Page 2279 - Week 07 - Thursday, 16 June 1994

MADAM SPEAKER,

THE NATURE CONSERVATION (AMENDMENT) BILL 1994 CONTAINS

PROVISIONS THAT WILL GIVE EFFECT TO THE GOVERNMENT'S ELECTION

COMMITMENT TO DEVELOP LEGISLATION TO IDENTIFY AND PROTECT

ENDANGERED NATIVE PLANTS AND ANIMALS, AND THEIR ECOLOGICAL

COMMUNITIES.

THE BILL IS A SIGNIFICANT NATURE CONSERVATION INITIATIVE BY THE

GOVERNMENT. THE NATIVE PLANTS AND ANIMALS OF THE A.C.T. ARE PART OF

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE - A HERITAGE WITH SUBSTANTIAL CULTURAL,

ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL VALUES WHICH IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO

CONSERVE FOR THE BENEFIT OF FUTURE GENERATIONS.

MADAM SPEAKER, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN NATURE CONSERVATION IS

FUNDAMENTAL TO LONG TERM SUCCESS. IN THIS CONTEXT AN EXPOSURE

DRAFT OF THE BILL WAS RELEASED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT IN JUNE 1993

FOLLOWING TABLING OF THE LEGISLATION IN THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.

SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED WERE CONSTRUCTIVE AND A NUMBER OF

AMENDMENTS TO THE BILL HAVE BEEN MADE.

THE BILL COVERS THREE MAIN MATTERS.

FIRSTLY, THERE IS A LISTING PROCESS WHEREBY SPECIES AND ECOLOGICAL

COMMUNITIES THAT ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION, OR PROCESSES

THAT THREATEN THE VIABILITY OF SPECIES OR COMMUNITIES IN THE WILD

ARE FORMALLY DECLARED. SECONDLY, THERE IS A MANAGEMENT RESPONSE

TO DECLARATION WHEREBY CONSERVATION MEASURES ARE DETERMINED

AND MANAGEMENT ACTIONS CARE FORMULATED. THE THIRD COMPONENT IS

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LONG-TERM CONSERVATION STRATEGY FOR OUR

BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY.

THE BILL'S PROVISIONS ESTABLISH AN EXPERT FLORA AND FAUNA

COMMITTEE WHOSE MAIN TASK WILL BE TO PROVIDE INDEPENDENT AND

EXPERT ADVICE TO THE GOVERNMENT ON NATURE CONSERVATION

MATTERS AND ASSESS THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF THE NATIVE PLANTS

AND ANIMALS AND ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES OF THE A.C.T. SHOULD THE a

2279