BLUE MOUNTAINS WORLD HERITAGE LISTING

Brief Description from the UNESCO site

The Greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 1.03 million ha of sandstone plateaux, escarpments and gorges dominated by temperate eucalypt forest. The site, comprised of eight protected areas, is noted for its representation of the evolutionary adaptation and diversification of the eucalypts in post-Gondwana isolation on the Australian continent. Ninety-one eucalypt taxa occur within the Greater Blue Mountains Area which is also outstanding for its exceptional expression of the structural and ecological diversity of the eucalypts associated with its wide range of habitats. The site provides significant representation of Australia's biodiversity with ten percent of the vascular flora as well as significant numbers of rare or threatened species, including endemic and evolutionary relict species, such as the Wollemi pine, which have persisted in highly-restricted microsites. Justification for Inscription

Criteria (ii) and (iv): Australia’s eucalypt vegetation is worthy of recognition as of outstanding universal value, because of its adaptability and evolution in post-Gondwana isolation. The site contains a wide and balanced representation of eucalypt habitats from wet and dry sclerophyll, mallee heathlands, as well as localised swamps, wetlands, and grassland. 90 eucalypt taxa (13% of the global total) and representation of all four groups of eucalypts occur. There is also a high level of endemism with 114 endemic taxa found in the area as well as 120 nationally rare and threatened plant taxa. The site hosts several evolutionary relic species (Wollemia, Microstrobos, Acrophyllum) which have persisted in highly restricted microsites.

The World Heritage Committee unanimously added the Greater Blue Mountains to the World Heritage Register at its November 2000 meeting in Cairns.
The listed area covers 10,326 square kilometres – an area about one-sixth the size of Tasmania.

The area comprises seven National Parks

Blue Mountains
Wollemi
Yengo
Gardens of Stone
Kanangra-Boyd
Nattai and
Thirlmere Lakes
and Jenolan Caves Karst Conservation Reserve.

No private lands are included in the listed area. Inholdings within the National Parks are excluded, too.

The criterion finally chosen to list the area was the uniqueness of its eucalyptus population.

Earlier efforts to recognise the area’s cultural significance and its geomorphology were not persued by the Australian Government.

The campaign to list the area commenced in the 1980’s, with the Colong Foundation leading the campaign, with very active support from BMCS members.

Support was eventually received from all levels of Government – Local, State and Commonwealth – together with widespread support from the community at large.

The nomination was first submitted to the World Heritage Committee in June 1998, with the expectation that the listing would be agreed at the World Heritage Committee’s Paris meeting in late 1999. However, at that meeting, concern was expressed about a number of matters – primarily connected with the urban impact on the National Parks and the extent of the inholdings within the nominated area. There was also the suggestion that the nomination be resubmitted as part of a serial nomination, covering eucalypt forests in a number of Australian States. The nomination was then deferred, pending receipt of further information from Australia.

The Australian Government responded vigorously and gave the matter very serious attention. The Colong Foundation also obtained expert endorsement for the nomination. Both lobbied the 21-nation World Heritage Committee extensively. The result was the unanimous vote in favour of the nomination when it came back to the World Heritage Committee at Cairns on 29 November 2000.

In putting forward the nomination, the Australian Government promised to retain the area in pristine condition for all time, and to restore any degraded parts. This should result in additional funding being made available for environmental restoration and protection.

World Heritage Listing will also bring additional tourism to the area, but the BMCS view is that the benefits form the additional protection afforded by the World Heritage Listing will outweigh the extra impact from increased visitation.

There have been many who deserve to be thanked for the successful outcome on the Blue Mountains World Heritage campaign.

There is absolutely no doubt that Keith Muir from the Colong Foundation played a major part in the successful outcome. Special thanks must also go the Joan and Serge Domicelj, (Leura residents and BMCS members) – the editors of the nomination document.

Let’s all enjoy this wonderful outcome – a great step in improving the environmental protection of the National Parks in the Greater Blue Mountains area.