<
https://theconversation.com/wheres-nature-positive-australia-must-ensure-environment-reforms-work-to-restore-whats-been-lost-269077>
"For decades, conservation was focused on stemming how much nature was being
lost. But a new era of nature positive environmental policy is taking hold
worldwide, shifting from preventing further harm to restoring what’s been lost.
In 2022, almost 200 countries signed up to the goal of 30 by 30 – restoring 30%
of lands and seas by 2030. Globally, the goal is to restore an area almost the
size of India. Australia is working towards this international goal of
increasing protection and restoring the highest priority areas under its
Strategy for Nature. Over the last two centuries, Australia has already lost
much biodiversity.
Laws should play a key role in protecting and restoring nature. But Australia’s
national
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is not
currently fit for purpose. The 2020
Samuel Review concluded the existing laws
do not “facilitate the maintenance or restoration of the environment”.
In 2022, the Australian government promised to reverse the decline of nature
with new nature positive laws which would repair ecosystems and help species
recover. Shortly afterwards, parliament created a national Nature Repair Market
to provide incentives for land managers to restore degraded ecosystems.
After a failed attempt at reform last year, the federal government last week
announced its long-awaited broader reform package. In introducing the bill,
Environment Minister Murray Watt said the laws would enable “stronger
environmental protection and restoration”. Will these reforms be a game changer
for restoration? It’s not so clear."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
