Assessment of
Australia’s Terrestrial Biodiversity
2008

Chapter 6 Managing the threats to Australia’s biodiversity

These pages have been extracted from the full document which is available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/terrestrial-assessment/index.html

© Commonwealth of Australia 2009

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Disclaimer

The then National Land and Water Resources Audit’s Biodiversity Working Group had a major role in providing information and oversighting the preparation of this report. The views it contains are not necessarily those of the Commonwealth or of state and territory governments. The Commonwealth does not accept responsibility in respect of any information or advice given in relation to or as a consequence of anything contained herein.

Cover photographs:
Perth sunset, aquatic ecologists Bendora Reservoir ACT, kangaroo paw: Andrew Tatnell.
Ecologist at New Well SA: Mike Jensen

Editor: Biotext Pty Ltd and Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

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Chapter6
Managing the threats to Australia’s biodiversity


At local, regional, state/territory, national and international levels, Australian governments are implementing a broad range of policies and programs designed to address major threats to biodiversity and arrest the decline in threatened species and ecological communities. Individuals, community groups, non-government organisations and industry groups are also increasingly engaged and active in addressing these threats.

A number of international strategies and policies are closely linked with Australia’s biodiversity conservation (Table 6.1). They set a framework for much of Australia’s whole-of-government response to threats to biodiversity across geographic boundaries.

Table 6.1 International policy with close links to biodiversity

Policy / Date
International conventions and treaties covering wetlands and migratory birds (Ramsar, CAMBA, JAMBA and ROKAMBA) / Ramsar 197)
CAMBA 1986 (entered 1988)
JAMBA 1974 (entered 1981)
ROKAMBA 2006 (entered 2007)
International Convention on Biological Diversity / 1992
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or Bonn Convention) / 1979 (entered 1991)

CAMBA = China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement; JAMBA = Japan–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement; ROKAMBA = Republic of Korea – Australia Migratory Bird Agreement

The key institutional responses examined in this Assessment are:

·  policy and legislation

·  protected areas (the national reserves system)

·  management of at-risk biodiversity

·  threat abatement

·  conservation on private land, and

·  regional natural resource management (NRM) arrangements.

6.1 Key findings

All jurisdictions have biodiversity policies and programs underpinned by legislative and other mechanisms. / Australia implements an extensive portfolio of policies and programs to manage and conserve biodiversity across the range of land tenures. These policies and programs are cast in strong governance and legislative frameworks.
National biodiversity policies and strategies are developed through cooperative arrangements among the jurisdictions.
Jurisdictions have different approaches to the management of threatened species and communities. / The states and territories vary in how they define threatened biodiversity and how they respond. Some provide a regulatory framework for comprehensive listing and recovery of at-risk species and communities while in others threatened species and communities are not comprehensively protected nor provided with recovery planning under legislation. Queensland provides protection for at-risk communities under clearing laws but not under biodiversity protection laws.
The scale of the impacts from threatening processes to biodiversity requires a mix of responses. / A series of case studies representing a range of institutional responses revealed two particularly significant issues: a lack of effective and systematic monitoring systems for evaluation and limited resources invested in responses to threats compared with the scale and nature of the threats.
The scale of the impacts from threatening processes is such that the voluntary and uncoordinated approaches adopted to date will not be effective. Getting the mix of responses right will require levels of cooperation hitherto not fully demonstrated.
Reducing threats at a landscape scale is a major challenge but is essential to arresting decline. / The move to large-scale, multi-partner responses that take a systems approach and focus on ecological processes is an encouraging development.
The large-scale intensive threat abatement case studies can also provide key messages for landscape scale approaches in particular: building on, and integrating with existing programs; the need for cross tenure delivery; having well-designed monitoring and evaluation for adaptive management.
All Australian governments provide for conservation initiatives on private land. / Features of private land biodiversity conservation programs include: the use of economic instruments and incentive-based policies to achieve biodiversity objectives; incorporation of biodiversity conservation in whole-farm or property management plans; and bioregional and catchment planning.
We are progressing towards a CAR protected area system through the National Reserve System. / Protected areas with high levels of conservation management grew by 1.6 per cent from 2002 to 2006. This represents a substantial increase on the rate for the previous decade but still falls well below what would be required to meet a target of 10 per cent reservation for every bioregion by 2010. In 2006, 49 bioregions meet or exceed this target, while 36 fall below this level of protection. Five bioregions are highly unlikely to reach the target due to clearing and fragmentation of native vegetation.
By 2006, 11.6 per cent of Australia’s land mass was reserved in protected areas.
Valuing biodiversity will contribute to the long term maintenance of biodiversity. / Case studies reveal that, ultimately, the long-term future of biodiversity on private land will rely on land managers valuing the protection and maintenance of biodiversity.
Biodiversity conservation has benefited from the strengthening and consolidation of the regional delivery model for NRM. / The majority of regional organisations have built on a history of catchment planning to successfully develop a strong strategic basis for delivery of programs based on specific conditions and circumstances of the region.
The regional model provides for negotiated target setting that can operate within, but is relatively unimpeded by, an often highly contested and adversarial regulatory setting for biodiversity conservation. The resulting regional biodiversity targets are more likely to be understood, owned and accepted by the people who need to be engaged in biodiversity conservation on the ground, especially land-holders.

