Australia sets out new boundary for world heritage area

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Australia sets out new boundary for world heritage area

(Xinhua) 19:19, August 05, 2013

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The Australian government has taken the final step for the protection of Tasmania's Giant Trees and Tall Eucalypt Forests under Australian law, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Water Mark Butler announced in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, Mark Butler signed into Australian law the new boundary for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, which was approved by the World Heritage Committee last month.

Mark Butler said it ensures Tasmania's majestic stands of tall eucalypt forests, glacial landforms and alpine and sub-alpine environments and other world heritage values are protected.

And he confirmed that this is "the final and irrevocable step" for the protection of Tasmania's majestic old growth forests in the Upper Florentine, the Styx, Huon, Picton and Counsel River valleys.

The Upper Styx area in Tasmania contains the greatest concentration of very tall eucalypt trees, the world's tallest flowering plants, with many trees that are over 90 meters tall.

"From today, over 170,000 additional hectares of some of Australia's most remarkable world heritage environments are now protected under Australian law," Butler said. "These areas are now protected in perpetuity under the Australian government's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999."

"Protection for important new habitat for rare and threatened species such as the wedge-tailed eagle, the Tasmanian Devil and the white form of the Grey Goshawk are now also guaranteed," Butler added.

（Editor：LiXiang、Chen Lidan）