Along with Mount Tai in China, it is the highest measurement attained for World Heritage Site status on Earth.

In 2014, the Abbott government proposed de-listing the Tasmanian Wilderness as a World Heritage Site so as to allow the logging of trees within the protected area.

It comprises Tasmania's four largest national parks and several smaller areas of various other conservation land tenures.

Tasmania's tourism marketing promotes ecotourism based on the state's natural values; particularly those of the Tasmanian Wilderness.

This puts considerable environmental pressure on the Tasmanian Wilderness even though most tourist accommodation is outside the boundaries and most tourism occurs at a few well-developed sites near the periphery of the area.

Unlike most of the rest of the Tasmanian Wilderness, the Central Plateau section has a long history of use by local people.

[6] This has led to the removal of roads, huts, and any other human traces in favor of the idea of a pristine wilderness.

The TWWHA includes many species of ancient origin, primitive taxa, and a high degree of plant diversity, with unusual features such as scleromorphic shrubs evolving in a maritime climate in alpine and subalpine treeless ecosystems.

Much of the fauna found within the TWWHA is unique to the area, such as the Moss Froglet and the Pedra Branca Skink.

[9]: 229–30 [6] The factors influencing its listing include the Aboriginal heritage of the site, geomorphic values, and biodiversity.

[9]: 230–31 There was also serious distrust of the Parks and Wildlife Service in some quarters, mostly dating back to when the Central Plateau was added to the Tasmanian Wilderness in 1989.

Many established practitioners had been led to believe that all activities that had previously been permitted within the area would be allowed to continue after World Heritage listing.

This resulted in a polarisation of strongly held views in the Tasmanian community on the future management of the area and, in some quarters, considerable antagonism towards the Parks and Wildlife Service.

[6] Many people in the local communities were affected by the little consideration they got from "Wilderness ideology", leading to their acting against good management practices due to their mistrust of the Parks and Wildlife Service.

Several stages of public comment, accompanied at times by considerable controversy in the local media, led to a very "pro-wilderness" draft management plan.

This deadline was not met for a variety of reasons, including state and federal elections that delayed key approval processes.

[29]: 368 In September 2004, the first State of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Report was released, which focused on ecological protection.

[33] In 2014, the Abbott government proposed de-listing the Tasmanian Wilderness as a World Heritage Site so as to allow the logging of trees within the protected area.

[30] If successful, the proposal would have marked the first time a developed nation had de-listed a site for economic purposes.

The proposal was rejected by the 38th Session of the World Heritage Committee in June 2014, which met in Doha, Qatar.

[6] The TWWHA is managed jointly by the federal government and the state of Tasmania through the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service.

[9]: 229–31 The following national parks and reserves make up the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area: This article incorporates public domain material from Nicholas Sawyer.