An Australian environmentalist responsible for protecting millions of hectares of rainforest around the world is being remembered as a man with “wood in his blood”, according to his family.

North Queensland man Peter Hitchcock died on Monday at the age of 75.

The son of a carpenter, Mr Hitchcock grew up across the road from a timber mill in northern New South Wales.

He became a renowned environmentalist who oversaw UNESCO World Heritage nominations across the globe and established some of Australia’s first rainforest national parks.

His conservation roots took hold when he worked for the Forestry Commission of New South Wales.

Tasked with selecting some of the finest rainforest timber to be showcased in Parliament House, Mr Hitchcock decided the trees he was cutting should be protected for future generations to behold.

He joined the National Parks and Wildlife Service in New South Wales and worked closely with then premier Neville Wran to establish some of the state’s first national parks.

David Hitchcock said his brother’s great skill was having a “photographic memory” of the bush.

“He knows [sic] to take people to a certain location, to see a certain tree and show the grandeur,” David Hitchcock said.

“He had this ability to know what he was talking about — he was part of it, he was in tune with the whole thing.”

David Hitchcock said a meticulous understanding of forest ecosystems gave his brother the authority to successfully lobby for conservation areas around the world.

He was instrumental in convincing former prime minister Bob Hawke to establish the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

Conservation is no walk in the park

A career surrounded by plants and trees might sound serene, but Mr Hitchcock’s advocacy landed him in the mud on a few occasions.

As the first executive director of the Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA), Mr Hitchcock was embroiled in controversy over the Daintree forest’s World Heritage listing in 1988.

The world’s oldest rainforest was seen as valuable logging territory at the time.

“He came into what was enemy territory,” said WTMA executive director Scott Buchanan.

“The Queensland minister for environment at the time told Peter in no uncertain terms that no-one wanted him up here and he was going to fail.”

Other environmentalists received death threats over the heritage listing.

Mr Buchanan commended Mr Hitchcock for his ability to resolve tensions by reaching out to the far north Queensland community.

“He went out and talked to people that were struggling with the change,” Mr Buchanan said.

“He was one of the early pioneers to go out and do community attitude surveys, to actually measure whether he was doing any good.”

Through consultation, Mr Hitchcock overturned the narrative that rural residents were fundamentally opposed to the World Heritage listing.

His research uncovered growing local support for conserving the unique old-growth ecosystem.

Source
ABC News