Protected areas of Tasmania consist of protected areas located within Tasmania and its immediate onshore waters, including Macquarie Island. It includes areas of crown land (withheld land) managed by Tasmanian Government agencies as well as private reserves. As of 2016, 52% of Tasmania's land area has some form of reservation classification, the majority is managed by the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (about 42% of total Tasmanian land area). Marine protected areas cover about 7.9% of state waters.

Within each classification of reserve there may be a variation of IUCN categories Australia is a signatory to the Convention of Biological Diversity and as such has obligations to report the status of its National Reserve System.IUCN provides on its website a prescription for activities consistent with the categorisation system. Changes made to the Nature Conservation Act 2002 in 2014 permit timber harvesting. These changes made in addition to the already established right to access minerals means that many of the IUCN categorisations assigned to individual reserves in Tasmania are no longer fit for purpose. In addition many reserves have had their reserve status downgraded from a class excluding timber harvesting and mineral extraction to ones where these activities are now permitted. This mis-application of the IUCN protected area categories needs to be remedied or the reserves protected land class under the Nature Conservation Act 2002 should be adjusted to reflect its currently assigned IUCN category.

Legislation and management

  • Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service manages crown land reserved under the Nature Conservation Act 2002. The 10 classes of protected land are: conservation area, historic site, game reserve, national park, nature recreation area, nature reserve, regional reserve and state reserve. The National Parks and Reserves Management act 2002 determines the management objectives for each class.
  • 'Permanent timber production zone land' is crown land managed by Sustainable Timber Tasmania under the Forest Management Act 2013. It contains areas of informal reserves (e.g. landscape connectivity, streamside buffers, etc.)

Summary of area totals

At 30 June 2016, Tasmania's terrestrial reserves cover (about 50.1% of the area of Tasmania), of which Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service manages 823 reserves (about , or over 42% of the area of Tasmania).

  • Beagle
  • Boags
  • Flinders
  • Franklin
  • Freycinet
  • Huon
  • Macquarie Island
  • South Tasman Rise
  • Tasman Fracture
  • Zeehan

Tasmanian marine protected areas

Marine protected areas (MPAs) in Tasmanian state waters are classed as either conservation area, national park or nature reserve. Only the nature reserve or national park class have either restricted fishing or no take zones. Of the approximately of marine protected areas, about is restricted fishing or no take, Macquarie Island (~) is a wholly no-take zone. In December 2016, there were 819 covenants covering an area of about .

Indigenous Protected Areas

There are 8 Indigenous Protected Area in Tasmania, covering an area of about .

State forest

Future potential production forest

'Future potential production forest land' (FPPF or FPPFL) is crown land administered by the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) where, except in some circumstances for "special species timbers", no native forest harvesting can be undertaken. It was formally classified as "future reserve land" (FRL) under the Tasmanian Forests Agreement. FPPF may be converted to "permanent timber production zone land" (PTPZ or PTPZL) after 2020.

Background

The Tasmanian Forests Agreement which was passed in 2013 after almost 4 years of negotiations, In the recent 2014 audit, Forestry Tasmania (now Sustainable Timber Tasmania) complied with 193 indicators, but needed further action on 10 more.

In September 2014 the Tasmanian government passed legislation which reclassified the 400,000 hectares of FRL as FPPF. After the expiration of the memorandum in April 2020, areas of FPPF can be converted to PTPZ where native forest logging can occur, subject to parliamentary approval. Until 2020, only limited "special species timber" harvesting can be undertaken in FPPF.

Permanent timber production zone land

Sustainable Timber Tasmania is a government business enterprise owned by the Tasmanian Government which manages and operates state forest on crown land (officially classified as "permanent timber production zone land"). Some of this land has informal protection and is managed for conservation as part of the Tasmanian CAR reserve system (e.g. habitat for threatened species, streamside protection, landscape connectivity). Informal reserves on the public production forest land cover about .

  • Brookerana
  • Dalgarth
  • Griffin
  • Hollybank
  • Jean Brook
  • Lawrence Rivulet
  • Oldina
  • Springfield
  • Tahune
  • Upper Natone
  • Wes Beckett

Conservation areas

A protected area of land predominantly in a natural state. The sustainable use of natural resources may be permitted, such as mining, special species timber harvesting or hunting. There are 438 conservation areas covering a terrestrial area of about . Mostly IUCN protected area categories IV, V or VI.

