Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement

The Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement (WA RFA) provides a framework for the sustainable management of Western Australia’s public and privately owned forests.

The Australian and Western Australian Governments signed the WA RFA on 4 May 1999. It was varied on 29 March 2019 to extend its duration by 20 years and to establish an automatic extension mechanism, with subsequent five-yearly extensions contingent on satisfactory completion of five-yearly reviews.

Extending the WA RFA gives long-term stability to protections for biodiversity and heritage, and surety of resource access for industry, ensuring the whole community can continue to enjoy the many benefits that Western Australian forests provide well into the future.

On 1 January 2024, native forest harvesting ceased in Western Australia. However, the Western Australia RFA continues to provide the framework for the sustainable management of forests in the south-west region of Western Australia.

The WA RFA is implemented through the Forest Management System in Western Australia: An overview of the Forest Management System is available to download from the website of the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. The Forest Management System includes relevant forestry, environmental and heritage legislation, regulations, policies and programs.

The Western Australian Land Tenure and Zoning Map (April 1999) (PDF 3.5 MB) identified the extent of the comprehensive adequate and representative (CAR) reserve system in the south-west region of Western Australia at the time of signing of the 1999 WA RFA.

Current RFA

Previous RFA

Extending the Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement in 1999

The extension of the WA RFA was undertaken through a comprehensive process, following extensive assessment, public consultation, independent review and negotiation.

Assessment

The assessment considered the various uses and values of the WA RFA and how they were monitored, maintained, implemented and addressed since the signing of the WA RFA. The assessment is outlined in the provided documents.

Consultation

Stakeholders were given opportunities to provide feedback on the extension of the WA RFA, with the outcomes reported in the following document:

Western Australian RFA five-yearly reviews

It is a requirement of the WA RFA that its performance is reviewed every five years by an independent reviewer. The details of the WA RFA review process is outlined in the WA RFA.

The outcomes of the previous five-yearly reviews are available:

• Western Australian RFA: five and ten yearly review (combined)
• Western Australian RFA: third five-yearly review (2009-2014)

Annual meetings

On 29 June 2023, officials from the Australian and Western Australian Governments held the 2023 WA RFA annual meeting.

At this meeting senior officials discussed updates and progress on a range of matters relating to changes to the WA Forest Management System that had occurred since the last annual meeting, including the implications of the Western Australian Government’s decision to cease native forest harvesting on the future of the WA RFA. Following the meeting, officials issued a communique:

• WA RFA Annual Meeting of Officials 2023 Communique

Communiques from previous annual meetings are also available:

• WA RFA Annual Meeting of Officials 2022 Communique
• WA RFA Annual Meeting of Officials 2021 Communique
• WA RFA Annual Meeting of Officials 2020 Communique

These annual meetings, to be held in the years between five-yearly reviews, are part of the Australian and Western Australian Governments’ commitment to strengthened communications under the extended WA RFA.

Historical Publications

Many historical publications informed the development of the Western Australian RFA and continue to underpin the management of forests covered by the agreement.