Get active: make a submission to the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act review!

 

Endangered Illawarra Lowland Grassy Woodlands, Croom Reserve in Albion Park. Image by Leon Fuller.

We all enjoy growing local native plants in our gardens, and seeing them growing in natural areas around the Illawarra. We can each do a lot locally to protect biodiversity right on our own doorsteps. But sometimes there are opportunities to support wider positive change. Now is such a time!

We have an excellent opportunity, via the statutory 5-year review of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, to improve how the Act works in practice to conserve biodiversity! You can have your say, until April 21, via the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment website.

Here are some thought-starters if you'd like to make a submission.

• The NSW Audit Office released a report in August 2022 that was critical of the biodiversity offset scheme established under the Act, finding that it was failing to protect some of the state's most endangered species and ecosystems and was 'riddled with integrity and transparency concerns' according to a Guardian Australia report.  
• A NSW upper house inquiry into the biodiversity offset scheme heard in 2021 that schemes set up to halt or reverse the loss of biodiversity values are not working and, in some cases, did more harm than good. The NSW Local Government Association's draft submission to the inquiry stated that 'Councils have expressed a general concern that biodiversity offsets are not leading to net improvements in biodiversity.' 

The Environment Defenders Office has put out a submission guide which points out defects in how the Biodiversity Conservation Act works in practice and suggests ways to improve the operation of the Act. 

If you have time to make a quick submission, you could include points suggested by the Environment Defenders Office, including for example: 

• The Biodiversity Offsets Scheme does not align with best practice, and does not contain the ecologically necessary limits to prevent extinctions. It needs to be strengthened and aligned with best practice. For example, like for like offset requirements need to be made more restrictive - variation rules and indirect offsets need to be strictly limited. 
• The Biodiversity Offsets Scheme needs to adopt a clear and objective environmental standard to improve biodiversity outcomes - that is it must aim for no net loss of biodiversity or better. 
• Transparency of the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme needs to be improved. For example, there should be publicly available information/registers of approvals for development, clearing and forestry, offsets and biodiversity conservation agreements. More transparency will support more accountability and better outcomes. 

Taking action now could help protect remnant vegetation on public and private land around the Illawarra region. Please take five minutes to ask for the Biodiversity Conservation Act to be reformed so that it better protects biodiversity!

Volunteers recording an endangered Illawarra Zieria (Zieria granulata) at risk of destruction due to development plans. This species only occurs in the Illawarra.