IUCN Ia or Ib

  • Picton River
  • Unnamed (Sun Ridge)

IUCN II

  • Boyd
  • Drys Bluff
  • Liffey
  • Meander
  • Unnamed (Gillam Creek Road)
  • Unnamed (Gunns Plains)
  • Unnamed (Mayberry CA)

IUCN III

  • Big Tree
  • Emu River
  • Fossil Cove
  • Gunns Plains
  • Meetus Falls
  • Roger River Road
  • Styx Tall Trees
  • Unnamed (Sassafras Creek)

IUCN IV

  • Alma Tier
  • Arve Loop
  • Big Sassy Creek
  • Bligh Point
  • Bluff River
  • Boggy Creek
  • Boot Bay
  • Brother and Sister
  • Brown Mountain
  • Brushy Rivulet
  • Buxton River
  • Christmas Hills
  • Cleveland Lagoon
  • Coal Point
  • Coxs Hill
  • Deep Lagoons
  • Den Hill
  • Denison Ridge
  • Dismal Range
  • Duck River East
  • Eastern Tiers
  • Exe Rivulet
  • Fisher Tier
  • Flowerdale River
  • Franklin Rivulet
  • Gentle Annie
  • Jackeys Creek
  • Kenmere Creek
  • Lake Binney
  • Lake Mikany
  • Lanes Tier
  • Long Hill
  • Lost Falls
  • MacLaines Creek
  • Marion Beach
  • Mersey River
  • Midday Hill
  • Middle Arm
  • Millers Bluff
  • Montagu Island
  • Mount Bruny
  • Mount Dromedary
  • Mount Hicks Road
  • Mount Mangana
  • Mount Midway
  • Mount Morrison
  • Mount Ponsonby
  • Mount Thunderbolt
  • Narrawa Road
  • North Styx
  • Ouse River
  • Pelican Island
  • Plains Creek
  • Quamby Bluff
  • Rebecca Creek
  • Red Reef
  • Reedy Marsh
  • Remarkable Rock
  • Rimons Hill
  • River Hill
  • Royal George
  • Sand River
  • Sandspit River
  • Shannon River
  • Shingle Hill
  • Sisters Island
  • Snake Bay
  • Snaky Creek
  • Table Mountain Shore
  • Tanina Bluff
  • Tarraleah
  • Tippogoree Hills
  • Tooms Lake
  • Tungatinah
  • Virginstow
  • Warrawee
  • Wayatinah
  • Wentworth Creek
  • Whalers Lookout
  • Wild Bee
  • Wyre Forest Creek
  • Yellow Bluff Creek
  • Unnamed (Badger Head Road)
  • Unnamed (Clerkes Hill)

IUCN V

  • Alpha Pinnacle
  • Anderson Islands
  • Apex Point
  • Arthur River
  • Badger Spur
  • Battery Island
  • Bellettes Bay
  • Big Bay
  • Black River
  • Black River Bridge
  • Black River South
  • Blyth Point
  • Boxen Island
  • Bridgenorth
  • Bull Rock
  • Bun Beetons Point
  • Burnett Point
  • Calder River
  • Calverts Lagoon
  • Cam River
  • Cam River South
  • Cape de la Sortie
  • Cape Portland
  • Carr Villa
  • Cataraqui Point
  • Champion Park
  • Chasm Creek
  • Cheeseberry Hill
  • Chronicle Point
  • City of Melbourne Bay
  • Clarence River
  • Clifton Beach
  • Cone Islet
  • Craggy Island
  • Crooked Billet Bay
  • Doctors Rocks
  • Don Heads
  • Doughboy Island
  • Duck River
  • Eaglehawk Bay-Flinders Bay
  • East Cam River
  • East Moncoeur Island
  • Edgcumbe Beach
  • Egg Beach
  • Eldorado
  • Elizabeth River
  • Esperance Point
  • Esperance River
  • Fannys Bay
  • Fingal Rivulet
  • Five Mile Pinnacles
  • Fletchers Hill West
  • Forth Falls Creek
  • Forwards Beach
  • Fotheringate Bay
  • Four Mile Creek
  • Good Marsh
  • Granite Point
  • Great Lake
  • Great Musselroe River
  • Greens Beach
  • Griggs Creek
  • Harbour Islets
  • Harcus Island
  • Harry Walker Tier
  • Hastings Bay
  • Henderson Islets
  • Holts Point
  • Hunter Island
  • Jones Rivulet
  • Kangaroo Island
  • Lackrana
  • Lake Dulverton
  • Lake River
  • Lighthouse Point
  • Little Island
  • Little Pine Lagoon
  • Little Swanport
  • Little Trefoil
  • Long Bay
  • Long Reach
  • Macquarie River
  • Marriott Reef
  • Marshall Beach
  • McDonalds Point
  • Middle Island
  • Montagu Beach
  • Morass Bay
  • Mount Wedge
  • Murkay Islets
  • Nares Rocks
  • Neds Reef
  • Ninth Island
  • Norfolk Bay
  • North George River
  • North Passage Point
  • North West Bay
  • North West Head
  • North-East Park
  • Ocean Beach
  • Outer North Head
  • Pasco Group
  • Peter Murrell
  • Plenty River
  • Point Bailly
  • Point du Ressac
  • Port Cygnet
  • Port Sorell
  • Prosser River
  • Punchbowl
  • Ralphs Bay
  • Ram Island
  • Red Hut Point
  • River Tyne
  • Rocky Point
  • Roydon Island
  • Running Ground Ridge
  • Salem Bay
  • Sassafras Gully
  • Seacrow Islet
  • Seagull Islet
  • Sentinel Island
  • Settlement Point
  • Sheepwash Bay
  • Shell Islets
  • Sidmouth
  • Simpsons Bay
  • Sloping Main
  • South Pats River
  • Spike Island
  • Split Rock Saddle
  • Stokes Point
  • Stringybark
  • Sugarloaf Rock
  • Tailers Bay
  • Tamar
  • Tea-Tree Bay
  • Trousers Point Beach
  • Truganini
  • Tully River
  • Tyenna River
  • Vansittart Island
  • Wallaby Islands
  • Wayatinah Lagoon
  • Wellwood Creek
  • West Arm
  • White Beach
  • Youngs Creek
  • Unnamed (Badger Corner)
  • Unnamed (Duck Bay)
  • Unnamed (Goulds Lagoon)
  • Unnamed (Kingston Golf Course)
  • Unnamed (Lake Leake)
  • Unnamed (Mersey Hill Karst)
  • Unnamed (Mersey River)
  • Unnamed (Pipers River)
  • Unnamed (Sanspit River)
  • Unnamed (The Lea)
  • Unnamed (Wet Cave)
  • Unnamed South Esk

