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| Conservation Council of Tasmania | |
|---|---|
| Name | Conservation Council of Tasmania |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Purpose | Environmental advocacy |
| Headquarters | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Region served | Tasmania |
| Leader title | President |
Conservation Council of Tasmania is a Tasmanian non-profit environmental advocacy organisation based in Hobart that coordinates and represents a statewide network of environmental groups, community organisations and individuals. It engages in public policy advocacy, campaign coordination, research briefings and grassroots mobilisation on issues affecting Tasmanian wilderness, waterways, forests and biodiversity. The organisation interacts with state and federal institutions, statutory authorities, land management agencies and Indigenous organisations across Tasmania.
The council was founded in the late 1960s amid conservation campaigns that linked to the broader Australian environmental movement and to campaigns such as those around Gordon-below-Franklin and Lake Pedder; contemporaries and influences include Tasmanian Wilderness Society, Australian Conservation Foundation, Friends of the Earth (Australia), and figures associated with Bob Brown. Early campaigns engaged with institutions like the Hydro-Electric Commission and intersected with disputes over hydroelectric development, forestry management, and protected area declarations such as those related to Franklin River and Southwest National Park. Over subsequent decades the council responded to inquiries by bodies such as the Parks and Wildlife Service (Tasmania) and legislative processes like state planning acts and environmental protection statutes debated in the Parliament of Tasmania.
The council operates as a peak body bringing together member groups from Hobart, Launceston, the West Coast and rural regions, coordinating with organisations such as Environment Tasmania, Tasmanian Land Conservancy, WWF-Australia, and local branches of Australian Conservation Foundation. Its governance typically includes an elected board, subcommittees, campaign officers, science advisers and community outreach staff, interacting with statutory regulators including the Environment Protection Authority (Tasmania), Tasmania’s departmental bodies such as Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, and advisory panels connected to the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. The council liaises with representative organisations like Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and national networks including Nature Conservation Council (NSW) and Friends of the Earth (Australia). It maintains relationships with university research centres such as University of Tasmania faculties and institutes, and with legal advocacy groups including Environmental Defenders Office.
Campaign themes have included protection of old-growth forests such as areas within Wellington Park (Tasmania), campaigns against logging on the West Coast and in regions associated with Gunns Limited controversies, advocacy for wilderness listings like World Heritage Sites, and actions on freshwater protection in catchments such as the Derwent River and Huon River. The council has campaigned on climate change policy aligned with national debates involving Clean Energy Council, emissions trading discussions tied to Emissions Reduction Fund, and renewable energy transitions involving projects like Musselroe Wind Farm. Other campaigns intersect with mining disputes near places like Western Tasmania and protections around sites such as Maria Island National Park and Tasman Peninsula. The organisation has used strategies employed by groups including Lock the Gate Alliance, GetUp!, and community legal mobilisation linked to Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
Key policy positions address biodiversity conservation, sustainable land management, and protection of threatened species such as those listed under frameworks like the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 at Commonwealth level and Tasmanian lists adopted by the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (Tasmania). The council advocates for expanded protected areas, stronger regulation of logging companies, and stricter environmental assessment processes involving bodies such as the Environment Protection Authority (Tasmania) and planning tribunals that reference precedents from cases heard in the Supreme Court of Tasmania. It supports renewable energy deployment, aligning with policy debates involving Australian Renewable Energy Agency and national targets debated in the Parliament of Australia. The council has taken positions on marine protection referencing sites like the Tasmanian Marine Conservation Areas and coastal management relating to Freycinet National Park.
The council partners with local conservation groups including Bushcare, community landcare networks such as Landcare Australia, and regional groups in Derwent Valley and Huon Valley; it also collaborates with recreational bodies like Tasmanian Trappers Association and tourism organisations such as Tourism Tasmania when interests align on protected landscapes like Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. Engagement extends to Indigenous organisations such as Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and research partnerships with institutions including CSIRO and the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. It runs public education campaigns drawing on methods used by groups including Sierra Club (U.S.) and coordinates petitions and public submissions similar to coalitions in the Australian Environment Movement.
Funding sources have included membership fees from affiliated groups, donations, philanthropic grants from foundations such as those similar to Ian Potter Foundation and project funding through federal and state environmental grants. The council has received in-kind support and collaborated on grants with universities such as the University of Tasmania and NGOs like WWF-Australia. Membership comprises dozens of member groups from urban and regional centres including Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport, with individual supporters and volunteer networks similar to structures used by Australian Conservation Foundation and Environment Victoria affiliates.
Notable achievements include coordination of statewide campaigns that contributed to high-profile outcomes such as protections extended to parts of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, influence on policy discussions around logging practices that affected entities like Gunns Limited, and contributions to the advocacy that supported listings under the EPBC Act. The council’s work has informed parliamentary inquiries held by the Parliament of Tasmania and influenced management plans administered by the Parks and Wildlife Service (Tasmania). It has played a role in public mobilisation comparable to national campaigns led by Bob Brown Foundation and in collaborative conservation outcomes alongside groups such as the Tasmanian Land Conservancy.
Category:Environmental organisations based in Tasmania