Our compliance and enforcement work upholds government legislation and ensures fair and safe application of the law. This work focuses on protecting the environment and Aboriginal cultural heritage to achieve better environmental outcomes for New South Wales.
Programs
Our compliance and enforcement programs complement other NSW government programs, such as funding by the NSW Environmental Trust, and Biodiversity Conservation Trust strategic land-use planning and education, and community engagement. These programs aim to ensure our environment and Aboriginal cultural heritage are valued, protected and sustainably managed.
What we do
We protect, preserve and strengthen the quality of the natural environment, Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, and native species by applying a robust and trusted compliance program.
We prevent the unlawful loss, reduce harm, and contribute to the rehabilitation of these through education, engagement and enforcement.
We optimise compliance with:
- the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (for threatened and protected species, habitats and ecological communities, the Biodiversity Offset Scheme and commercial kangaroo management)
- the Local Land Services Act 2013 (for native vegetation and land management activities)
- the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (for Aboriginal cultural heritage).
How we work
We work to:
- encourage compliance and best practice in environmental protection management
- detect potential breaches of the law through surveillance and community outreach
- analyse land-change satellite imagery to monitor vegetation across New South Wales
- investigate potential breaches of the law using a risk-based approach to critical compliance issues and focus on the highest conservation priorities across New South Wales
- remediate harm to the environment and provide community-wide deterrence.
Outcomes
We coregulate with other agencies, educate and engage with stakeholders and use the best available data and science when making decisions.
We deliver:
- improved compliance with environmental and Aboriginal cultural heritage protection laws
- prevention of unlawful vegetation clearing and harm, damage and cumulative impacts to biodiversity
- integrity of statewide regulatory frameworks that govern biodiversity and Aboriginal cultural heritage
- remediation of damaged ecosystems and Aboriginal cultural heritage and, importantly, high-quality customer experiences.