SA’s has introduced to the SA Parliament their first Biodiversity Act that includes new provisions to better protect SA native animals and plants, build resilience to the effects of climate change, and to reduce red tape for development.
The new Act improves recognition for threatened species and provides opportunities for investment in restoring nature. It will consolidate biodiversity considerations, previously spread across several pieces of legislation.
The Biodiversity Act includes:
- A new general duty ensuring that all SAs play a role in protecting biodiversity
- Stronger native plant laws providing clearer regulations to safeguard native vegetation
- Tougher penalties to create stronger deterrence against environmental harm
- Critical habitat protections – by introducing a new process to identify and safeguard habitats vital for the survival of threatened species
- A new process for listing threatened species and threatened ecological communities, which aligns with other Australian jurisdictions and receives expert input from the scientific committee.
- A nationally consistent process to assess and recognise threatened native species and ecological communities.
Penalties for people that harm or traffic native animals or illegally clear native habitat will also be increased to a maximum $500,000 for businesses, a significant increase on existing fines that range from $2500 to $100,000.
The new Act would include a maximum $250,000 fine or five years’ jail for individuals convicted of illegally killing, catching, restraining, injuring, keeping or interfering with a protected animal.