6.2 Indicators

The relevant indicators are shown in Table 6.2.

Table 6.2 Indicators

Indicator / Current reporting capacity rating
Progress in building the National Reserve System
·  Progress towards comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness (CAR) targets / Good for representativeness and comprehensiveness
Poor for adequacy
·  Progress in instituting recovery plans / Poor at national and state/territory levels
·  Progress in managing threats
·  Trends in major threats / Poor for national trends in threats
Good only at state/territory and case-study level
Progress towards conservation of biodiversity on private land
·  Effectiveness of key institutional responses on private land
·  Progress in industry engagement in biodiversity conservation / Moderate for general effectiveness of major programs
Good for industry engagement
Poor for biodiversity outcomes of conservation efforts on private land
Biodiversity outcomes of the regional investment model / Moderate at general level of systems and capacity building
Poor for biodiversity outcomes
Progress in addressing the threats of climate change / Poor nationally but building

6.3 Policy and legislation

The policy instruments for biodiversity management in the different jurisdictions are summarised in Table 6.3.

Table 6.3 Biodiversity policy in the Australian Government and states and territories

Jurisdiction / Strategy / Date
Australian Government / National Biodiversity Strategy 1996–2006
National Objectives and Targets for Biodiversity Conservation 2001–2005
Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2020 Consultation Draft
The National Framework for the Management and Monitoring of Australia’s Native Vegetation (being revised in 2009)
Directions for the National Reserve System—A Partnership Approach / 1996
2001
2009
1999
2005 – 2009
ACT / ACT Conservation Strategy 1997 / 1997
Victoria / Victoria Biodiversity Strategy 1997. A renewed biodiversity strategy is being developed during 2008–09 that will form a separate document to the white paper (see below).
A consultation paper Land and Biodiversity in a Time of Climate Change has been released for public comment. A white paper will be released in mid 2009. / 1997
NSW / New South Wales Biodiversity Strategy
Native Vegetation Management Act 2003
Native Vegetation Regulation 2005 / 1999
2003
2005
Queensland / Nature Conservation Act
State Policy for Vegetation Management
Queensland Weeds Strategy 2002–2006
Queensland Biodiversity Framework 2003
Regional Nature Conservation Strategy for South East Qld 2003–2008
Wet Tropics Conservation Strategy 2004
ClimateSmart Adaptation 2007–2012
ClimateSmart 2050
Blueprint for the Bush 2006 / 1992
2006
2002
2003
2003
2004
2007
2007
2007
2006
Tasmania / Nature Conservation Strategy 2002–2006
Nature Conservation Act 2002,
Threatened Species Protection Act 1995,
Forest Practices Act 1985,
Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement 1997,
Wetlands Strategy,
Permanent Forest Estate Policy / 2003
SA / No Species Loss — A Nature Conservation Strategy for South Australia 2001–2017 / 2007
WA / A 100 Year Biodiversity Conservation Strategy for Western Australia: Blueprint for the Bicentenary 2029 / 2006
NT / Draft Northern Territory Parks and Conservation Masterplan 2005 (draft)
Integrated NRM Plan for the Northern Territory 2005 / 2005
2005

A number of important themes, strategic directions and mechanisms are more or less common across the national and state/territory policies. These are listed below.

