Public registers

The Biodiversity Conservation Regulation 2017 establishes criteria for declaring areas of outstanding biodiversity value. These criteria are designed to identify the most valuable sites for biodiversity conservation in New South Wales.

Areas of declared critical habitat under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TS Act), including little penguin and Wollemi pine declared areas, were the first areas of outstanding biodiversity value in New South Wales with the commencement of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

The BioBanking public registers provide details of appropriate offsets made for potential impacts to biodiversity and threatened species. The registers were established under section 127ZZ of the TS Act (repealed) and comply with the Privacy and Personal Information Act 1998 for personal information. The registers cover:

• biobanking agreements
• biobank site expressions of interest
• biobanking statements
• biodiversity credits
• biodiversity credit transaction.

The BioBanking Scheme was replaced by the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme under the BC Act. The BioBanking registers will continue to be updated for existing applications and agreements, but new applications for BioBanking agreements or BioBanking statements are no longer being accepted.

We are required to keep a register of strategies included in the Biodiversity Conservation Program (BCP) for threatened species and threatened ecological communities.

The BCP is delivered as part of the Saving our Species Program. Saving our Species conservation strategies deliver on the objectives of the BCP to maximise the long-term security of threatened species and threatened ecological communities in nature and to minimise the impacts of key threatening processes on biodiversity and ecological integrity.

The department is required to have a Saving our Species conservation strategy in place for each threatened species and threatened ecological community within 2 years of the commencement of the BC Act. The Saving our Species public register provides conservation strategies included in the BCP.

Conservation agreements

A conservation agreement is an agreement between landholders and the Minister for the Environment. The agreement provides permanent protection for the special features of the land and is voluntary.

The area under the agreement is registered on the title of the land ensuring that if the land is sold, the agreement and management requirements remain in place. The register is open for public inspection during business hours. For further information:

Email: conservation.partners@environment.nsw.gov.au

We provide a range of public registers that support the operation of the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme, as required by the BC Act and the Biodiversity Conservation Regulation 2017.

The Biodiversity Offsets Scheme public registers allow the department, the Biodiversity Conservation Trust and the community to track private land conservation agreements and biodiversity credits and to understand the credit market. They also support the operation of the credit market by helping to connect credit buyers and sellers.

The enforceable undertakings register lists agreements issued under the BC Act.

The public register of kangaroo harvesting licences is a register of biodiversity conservation licences granted under the BC Act that allows various commercial kangaroo harvesting activities. These licences include:

• occupier/landholder licences
• professional harvester licences
• occupier harvester licences
• fauna dealer wholesaler licences
• skin dealer licences.

The public register of licences to harm is a register of biodiversity conservation licences granted under the BC Act allowing activities to control protected animals. These licences include:

• landholder licences to harm
• general licences to harm
• reptile catch and release licences
• possum catch and release licences.

This public register lists remediation orders issued under the BC Act. The register is updated on a regular basis.

The register of threatened species licences includes biodiversity conservation licences granted under the BC Act allowing activities to:

• harm an animal that is a threatened species or part of a threatened ecological community
• pick a plant that is a threatened species or part of a threatened ecological community
• damage an area of outstanding biodiversity value
• damage a habitat of a threatened species or ecological community.

The public register of wildlife licences lists biodiversity conservation licences granted under the BC Act. These licences allow activities to regulate interactions between humans and native wildlife, including:

• the keeping of native animals
• interstate import or export of protected animals
• scientific, conservation and educational activities that involve native wildlife.

The Aboriginal heritage impact permit register contains details about applications including permits that have been issued, varied, transferred, surrendered, suspended and revoked under sections 90P and 188F of the NPW Act.

The State Heritage Register includes listings of Aboriginal Places.

This register includes the results of civil proceedings before the Land and Environment Court under the NPW Act, TS Act or the BC Act.

The register of criminal convictions lists details of convictions, including the sentence imposed by courts, in criminal prosecutions under the NPW Act, the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

Interim protection orders (issued under section 91B of the NPW Act), which have been placed on land that has natural, cultural or scientific significance, are published in the NSW Government Gazette.

We keep a register of leases, easements and rights of way granted on national parks and reserves under the NPW Act.

The remediation directions register lists directions, including variations, issued under the NPW Act to carry out remedial work.