by World Heritage listing of the three large, contiguous western wilderness national parks in 1982. In 1983, an historic High Court decision prevented the construction of the dam. In 1989 significant additions were made to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, particularly with the inclusion of the Central Plateau Conservation Area.
In 1990, Tasmania's first marine reserves were established at Maria Island, Governor Island, Tinderbox and Ninepins Point.
In 1996 the Mole Creek Karst National Park was gazetted and the South Bruny National Park was gazetted the following year.
As part of the Regional Forest Agreement an additional 396,000 hectares of public land were added to Tasmania's reserves in 1997, including extensions to the Mount William National Park, Freycinet National Park and the creation of the Tasman National Park and Savage River National Park.
The most recent national park to be declared is the Kent Group National Park , gazetted in 2002, while Tasmania's marine environment received a significant boost with the declaration of marine protected areas at Port Davey-Bathurst Harbour and the Kent Group Marine Reserve.
In 2010, the significance of the convict probation era at Darlington, Maria Island, was recognised when listed as part of the 11 Australian Convict Sites World Heritage Property.
As of 2011, the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Program is currently underway to remove rabbits, rats and mice from this remote sub-Antarctic island. The eradication of these animals is now the highest conservation priority for the reserve, and is the largest island eradication program for rabbits, rats or mice ever attempted, and one of the largest conservation projects in Tasmania.
A detailed history of the Parks and Wildlife Service and land management in Tasmania is available online.
The National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council hosted a one day seminar, "With Every Step" on the Place and Meaning of Parks and Reserves in Tasmania. The procedings of the seminar provide a detailed account of the history of the Parks and Wildlife Service and land management in Tasmania. These proceedings are available online a [PDF 70 KB].