VEAC Assessment of the values of state forests in the Central Highlands
Please note that VEAC is not undertaking public consultation or making recommendations to Government during this assessment. These roles are the responsibility of the Eminent Panel for Community Engagement. On 20 March 2023, VEAC was requested by the then Minister for Environment to assess the values of Immediate Protection Areas in the Central Highlands and East Gippsland, and in adjacent state forests. The Terms of Reference were amended on 11 September 2023 to focus on all the state forests in the Central Highlands Regional Forest Agreement area and VEAC’s interim report addressing those Terms of Reference was published in December 2023. On 31 July 2024, Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos MP extended the date for VEAC to submit its final report to one month after the Government publicly releases the Eminent Panel on Community Engagement’s report on Central Highlands state forest.
Progress
Overview
Please note that VEAC is not undertaking public consultation or making recommendations to Government during this assessment. These roles are the responsibility of the Eminent Panel for Community Engagement. The Panel is currently preparing its report to Government with recommendations for the future use and management of Central Highlands state forests.
Overview
On 20 March 2023, VEAC was requested by the then Minister for Environment to assess the values of Immediate Protection Areas in the Central Highlands and East Gippsland, and in adjacent state forests. The Terms of Reference were amended on 11 September 2023 to focus on all the state forests in the Central Highlands Regional Forest Agreement area and VEAC’s interim report addressing those Terms of Reference was published in December 2023. On 31 July 2024, Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos MP extended the date for VEAC to submit its final report to one month after the Government publicly releases the Eminent Panel on Community Engagement’s report on Central Highlands state forest.
The full terms of reference are available in Reports & Resources.
The purpose of the assessment is to:
(a) identify the biodiversity, ecological and geological and geomorphological values of the specified area
(b) identify the cultural heritage, social and economic values of the specified area
(c) identify the current and likely future threats to those values, including climate change
(d) identify the typical land use categories commensurate with the identified values
(e) assess the potential economic implications of proposed land use changes recommended by the Panel and provided to the Council
VEAC published its interim assessment of the matters specified in (a) to (d) in December 2023. The Council will report on the completed evaluation including the matter referenced in paragraph (e) in its final report to be completed one month after the Government publicly releases the Panel’s report on the Central Highlands state forest.
Reports and resources
| Title | Date | Type | Filesize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment of the values of the state forests in the Central Highlands - Interim report | 19-12-2023 | Reports | 9.78 MB | |
| List of supplementary materials | 19-12-2023 | Reports | 41.46 KB |