Cultural and Heritage Values
The past activities of people in our forests, namely the long occupation by Aboriginal people and the more recent activities in the historic period, have left behind a rich legacy of cultural heritage sites in our forests. The management of Aboriginal and historic cultural heritage sites attempts to encompass the natural, cultural, and social values associated with the physical remains of past human activities.
The identification, recording and assessment of historic and Aboriginal heritage values is required to be undertaken at stages of forest management under the provisions of the Forest Practices Code. The main aim of course, is to protect and maintain Aboriginal and historic heritage values. This is done using the fundamental strategies for the conservation of these values utilizing well-established heritage principles. Training is provided to forest managers and staff on the importance of these values and the appropriate methods to be used to ensure their protection.
Systems to ensure that cultural heritage values are considered in forest management include the Predictive Statements that direct Aboriginal survey efforts and the notification forms that consider historic heritage. Some six hundred Aboriginal surveys are completed each year and an average of fifty newly discovered sites are reported. Aboriginal heritage is managed by a qualified Aboriginal Heritage Officer.