Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Act 2003; and

Acts Interpretation Act 1901 section 33(3)

 

 

DETERMINATION REGARDING LISTING OF NATIONAL HERITAGE VALUE FOLLOWING ASSESSMENT OF NATIONAL HERITAGE VALUES

FOR A NATIONAL HERITAGE LIST PLACE

 

Wet Tropics of Queensland

 

 

In accordance with the provisions of item 1A of Schedule 3 of the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Act (No.1) 2003 (the Act) and section 33(3) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, I, Tony Burke, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, noting:

 

(1)              that the place known as the Wet Tropics of Queensland was included in the National Heritage List on 21 May 2007 by Gazette instrument under the provisions of item 1A of Schedule 3 of the Act; and

(2)              that each world heritage value identified by the World Heritage Committee for the Wet Tropics of Queensland was taken to cause the place to meet a National Heritage criterion, and that World Heritage criteria (viii), (ix) and (x) were taken to meet criterion (a) of the National Heritage List; and

(3)              that the Australian Heritage Council (Council) found the Wet Tropics of Queensland has additional value under criterion (a) of the National Heritage List;

 

give notice that the Gazette instrument of 21 May 2007 including the Wet Tropics of Queensland is amended by deleting the references to criterion (a) in the Schedule  of the instrument of 21 May 2007 relating to the Wet Tropics of Queensland, and substituting the references to criterion (a) in the Schedule to this instrument.

 

 

Dated  9 November 2012 

Signed

 

 

 

 

Tony Burke

Minister for Sustainability, Environment,

Water, Population and Communities


SCHEDULE

 

Place

Location

World Heritage Values*

 

Corresponding National Heritage Criteria*

Wet Tropics of Queensland

Cairns, Qld

(viii), (ix), (x)

(a) This place is taken to meet this National Heritage criterion in accordance with subitem 1A(3) of Schedule 3 of the Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Act (No.1) 2003, as the World Heritage Committee has determined that this place meets World Heritage criteria (viii), (ix) and (x).


Indigenous Values

The Wet Tropics is the only place in Australia where Aboriginal people permanently inhabited a rainforest prior to European arrival and is of outstanding heritage value to the nation for its importance in the course of Australia's cultural history. The Wet Tropics contains camping places and archaeological sites that demonstrate year-round occupation of the rainforest by Aboriginal people.

 

Aboriginal traditions linked to the volcanic events at Lake Eacham provide indirect evidence for the antiquity of Aboriginal occupation of the area.

 

 

(x)

(b)

 

 

(vii),(ix),(x)

(c)

 

 

(viii),(ix)

(d)

 

 

(vii)

(e)

*The World and National Heritage criteria are listed below.

 

For more information on the place search the Australian Heritage Database at http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl using the name of the place.


World Heritage Criteria

 

(i) to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

(ii) to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;

(iii) to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;

(iv) to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

(v) to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;

(vi) to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);

(vii) to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

(viii) to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;

(ix) to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;

(x) to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

 

National Heritage Criteria

 

(a) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history;

(b) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history;

(c) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s natural or cultural history;

(d) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of:
(i) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural places; or
(ii) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural environments;

(e) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group;

(f) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period;

(g) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons;

(h) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s natural or cultural history;

(i) the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance as part of indigenous tradition.