other, creating a continuous stretch of wilderness covering much of the proposed National Heritage Area;
• Areas of high quality scenic value such as; Australia's largest tract of rainforest, the Meredith Range, the Norfolk Range and the coastline

The Tarkine contains a wide diversity of values.  It is a significant area that contains a large proportion of true wilderness.

I commend it’s listing to the members of the Australian Heritage Council, and encourage you to recommend it’s permanent inclusion on the National Heritage List.

I believe World Heritage listing should also be considered for this unique and precious region.

Signed,
Peter Campbell