Weak laws the biggest threat to threatened species?
During National Threatened Species Week, Environmental Justice Australia (EJA) is calling on the Victorian government to deliver on its election promise to review the state’s threatened species laws and has released a report setting out how to do so.
EJA is questioning the progress made to date by the Victorian government to meets its commitment to provide better protection for threatened species through the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act. After a decade of critique and review, the law is still failing to deliver protection for the state’s most vulnerable species.
“National Threatened Species Week is a time to reflect on the state of native flora and fauna in Victoria and the laws that supposedly protect threatened species,” says Sarah Brugler, lawyer for Environmental Justice Australia.
“Unfortunately, unabated loss of wildlife continues in Victoria while ineffectual nature protection laws remain unchanged. Although Victoria has a long list of threatened plant and animals under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, almost no measures to protect them have been put in place.”
“18 months on from the incoming ALP’s promise to review the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act, the government has made no progress towards amending the nature protection laws. Our report builds on a long history of identified shortcomings of the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act and provides solutions for how the Act can be amended to protect and restore our natural environment.”
“Successive state governments have promised to improve the situation but have continually let their fellow Victorians down by taking no action.”
“National Threatened Species Week, as well as the recent re-assignment of the Climate Change and Environment Portfolios to Lily D’Ambrosio, presents an opportunity for the government to refocus their attention on how to achieve better outcomes for our precious threatened species and the natural environment. We urge the Minister to take seriously the continuing decline of nature in Victoria and to push forward with reform of Victoria’s key nature protection law,” said Ms Brugler.
Read more on the Environmental Justice Australia website here
Originally Published at https://www.envirojustice.org.au/media/weak-laws-the-biggest-threat-to-threatened-species