Hi Landcarers

The Draft Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy 2017-2037 and the Draft National Parks System Directions Statement are open for public comment.

These two documents tie into each other in terms of shaping priorities for investment in private land conservation into the future.

The Draft Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy 2017–2037 sets the government’s priorities for investing in private land conservation over a 20-year period. It will guide the newly created Biodiversity Conservation Trust to deliver the government’s investment in private land conservation – $240 million over 5 years and ongoing funding of $70 million each following year, subject to performance reviews.

The strategy is a key component of the Government’s new framework for private land conservation established under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. Under the Act, the Minister for the Environment is to publish a Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy as soon as practicable after the commencement of the Act (following consultation on a draft strategy).

The Biodiversity Conservation Trust was established on 25 August 2017 with the commencement of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016. The Trust will support and encourage landholders to enter into agreements to protect biodiversity on their land.

The exhibition of the draft strategy provides an important opportunity for members of the community to have a say on the priorities for Government investment in private land conservation.

On the Office of Environment and Heritage website has two documents available for comment. The Draft Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy 2017-2037, setting out objectives, targets, priority investment areas and investment principles to guide the Biodiversity Conservation Trust in delivering a comprehensive private land conservation program; and a document with information about the approach taken to identify priority investment areas, including state-wider data sets used. This document is titled Supplementary information: identifying priority investment areas.

All submissions received during the exhibition period will be considered. Consultation questions have been provided at the end of each chapter of the draft strategy to help guide your feedback.

Every year, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) acquires land for our national parks by purchasing private land, public land transfers, donations and bequests. The draft NSW National Parks System Directions Statement explains how and why new parks will be established and outlines our targets and conservation priorities for acquiring new land and enhancing the parks system.

The draft NSW National Parks System Directions Statement is a revision of the Directions Statement for National Park Establishment, publicly exhibited in early 2015, and addresses comments received from the public at that time.

Once public submissions have been considered and any further changes made to the Directions Statement, it will be provided to the Minister for the Environment for approval. Once approved, the document will be available on the Office of Environment & Heritage website.

Submissions for both documents close on 5pm on 15 December 2017. You can mail, email or complete an online submission to respond.

Together the two documents represent a strategy for establishing an integrated protected area network across New South Wales.

The National Parks System Directions Statement guides the building of the state’s network of public conservation reserves. Together with the Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy 2017–2037, these two documents will work towards establishing an integrated protected area system across public and private land in New South Wales.

All of the links for these documents on our website. This information is supplied courtesy of the Office of Environment & Heritage website.

For more information about anything in this article, please contact Central West Lachlan Landcare on 02 6862 4914, cwllpo@hotmail.com, facebook or our website at centralwestlachlanlandcare.org

Until next week, happy Landcaring!