New South Wales Consolidated Acts

FORESTRY ACT 1916 - SECT 21A

21A Special management zones

(1) The Minister may, by notice in the Gazette, declare any area of State forest (other than a flora reserve) to be a special management zone if the Minister is satisfied that the area has special conservation value.

(1A) Subject to sections 16A and 19B, a notice under subsection (1) is not to be revoked either wholly or in part otherwise than by Act of Parliament.

(1B) Despite subsection (1A), the Governor may, by notice published in the Gazette, revoke the declaration of any land as or as part of a special management zone and by that notice set apart the land as or as part of a flora reserve.

(1C) Despite subsection (1A), the Governor may, by a notice under Division 1 of Part 4 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 that reserves land under that Act:

(a) revoke the declaration of the land, or any part of the land, as a special management zone, and

(b) revoke the dedication of the land, or any part of the land, to which the declaration as a special management zone applies, as a State forest.

(2) The Minister may, by notice in writing to the commission, prohibit particular kinds of operations in a special management zone, or prohibit operations in the zone unless particular conditions are complied with.

(2A) The carrying out of general purpose logging is prohibited in a special management zone.

(3) The object of the declaration of a special management zone and the prohibition of operations in the zone is to protect its special conservation value.

(4) The commission must ensure that operations in a special management zone comply with any prohibition imposed by or under this section.

(5) An integrated forestry operations approval under the Forestry and National Park Estate Act 1998 does not authorise the carrying out of any forestry operations in a special management zone that are prohibited by or under this section.

(6) The Minister may vary or revoke any notice under subsection (2) by a further notice.

(7) The Minister is to ensure that the public is given an opportunity to make representations about any proposed notice of the Minister under this section to declare a special management zone. The Minister must:

(a) fix a time within which the public may make representations about the proposal, and

(b) make copies of the proposed notice available for public inspection before that time, and

(c) make available for public inspection before that time a statement outlining the activities that the Minister proposes to prohibit in the zone, and

(d) take any representation on the proposal received by the Minister within that time into account before making a decision on the matter.

(8) The Minister is to cause copies of any notice under this section to be available for public inspection at the head office of the commission during office hours.