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NSW Biodiversity Strategy

Draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy 2010-2015 for public exhibition

A draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy 2010-2015 (the draft Strategy), prepared by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) and Industry and Investment NSW (I&I NSW), aims to coordinate and guide investment and effort in biodiversity conservation in NSW for the next five years.

The draft Strategy identifies state-scale investment priorities for 15 broad terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in NSW.

The following approaches were used to develop the draft Strategy:

• more effective targeting of existing public and private investment in biodiversity conservation to maximise outcomes
• use of existing regional structures and mechanisms to deliver biodiversity outcomes (such as the catchment management authorities, local government and other public authorities), avoiding the need for new arrangements
• acknowledgment of, and continuing support for, existing programs delivered by many government and non-government partners that result in significant outcomes for biodiversity conservation
• the importance of partnerships across public and private sectors to deliver biodiversity outcomes based on the best available science.

Read or download the draft Strategy here (10821DraftBioStrat.pdf, 1.7MB).

The draft Strategy was available for inspection Mon-Fri 8:30am-4:30pm at:

Sydney DECCW Head Office Information Centre Level 14, 59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney  NSW 1232 Ph: 131 555	Orange NSW Industry and Investment Head Office 161 Kite Street Orange  NSW 2800
Coffs Harbour DECCW Federation House Level 7, 24 Moonee Street Coffs Harbour  NSW 2450	Dubbo DECCW Level 1, 48-52 Wingewarra Street Dubbo  NSW 2830
Hurstville DECCW 43 Bridge Street Hurstville  NSW 1481	Parramatta DECCW Ground Floor, 10 Valentine Avenue Parramatta  NSW 2124
Queanbeyan DECCW NSW Government Service Centre Ground Floor, 11 Farrer Place Queanbeyan  NSW 2620

The draft Strategy is on public exhibition for at least a period of 30 days, with submissions closing 5pm on Friday 11 February 2011. Following the exhibition period, submissions will be reviewed and a final Strategy will be released for implementation.

Making a submission

DECCW and I&I NSW invite submissions on the draft Strategy. Electronic submissions are strongly preferred. Your submission will be easier to analyse if it:

• attempts to list points, so that the issues raised are clear
• refers each point to the appropriate section in the draft Strategy
• clearly states which sections you agree with and which you disagree with and why, and offers suggestions

We are particularly interested in your views and comments on but not limited to:

1. the scope and appropriateness of the themes, objectives, targets and actions
2. the contribution that the draft Strategy could make to building partnerships with private landholders or producers
3. whether the draft Strategy provides an understanding of how your efforts could contribute to conserving biodiversity in NSW
4. the usefulness of the state-scale priorities presented in the draft Strategy for directing investment
5. the proposed reporting on implementation of the Strategy. Are there alternative existing approaches that could be incorporated?

 

Submissions can be:

• emailed to biodiversity.strategy@environment.nsw.gov.au
• made here via the online form. The questions in the online form are the same as the questions 1 to 5 above. If you make an online submission, you must complete your submission in one session. You can make an attachment to your online submission.
• posted to: 
  Director General
  Attention: Draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy 2010-2015 Comments
  Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water
  PO Box A290
  Sydney South  NSW 1232

Written submissions should be signed and provide a name, organisation (if applicable), full postal address and daytime telephone number of the person or group making the submission. Emailed submissions should include a name, organisation (if applicable), full postal address and daytime telephone number. An acknowledgement will be sent on receipt of your submission.

NOTE: All comments and submissions will be treated as public documents unless otherwise requested. Submissions, and the names of the author(s) of the submission, will be made publicly available on the DECCW website, unless a submission specifically advises that it is to remain anonymous or to not be released at all.

Supporting documents

A number of supporting documents are provided for your reference:

• Deriving Priority Areas for Investment: A technical report to accompany the draft NSW Biodiversity Strategy (10878DerPriorAreas.pdf, 3.1MB), which provides the background method to how the state-scale investment priorities in the draft Strategy were identified
• a series of maps showing NSW Priority Areas for Investment and Priority Area by mapped ecosystems
• questions and answers
• table showing relationship between the Draft Biodiversity Strategy, the State Plan targets and priority actions, and Australia's Biodiversity Strategy priorities (10971RelateTableBioStrat.pdf, 33KB)
• Priorities for Biodiversity Adaptation to Climate Change (10771proritiesbioadaptcc.pdf, 1.26MB), which outlines a program of measures that DECCW will undertake to address climate change impacts on biodiversity.

Towards a new Biodiversity Strategy: the 2008 discussion paper

DECCW and I&I NSW released a NSW Biodiversity Strategy Discussion Paper for public comment in November 2008. Submissions on the Discussion Paper closed in February 2009 and were used to inform the development of the draft Strategy.

You can still view A new Biodiversity Strategy for NSW: discussion paper (08398biostr.pdf, 1MB).

You can also view a summary of the submissions received on the Discussion Paper and the policy response.