What is the permit system?

The Wet Tropics Management Plan 1998 regulates land use activities within the World Heritage Area. The Plan designates management zones and specifies which activities in the Area are prohibited, allowed under permit, or allowed without a permit. It sets out procedures for permit applications and their assessment. The Plan also includes principles and criteria for deciding permit applications. See the legislation page for more details.

The Authority has also developed guidelines under section 62 of the Plan to help assess permit applications and inform permit applicants. These guidelines may sometimes be used as part of the conditions for issuing a permit.

What activities require a permit?

All activities which disturb vegetation, soil, water or scenic values in the World Heritage Area will probably require a permit application.

How to apply for a permit

To determine if a proposal will require a permit please:

1. Contact the Wet Tropics Management Authority and talk over the proposal with a permits issues officer.
2. Download a permit application form from this site.
3. Refer to information sheet number 2 for more details about the permit application process.

For the convenience of applicants, the Authority has established integrated permitting arrangements with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines. These two key land managers issue Wet Tropics permits on the Authority's behalf for most regulated activities within the World Heritage Area.

Minor and inconsequential activities

Some activities may be considered minor and inconsequential and, therefore, not require a permit. Please ask the Authority whether your proposed activitiy may be considered minor and inconsequential. Minor and inconsequential activities are those which:

• only involve minor removal or pruning of vegetation; and
• do not impact on the integrity of the World Heritage Area; and
• only involve minor earthworks (insignificant potential for erosion); and
• may be considered as having a minor and inconsequential impact on the Area.

Examples of minor and inconsequential activities are:

• clearing vegetation in the immediate vicinity of a residence.
• maintaining a structure, garden or small clearing around a residence or an access to a residence.
• maintaining a walking track, where the maintenance works only involve minor clearing or pruning of vegetation and/or only minor earth works, and no expansion of the 'footprint' of the track or the extent of the existing cleared area.
• bushwalking or camping in the World Heritage Area.
• driving a vehicle off a road to avoid an obstacle on the road.

For more detailed information on minor and inconsequential activities, download Information Sheet No. 3.

Please contact the Authority to find out if a proposed activity is minor and inconsequential.

Certain activities by landholders and native title holders

A permit may be issued to a landholder or native title holder to carry out certain domestic activities on their land. These domestic activities may include:

• building a residence.
• clearing or building access to a residence on the land.
• establishing a house garden or orchard.
• extracting water for domestic use.

Tables of permits issued and under assessment

The Authority is responsible for the assessment of permit applications made in accordance with the provisions of the Wet Tropics Management Plan 1998. You can view permits issued in the past year and those currently being assessed by downloading the files below.

• Permits issued by the Authority in the past 12 months.
• Permit applications currently being assessed by the Authority.
• Permits awaiting further information.

Information Sheets

These information sheets give answers for the common questions about the Wet Tropics Management Plan and the permit system.