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https://theconversation.com/strong-progress-from-a-low-base-heres-whats-in-nsws-biodiversity-reforms-234917>
"The laws designed to protect the environment in New South Wales are completely
ineffective, according to the scathing Henry Review in 2023.
In response, the state government this week announced a major overhaul of the
Biodiversity Conservation Act, introduced in 2016. The Minns govermment has
committed to introducing 49 of 58 recommendations made by the review, either in
full or in part.
First up will be reform of biodiversity offsets – the easily gamed and largely
ineffective requirement for developers to offset their destruction of vital
habitat with gains elsewhere.
The state government is also promising to align reformed biodiversity laws with
national and international goals, and set goals and targets to tackle threats,
bring species back from the brink, and conserve landscapes at scale.
Good news? Certainly – especially given the federal government has delayed
reforms to national biodiversity laws. But there are still big gaps –
especially around how to actually stop land clearing, which is a major driver
of species and ecosystem loss in the state.
These changes are essential, if we are to curb rapid and increasing rates of
nature loss. Without them, around 500 species are predicted to become extinct
in NSW over the next century and many nature-dependent industries – such as
tourism, water supply and agriculture – will suffer."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
