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Achieving Biodiversity Conservation in Victoria Peter Betson Executive Director, DEPI OUTLINE • • • • Biodiversity in Victoria Victoria’s framework for conserving biodiversity Recent developments in Victoria Future policy directions for Victoria Maintain biodiversity Standards, markets and rights Reporting and accounts Biodiversity framework Investment Science Regulations Communities Decision systems Biodiversity framework Figure shows components of gains and losses in native vegetation that need to sum to at least zero Biodiversity framework Estimation of components of gains and losses in native vegetation quality 15 Breakdown of change – all tenures Additions to the reserve system Unrecorded management in conservation reserves 10 15 Voluntary management and increases in extent Government incentives and new covenants Overall change – all tenures 10 5 Recorded management in conservation reserves 5 ‘000 HHa/Yr 0 0 No active management in conservation reserves Net loss = 4392 HHa/yr* -5 Hatching indicates figures based on broad assumptions rather than specific data -10 -15 -5 Entitled land uses and exemptions Remotely-sensed reductions in extent (illegal clearing)** +/- 20% uncertainty -10 -15 Data based on: First Approximation Report, DSE 2008 Biodiversity framework • Challenges for strategic planning – What is the objective? – How is biodiversity measured across the Landscape? – What is the role of Government in setting outcomes and picking-winners? – How can policy-makers assist in these trade-offs and bring biodiversity to front-of-line? Recent developments in Victoria • How are we responding to the challenges? • Efficient resource allocation • • • Markets (BushTender, BushBroker) Property Rights (Legislative reform) MER and Economic-Ecosystem Accounts • Building our science capacity and modelling capability • • Arthur Rylah Institute NaturePrint and NVIM Recent developments in Victoria • How are we responding to the challenges? • Regulatory • • Melbourne Strategy Assessment Native Vegetation Regulation Reform • Investment • • • Victorian Environmental Partnerships Program Landcare LBP Advisory Group • Communities • • Supporting partnerships to share impacts and benefits Information up-front to invest, avoid, minimise and offset Regulatory reforms - MSA • Strategic Assessment under the Commonwealth EPBC Act 1999 • Large geographic scale (UGB), rather than site by site assessments. • Targets, actions and recovery of efficient costs. • Incentivises better regulatory practice • Actions involve the creation of conservation reserves and the payment of offset fees • Meets Commonwealth and State requirements 11 Regulatory reforms - MSA • MSA, BCS and sub-regional species strategies: • 15,000 ha grassland reserve and 1200 ha grassy woodland reserve in Program report • 36 conservation reserves within the UGB (approx. 5700 ha) • 1600 ha (approx.) of new reserves to be found outside UGB across rural Victoria = In future no further reserves required inside UGB = All conservation measures funded through costrecovery and recouped through development process Extent of the Melbourne Strategic Assessment 13 Regulatory reforms - NV • Four priority reforms: – Clarify the objective of the native vegetation permitted clearing regulations – Improve how biodiversity value is measured and defined – Incorporate risk and proportionality in decision making – Ensure offsets provide appropriate compensation to the environment. • Five supporting reforms: – – – – – Clarify roles and responsibilities of state and local government Better regulatory performance Improve offset market functionality New approaches to compliance and enforcement Continuous improvement. Regulatory Reforms - NV Regulatory reforms - NV Risk-based pathway Regulatory reforms - NV Regulatory reforms – key lessons • Outcome-based performance standards for biodiversity • Up-front information, certainty and substitutability supports efficient resource allocation decisions • Better community acceptance when clear about importance and are proportionate • Reduces community costs (direct and opportunity) 18 Biodiversity investment • Victorian Environmental Partnerships Program (VEPP) • $16m for native vegetation and threatened species (2013 -15) • A new approach to environmental investment and ecosystem accounting. • spatial data-sets consistent across all interventions and catchments • maximise return-on-investment • monitoring and reporting Biodiversity investment • Landcare – Total program investment of $7.4m (2013-14). – Program supports 780 Landcare groups, 67 Landcare networks, and approx. 60,000 members and 45,000 additional volunteers across Victoria. • Volunteer contribution is significant, costeffective and important for communities Demonstrating change National Accounts, Census Households, Businesses, Sectors, Jurisdictions, Government bodies, etc. Land Accounts Basic Spatial Units, Parcels, Statistical Areas Ecosystem Accounts Assets, Ecosystems, Bioregions, Catchments, etc. Economic-ecosystem accounting Future directions for Victoria • Environmental Partnerships • EPBC Act accreditation • LBP Advisory Group as a model for a collaborative approach to targeting threatened species priorities and management • Threatened Species Roadmap • Economic-ecosystem accounting • Risk based environmental regulation