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Biodiversity Report - Recommends Regulatory Change |
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 In recognition of the mounting threats to the effective conservation of biodiversity, the Nature Conservation Council of NSW commissioned the Environmental Defender’s Office of NSW to prepare a discussion paper on the state of biodiversity conservation in the state.
This report has identified 35 recommendations for addressing the ineffective nature of the current regulatory regime.
The report is meant to serve as a tool for discussion with government and within community groups.
In recognition of the mounting threats to the effective conservation of biodiversity, the Nature Conservation Council of NSW commissioned the Environmental Defender’s Office of NSW to prepare a discussion paper on the state of biodiversity conservation in the state.
This report has identified 35 recommendations for addressing the ineffective nature of the current regulatory regime.
The report is meant to serve as a tool for discussion with government and within community groups.
Maintaining the current regulatory framework for biodiversity conservation is not an acceptable option in light of the rate of decline of biodiversity and the increasing threats in NSW. There are already 79 NSW species we will never be able to show our children, and we must act now to stop this list growing to hundreds. The disparate agency responsibilities, lack of funding, lack of a duty of care, and the fact that biodiversity conservation is causality in the push to “streamline” the planning system, all contribute to a bleak future for biodiversity. Biodiversity considerations have been sidelined by recent planning changes and action is required to reinstate biodiversity considerations as a priority for the NSW Government before it is too late.
Priority Recommendations
(1) All urban development requiring clearing should be required to satisfy a ‘maintain or improve’ environmental outcomes test.
(2) A biodiversity levy (applied to all Greenfield developments) should be used for funding institutional changes and on-ground conservation work.
(3) An audit of the tools currently used for biodiversity conservation in NSW should be undertaken by the Auditor-General.
(4) A body such as a Biodiversity Commission should be created. This commission should be charged with developing and implementing a whole of government approach which places biodiversity protection at the apex of planning and conservation decisions.
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