lutruwita/Tasmania is where residents and visitors can experience a sea change and a tree change, all in the same day. People come for the landscapes, flora and fauna, history, art, food and wine, and way of life. But community concerns about climate change, drought, fires, water allocation, aquaculture, and forestry challenge us to ask whether our shared resources and community values are being managed for long-term positive outcomes. The purpose of the Tasmanian Independent Science Council is to act as a conduit for evidence-based information between science, policy-makers, and the community. 

We offer respect to Elders past and present and to the Traditional Owners of lutruwita/Tasmania, the palawa people, who have sacrificed much to ensure the continuation of connection to Country, through one of the world’s oldest cultures. Through ancient and dynamic sustainable practices the palawa have not just survived here in lutruwita/Tasmania but thrived for thousands of generations. By acknowledging multigenerational successes and powerful knowledge systems, the westands for a future that respects First Nations perspectives, cultures, languages and histories in a continued and collaborative effort to fight for both palawa and environmental justice, for the benefit of all Tasmanians and beyond.

We acknowledge the deep wrongs committed against palawa people in the name of science and are committed to working together to seek true collaboration between Western and Southern knowledge systems that exist on this island, for the benefit of us all, including through supporting understanding and adaption to climate change impacts.