IUCN VI

  • Adamsfield
  • Ansons Bay
  • Ansons River
  • Apsley
  • Arthur Bay
  • Arthur-Pieman
  • Bay of Fires
  • Bernafai Ridge
  • Blythe River
  • Boltons Beach
  • Boobyalla
  • Boobyalla River
  • Bouchers Creek
  • Brick Islands
  • Brid River
  • Briggs Islet
  • Brookerana
  • Brougham Sugarloaf
  • Cat Island
  • Catamaran River
  • Central Plateau
  • Chalky Island
  • Chauncy Vale
  • Chuckle Head
  • Coles Bay
  • Colliers Swamp
  • Coswell Beach
  • Counsel Hill
  • Cressy Beach
  • Crotty
  • Dans Hill
  • Darling Range
  • Dasher River
  • Denison Rivulet
  • Detention Falls
  • Devils Den
  • Double Sandy Point
  • Egg Islands
  • Five Mile Bluff
  • Foochow
  • Forsyth Island
  • Fossil Bluff
  • George Town
  • Goose Island
  • Gordons Ridge
  • Granite Tor
  • Gravelly Ridge
  • Great Western Tiers
  • Gull Island
  • Heazlewood Hill
  • Hogan Group
  • Howie Island
  • Jacksons Cove
  • Judbury
  • Kelvedon Beach
  • Lagoons Beach
  • Lake Beatrice
  • Lees Point
  • Liawenee
  • Lillico Beach
  • Lime Pit Road
  • Limekiln Creek
  • Little Beach
  • Little Boobyalla River
  • Little Chalky Island
  • Little Green Island
  • Little Quoin
  • Logan Lagoon
  • Long Island
  • Long Tom
  • Low Point
  • Marks Point
  • Mayfield Bay
  • Medeas Cove
  • Mile Island
  • Millingtons Beach
  • Molesworth
  • Moss Gully
  • Mount Bethune
  • Mount Faulkner
  • Mount Royal
  • Mount Rumney
  • Mountain Creek
  • Mulligans Hill
  • Murphys Flat
  • Musselroe Bay
  • Night Island
  • Oyster Rocks
  • Pardoe Northdown
  • Parnella
  • Passage Island
  • Patriarchs
  • Peggs Beach
  • Perkins Island
  • Porky Beach
  • Prime Seal Island
  • Princess River
  • Rainbow Point
  • Randalls Bay
  • Raspins Beach
  • Redbill Point
  • Reef Island
  • Roaring Beach
  • Russell Ridge
  • Sea Elephant
  • Sensation Gorge
  • Seymour
  • Shag Lagoon
  • Sherwood Hill
  • Single Tree Plain
  • Sister Islands
  • Slaves Bay
  • South Arm
  • South Esk River
  • Southport Lagoon
  • Spiky Beach
  • Spinning Gum
  • St Clair Lagoon
  • St Helens
  • Stanley
  • Storehouse Island
  • Strickland
  • Summer Camp
  • Surveyors Bay
  • Swansea
  • Swift Creek
  • Table Mountain
  • Tathams Lagoon
  • Tatlows Beach
  • The Dutchman
  • Tiger Rise
  • Top Marshes
  • Tunbridge Tier
  • Upper Blythe
  • Vale of Belvoir
  • Waddles Creek
  • Waterhouse
  • Waterhouse Island
  • Wedge Island
  • West Inlet
  • White Kangaroo
  • Wielangta
  • Woodbridge Hill
  • Wright and Egg Islands
  • Wybalenna Island
  • Yarlington
  • Unnamed (Fern Glade)
  • Unnamed (Long Marsh)
  • Unnamed (Pipers Brook)
  • Unnamed (Tooms Lake)

Marine conservation areas

Conservation areas that are marine protected areas cover about of state waters,