The NSW DPI is currently seeking feedback to assist the NSW and Commonwealth governments to determine what form the RFAs take for the sustainable management of native forests.

Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) seek to balance economic, social and environmental needs on forests by setting obligations and commitments for forest management.

Over the past 20 years, the NSW RFAs have delivered a world-class Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative forest reserve system consisting of significant additions to the previous National Park estate.

RFAs have also delivered ecologically sustainable forest management arrangements across the entire NSW forest estate, and timber supply and regulatory certainty to the forest industries sector that is valued at $2.4 billion to the NSW economy and directly employs 22,000 people across the state.

There are two separate RFA consultations underway at present in NSW – a review process and a renewal process.

This consultation coincides with an extensive review being led by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) on how we are tracking in our current implementation of the RFAs.

The review is independently looking at the performance over the past 10 years in delivering what the RFAs were designed to achieve.

Feedback given to the EPA’s implementation review will help DPI to understand how we are performing under existing agreements, what the future holds for these agreements, and how we can learn from our experience over the past 20 years.

This feedback will also be taken into account in the design of the renewed RFAs.

Public submissions have now closed for the review process, however submissions on the renewal of the NSW RFAs can still be be made until 5pm on March 12 at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au