NSW Forest Agreements and IFOAs
NSW Forest Agreements
The aim of the NSW Government's forest policy since 1995 has been to secure a balanced outcome in the forest regions, an outcome which takes into account conservation issues, and economic and social issues.
NSW Forest Agreements are the result of consultation and consensus established between the NSW Government and major forest stakeholders. By detailing the agreed basis for long-term decisions on forest use and management, they provide certainty for industry, conservation and the community, and deliver on the Government's forest policy:
- to protect environmental values in a world class system of national parks and other reserves
- to encourage the creation of strong and competitive ecologically sustainable forest industries
- to manage all native forests in an ecologically sustainable way.
There are currently four NSW Forest Agreements covering eastern areas of NSW which were made in 1999 for the Upper North East (UNE), Lower North East (LNE), and Eden regions; and made in 2002 for the Southern Region.
The agreements are for 20 years. There is annual reporting on their implementation.
The Forestry and National Park Estate Act 1998 provides for integrated forestry operations approvals (IFOAs), which integrate the regulatory regimes for environmental planning and assessment, for the protection of the environment and for threatened species conservation.
An IFOA describes the forestry operations and conditions covered by the approval, including a description of the area of the State to which it applies. The approvals contain the terms of a licence under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and the Fisheries Management Act 1994. Enforcement of the licences rests with DECC or DPI – Fisheries.
An IFOA applies to anyone carrying out forestry operations on State forests and other Crown-timber lands. An approval can only be granted for all or part of the region covered by a Forest Agreement (except the Brigalow and Nandewar region which has a Community Conservation Area Agreement).
List of IFOAs in NSW:
An IFOA for the Brigalow-Nandewar Region Community Conservation Area is currently being developed.
Page last updated: 01 July 2009
