2016-09-07
The State Government isn’t doing its homework when it comes to protecting WA’s biodiversity making it difficult to measure the effectiveness of conservation measures, says Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren on National Threatened Species Day.
Ms MacLaren said questions in Parliament last night confirmed that the Government lacks critical information about the state of wildlife corridors across the state, instead relying on stakeholders and private land owners to monitor connectivity between formal conservation reserves.
“Wildlife corridors are a crucial piece of the puzzle to ensure species survival,” Ms MacLaren said.
“Our State Government works with land managers to establish these corridors, but we question whether there is enough oversight to be confident the network protects biodiversity.
“The Government yesterday admitted it took only a ‘landscape approach’ to managing key threats to native animals and plants.
“Most urgently, the state of the environment and critical habitat needs to be scientifically assessed and publically reported.”
Ms MacLaren said a long awaited update of Biodiversity Conservation laws is in its final stages in the state’s upper house.
A progress report released by the UN Environment and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) shows less than 20% of areas considered crucial hubs for species across the globe are fully protected.
Related campaign: Update Biodiversity LawsRelated portfolios: Biodiversity & Conservation