Tasmanian National Parks Association

The Tasmanian National Parks Association (TNPA) is an entirely voluntary, non-profit, non-government organisation committed to the protection of Tasmania’s national parks and reserved lands. We reinforce public values, concerns and criticisms to policy makers and managers, while promoting conservation awareness. Our aim is to preserve the integrity of, and expand, the Tasmanian national park system, and to ensure appropriate management of its natural and cultural values.

Tasmanian National Parks Associate Photo

Threats to Tasmania’s natural areas have included hydro-electric development in the 1960-80s and industrial forestry from the 1980s onward. Conservation campaigns have led to the protection of many of these formerly-threatened areas.

Tasmania’s first national parks date from 1916 and national parks and other reserves now cover almost 50% of Tasmania. By world standards they are unusually free of tourism developments and the more remote parts of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area have a high degree of wilder character.

But Tasmania’s existing national parks are increasingly under threat. These celebrated places are at risk of exploitation from inappropriate development, insufficient management of visitor impact and inadequate funding to ensure control or eradication of threatening processes. One of our major current concerns is the threat to the integrity of national parks from inappropriate tourism developments.