A Wild Law Perspective on Wilderness Management: Managing the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area

Abstract

In this article, the authors consider the impact of postmodernist reinterpretations of 'wilderness' in the context of wilderness management, looking at the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area as a case study. They analyse the 2015 Draft Management Plan for the area from a wild law perspective. The proposed mixed uses and abandonment of the wilderness zoning in the Draft Plan detract from effective wilderness preservation and reflect both anthropocentric and eco-pragmatic considerations. Regulatory regimes such as that put forward in the Draft Plan jeopardise wilderness environments and will replace them with, to borrow a phrase from Emma Maris, 'rambunctious gardens' patrolled by legions of tourists anxious to obtain a wilderness experience.