Simon Corbell today tabled a draft for the Nature Conservation Bill 2013 in the Legislative Assembly. Submissions will be accepted until the 13th of December.
Simon believes that this new act will be fundamental in allowing the government achieve it’s goal for a sustainable Canberra.
“This legislation follows an extensive review of the Nature Conservation Act 1980 that included input from a wide range of community organisations, stakeholders and interest groups,” Mr Corbell said.
“As the chief legislation for the protection of native plants and animals and for the management of national parks and nature reserves in the ACT, the Act underpins nature conservation across the Territory and will allow us to better protect and manage biodiversity.
“Protecting and managing our environment will be increasingly important as we prepare to cope with the impacts of climate change in our nature parks and reserves.”
The new Act will replace the Nature Conservation Act 1980 and provide an improved framework for future conservation and environmental management.
“Among other things, it rationalises regulatory approaches while maintaining appropriate and efficient environmental standards, which will allow us to be more efficient, flexible and effective in applying nature conservation policy and will make processes more accountable and transparent.”
Key aspects include:
— A strengthened role for the Conservator of Flora and Fauna in monitoring and management for nature conservation, and creation of a tree curator responsible for urban tree protection;
— an increased alignment between ACT legislation and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999; and
— the addition of resource protection areas that will allow restricted access to parts of reserves to enhance rehabilitation efforts or protect sensitive breeding habitat of threatened species.
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