Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW)
Act of parliament in New South Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act) is a state-based act of parliament in New South Wales (NSW).[1] It replaced the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, and commenced on 25 August 2017.[2][3]
| Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Parliament of New South Wales | |
| |
| Passed by | Legislative Council |
| Passed | 16 November 2016 |
| Passed by | Legislative Assembly |
| Passed | 17 November 2016 |
| Assented to | 23 November 2016 |
| Commenced | 23 November 2016 |
| Legislative history | |
| Initiating chamber: Legislative Council | |
| Bill title | Biodiversity Conservation Bill |
| Introduced by | Niall Blair |
| First reading | 9 November 2016 |
| Second reading | 15 November 2016 |
| Third reading | 16 November 2016 |
| Revising chamber: Legislative Assembly | |
| Bill title | Biodiversity Conservation Bill |
| Member(s) in charge | Mark Speakman |
| First reading | 16 November 2016 |
| Second reading | 17 November 2016 |
| Third reading | 17 November 2016 |
| Related legislation | |
| Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, Nature Conservation Trust Act 2001, National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 | |
| Status: Current legislation | |
The purpose of the legislation was to effect biodiversity reform in New South Wales, in particular to provide better environmental outcomes and reduce burdensome regulations.[2][4] The Act lists many more purposes under the rubric of "ecologically sustainable development" than the former act, and specifically mentions "biodiversity conservation in the context of a changing climate".
As of May 2021[update], the BC Act is administered by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.[5]
Threatened Species Scientific Committee
Division 7 of Part 4 of the BC Act established the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, which can provide advice to declare species, populations, and ecological communities as endangered.[6] Under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, the Scientific Committee has declared various threatened species including the alpine she-oak skink (Cyclodomorphus praealtus) and the alpine tree frog (Litoria verreauxii alpina),[7] while the Scientific Committee has determined "Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub" to be a critically endangered ecological community.[8]
The main functions of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee include:[5]
- Assessing the risk of extinction of a species in Australia and deciding which species should be listed as critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or extinct in NSW;
- For species that are not listed as threatened species, deciding if there are populations of those species that should be listed as threatened in NSW;
- Assessing the risk of extinction of an ecological community in Australia and deciding which ecological communities should be listed as critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or collapsed ecological communities;
- Deciding which key threats to native plants and animals should be declared key threatening processes under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act); and
- Reviewing and updating the lists of threatened species, populations and communities and key threatening processes in the schedules of the BC Act.
