Parks and Wildlife Service

The Nature Conservation Act 2002 regulates the conservation and protection of flora, fauna and geological diversity within Tasmania. This Act also classifies reserved lands in Tasmania and establishes values and objectives for each reserve class. The National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002 ensures that reserves are managed in accordance with the management objectives for each reserve class. This Act also provides for the development and implementation of management plans for reserved land, which are reviewed and approved by the Tasmanian Planning Commission.

Pursuant to this legislation, the Parks and Wildlife Service (the PWS) is responsible for managing approximately 30% of Tasmania’s land through various land classification units, including national parks, coastal reserves, and game reserves. National parks account for the largest proportion of reserved land, with approximately 21% of land in Tasmania classified in this way.

The Director of PWS also has obligations and responsibilities under a number of other Acts, including managing and maintaining identified protected sites under the Aboriginal Relics Act 1975 and membership of the State Fire Management Council, the Tasmanian Heritage Council and Wellington Park Trust. Authorised parks officers also have roles under the Fire Service Act 1979, Threatened Species Protection Act 1995, and the Wildlife (General) Regulations 2010.