Wildlife Rehabilitation Sector Strategy: Public consultation

The strategy to support the wildlife rehabilitation sector and introduce an accreditation system for providers has closed for comment.

The volunteer wildlife rehabilitation sector provides specialised care and treatment for injured, sick and orphaned native animals and delivers an important service to the community.

The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) has been consulting with participants in the sector to better understand the work they do and the challenges they face, and to explore how the services they provide can be more effectively supported into the future. Opportunities to comment on the Strategy closed 12 April 2019

We prepared a strategy that:

  1. outlined the actions we will undertake to strategically support the wildlife rehabilitation sector
  2. incorporated actions for the sector already funded through the NSW Koala Strategy, to be augmented by additional funding provided by the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife
  3. outlined a new system of accreditation for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation providers in line with new requirements under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.

Strategy for the volunteer wildlife rehabilitation sector

The strategy and supporting documents about the review findings, recommendations and proposed accreditation system are available for download.

Next steps

At the close of the public exhibition period, we will consider all submissions and prepare a submissions report. Submissions will be published on the DPIE website where the authors have provided their approval for them to be published.

After considering all submissions, we will work in partnership with the wildlife rehabilitation sector to co-design a system of accreditation and finalise an initial transition process to accreditation prior to full introduction in late December 2019.

More information

Read more about wildlife rehabilitation.

For further information about the regulation of the wildlife rehabilitation sector please contact the Biodiversity and Wildlife team by email npws.bwt@environment.nsw.gov.au

The information you provide in this form will only be used for the purpose for which it was collected. By submitting, you consent to storage, use, and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with our privacy policy. You can request access and amendment of your personal information.