Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 | |
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Parliament of New South Wales | |
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Passed by | Legislative Council |
Passed | 16 November 2016 |
Passed by | Legislative Assembly |
Passed | 17 November 2016 |
Royal assent | 23 November 2016 |
Commenced | 23 November 2016 |
Legislative history | |
First 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 |
Second 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 Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act) is a state-based act of parliament in New South Wales (NSW). [1] Its long title is An Act relating to the conservation of biodiversity; and to repeal the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, the Nature Conservation Trust Act 2001 and the animal and plant provisions of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. [2] It supersedes the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 , and commenced on 25 August 2017. [3] [4]
The purpose of the Act was to effect biodiversity reform in New South Wales, in particular to provide better environmental outcomes and reduce burdensome regulations. [3] [5] 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] and since mid-2019, the BC Act is administered by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. [6]
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. [7] 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), [8] while the Scientific Committee has determined "Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub" to be a critically endangered ecological community. [9]
The main functions of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee include: [6]