Lake Malbena proponent says Parks and Wildlife flight report disproves wilderness impact, opponent disagrees

But the Wilderness Society Tasmania disagreed, saying any additional helicopter activity would have an impact.

The federal Environment Department requested records from PWS for tourism flights within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area for 2019 as part of its consideration of the Lake Malbena proposal.

Proponent Daniel Hackett, of Wild Drake, released the report on Monday in an attempt to allay concerns that his proposal to use a helicopter to fly guests between Derwent Bridge and a landing area near Lake Malbena would degrade wilderness values via the presence of mechanisation.

The report analysed fixed wing and helicopter flights including PWS and commercial operators, and did not include flights relating to fires or eagle nest surveys.

It showed that PWS operated 295 hours' worth of flights over 58 days between Lake St Clair and Cradle Mountain, and 41 hours between Frenchmans Cap and the northern areas of the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, for 2019.

Mr Hackett's proposal involves flying for a maximum of 48 hours across 60 days per year, with the flight path moved further east as part of the federal assessment process.

He said the report showed the area was already subject to flight impacts due to PWS flights from the Lake St Clair helicopter node, while his altered flight plan reduced the impact on wilderness.

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"The Lake Malbena proposal represents a small increase on the existing 1100 hours plus of tourism and tourism-related overflights of the TWWHA, while being the only flight to purposely avoid overflying the managed wilderness areas and walking tracks, and land outside of national park areas," Mr Hackett said.

"'The Parks report will be important in informing public debate going forwards, including meeting the outcomes of the recent Tourism Master Plan."

In November, federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley released her reasons for deciding that the Lake Malbena proposal was a controlled action and required more information from Mr Hackett. She found the use of the helicopter would result in "wilderness quality" to be reduced in about 4200 hectares.

This assessment process, as part of a referral via the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, is ongoing.

Wilderness Society Tasmania spokesperson Tom Allen said the PWS report would not convince opponents that helicopter access was appropriate.

"In lutruwita/Tasmania, more flights are bad for solitude, wilderness, animal life, clean air and the urgent need to decarbonise," he said.

"The ecological and wilderness values haven't changed. Choppers and wilderness don't mix."