Map of southern Queensland bioregions



















































In its conservation work,
ARCS makes major use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS software used by ARCS (ArcView, Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst) was donated to the Society by the ESRI Conservation Program.



Esri Conservation Program
The Society for Conservation GIS

The South-East Queensland

Forests Agreement

[Kroombit Forest]
Kroombit Tops, south-west of Gladstone, South-East Queensland. Photo: Geoff Spanner

Forests and Jobs Protected in South-East Queensland

On 16 September 1999, the Queensland Government signed an agreement with the
Australian Rainforest Conservation Society, Queensland Conservation Council,
The Wilderness Society and Queensland Timber Board. Principal elements include:


  • addition of 425,000 hectares to the conservation reserve system;

  • an additional 17% of State Forest & Timber Reserve placed in a 'last resort for logging' category (Schedule A) - industry encouraged to early transit to plantation to protect these forests;

  • no logging of old growth or wilderness on public land and no clear felling;

  • no export woodchip industry based on native forests and no harvesting of so-called 'forest residues' from native forests (eg for 'green energy');

  • areas outside reserves logged once only with Code of Practice applied (habitat trees and recruits retained, stream buffers, etc);

  • all logging of native forest on public land to cease by 2024;

  • only 3 out of 30 mills affected: Boral to exit native hardwood industry in Queensland; one mill assisted to transit immediately to Hoop Pine plantation resource; Duaringa-Dingo Zone mill to exit within 10 years;

  • guaranteed resource supply to remaining mills for 25 years at current levels ( a 'first' in Australia);

  • plantation establishment, beginning this financial year, sufficient to provide alternative supply to all mills receiving an allocation from public native forests;

  • incentives for industry to move into value-added hardwood products and hardwood plantation timbers;

  • the Government will facilitate and provide incentives for ecologically sustainable management of forests and timber resources on private land;

  • a program of regional development to diversify the economic bases of regional communities;


Conservation outcomes

  • a 2.2-fold increase in the area of native forest in conservation reserves from 357,000 hectares to 782,000 hectares;

  • reservation of 73% of native forest on public land rising to 100% over 25 years;

  • protection of all old-growth forest on public land (~90% of total in SEQ);

  • reservation of most of the identified high-quality fauna habitat;

  • full reservation of most 'icon areas' including Conondales, Mapleton, Bellthorpe, D'Aguilar Range, Tewantin, Ringtail, Yurol, Mothar Mountain, Helidon Hills, Kroombit Tops, Bulburin (Granite Creek), Eurimbula, Bania and Blackdown Tableland;

  • large new reserves - D'Aguilar Range (37,000 ha), Bania (33,000 ha), Bulburin (28,000 ha), Boogooramunyah (23,000 ha) and Wrattens-Kandanga (22,000 ha);

  • major increases in existing reserves - Conondales: 7000 ha to 34,000 ha, Kroombit Tops: 7300 ha to 34,300 ha, Main Range-Mt Barney area: 33,000 ha to 50,000 ha;



The SEQ forests have the highest numbers of plants and animals of all regions assessed around Australia under the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) process.

Large areas of forest needed to be conserved to protect SEQ's outstanding biodiversity and avoid local extinctions of fauna. The SEQ Forests Agreement is a major step forward with the immediate reservation of 425,000 hectares of forest and progressive addition to the reserve system of all publicly owned forest. Within 25 years, the area of forest reserved in SEQ will be more than 1 million hectares.

The Queensland Government deserves the highest commendation for their achievement. Please express your support and send your congratulations to the Premier, Peter Beattie.

Write to: The Hon. Peter Beattie MLA
Premier of Queensland
PO Box 185
BRISBANE ALBERT STREET QLD 4002
Facsimile: 61 7 3221 3631
email: Premiers@ministerial.qld.gov.au


Click here to download a summary of the outcomes
of the SEQ Forests Agreement (Rich Text Format).

Click here to view a map of the outcomes
of the SEQ Forests Agreement.