6.3.1 Themes

·  Manage protected areas.

·  Promote off-reserve conservation through management of risks and provision of incentives.

·  Provide special protection for at-risk biodiversity.

·  Promote community awareness.

·  Promote whole-of-government and cross-sectoral partnerships.

·  Build knowledge and assess risks.

·  Carry out bioregional planning.

6.3.2 Strategic directions

·  Reverse the decline in extent and condition of populations and habitat of species and communities.

·  Improve preparedness for the impact of climate change.

·  Enhance the National Reserve System.

·  Integrated biodiversity conservation in management across the landscape (private and public land).

·  Invest in maintaining biodiversity and reducing future decline in high-value areas (biodiversity-rich areas and at-risk species and communities).

·  Improve knowledge of biodiversity value and conservation.

·  Ensure secure engagement across all sectors of the community.

6.3.3 Mechanisms

·  Negotiated partnerships, objectives and targets.

·  Investment arrangements based on agreed outcomes and cost sharing, and monitoring and evaluation of outcomes.

·  Consistent whole-of-government regulation across all sectors that impact on biodiversity, and long-term investment in recovery of listed species and communities.

·  Establishment of markets for conservation of biodiversity.

·  Underpinning of programs with education and science.

·  Regional and local-level planning and implementation.

·  Flexible mechanisms to retain biodiversity (e.g. stewardship incentives, covenants, tenders, voluntary agreements).

6.3.4 Legislation

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) was developed by the Australian Government to provide for the protection of the environment especially those aspects that are matters of national environmental significance. It provides for listing and protection of nationally threatened species and communities, and listing and abatement of threatening processes.

The states and territories, who have the major responsibility for biodiversity conservation, are at various stages in developing or updating biodiversity protection legislation and policy. In most jurisdictions (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania), biodiversity policy is enacted through specific biodiversity legislation to protect threatened species and communities, and through general environment protection legislation that addresses development impacts. Most jurisdictions also have a range of other legislation to manage biodiversity in specific areas (e.g. coastal management legislation), or to address certain threats (e.g. clearing controls, pest and weed regulations).

Today, all jurisdictions give high priority to biodiversity conservation. They vary primarily in focus (e.g. on private or reserved land or both), in the emphasis given to particular threats (e.g. clearing, invasive species, threatened species), and in the mix of mechanisms for implementation of strategies (e.g. legislation, public awareness, funding programs).

The trend in all jurisdictions and across the nation is towards increasing regulation of threats to biodiversity and increasing consistency with Australian national policy and objectives. In some aspects, such as native vegetation management and threatened species/ecological communities, biodiversity emerges as a major theme driving policy.

6.4 Protected areas (National Reserve System)

The National Reserve System (NRS) is a cornerstone of Australia’s biodiversity management response. The system of conservation parks and reserves, comprising public, private and Indigenous Protected Areas, is the largest single investment in biodiversity conservation.

The reserve system protects habitat, provides refuge for recovery of threatened species and communities, links fragmented remnants of habitat across the landscape, raises awareness and knowledge of biodiversity, links people with nature and earns revenue from tourism.

Directions for a National Reserve System—A Partnership Approach (2005) is a national, state and territory collaborative strategy for building the NRS. The Directions Statement embodies the approach of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to categorising protected areas based on the level of protection afforded, and the principles of comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness (CAR) as targets for achieving and measuring success.

·  Comprehensiveness refers to the aim of including samples of the full range of regional ecosystems recognisable at an appropriate scale within and across each IBRA bioregion.

·  Adequacy refers to how much of each ecosystem should be sampled at a bioregional scale. The concept of adequacy incorporates ecological viability and resiliency for ecosystems for individual protected areas and for the protected area system as a whole.

·  Representativeness is comprehensiveness considered at a finer scale (IBRA subregion), and recognises that the regional variability within ecosystems is sampled within the reserve system. One way of achieving this is to aim to represent each regional ecosystem within each IBRA subregion.

Although differences in approaches to reservation targets in the different jurisdictions remain, the Directions Statement is a step towards a nationally consistent approach for setting and meeting priorities for reservation and for monitoring and evaluating progress.