African Union - Inter African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)’s Post

The first step in the reform of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 was introduced to NSW Parliament late last week with a key object “that the biodiversity offsets scheme will transition to net positive biodiversity outcome”. The Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Biodiversity Offsets Scheme) Bill 2024 proposes: - to insert a definition of “avoid, minimise and offset hierarchy” which first requires that a proponent "takes all reasonable measures to avoid the impacts of the action on biodiversity values" and - that section 6.12(c) of the BC Act be amended to require that BDARs will have to demonstrate "genuine measures" the proponent has taken and proposes to take to avoid and minimise the impact of the proposes development on biodiversity values. This goes some way to bringing the strict application of the hierarchy and requirement for avoidance that has been applied in the Land and Environment Court into the legislation. The Bill also amends section 9.7 to require public registers be kept for: - development, activity or clearing that likely has serious and irreversible impacts on biodiversity values - conditions of approvals that require biodiversity conservation measures be taken to offset the residual impact of the relevant development, activity or clearing on biodiversity values - measures to avoid and minimise the impact of development, activity or clearing on biodiversity values of land that are set out in a BDAR as measures a proponent has taken or will take or is required to take as part of a planning approval. Further detail on the registers will come in regulations. The Bill has been referred to Portfolio Committee No. 7 – Planning and Environment for inquiry and report with a report due by 11 October 2024.

🚨 “We can’t offset our way out of the extinction crisis”🚨 This is what our Director James Trezise said in the Guardian Australia on news that a recent audit of Australia's biodiversity offset scheme revealed that a third of the sites surveyed are in a worse condition than before they were established as offsets. The clear message from this report is that federal biodiversity offsets are poorly implemented, documented and, in the majority of cases in this audit, don’t even protect extent of threatened habitats that proponents claim they will. The review found that some areas, meant to be habitats for species like the koala and grey-headed flying fox, were actually cleared paddocks. We need to make sure offsets are truly relegated to a measure of last resort and there is a much stronger focus on avoidance and mitigation of impacts through assessment processes. Too often we hear stories of proponents and regulators racing to offsets rather than carefully considering project location and design to minimise impacts on biodiversity. The news comes as debate resumes on reforms to Australia's national environmental laws in federal parliament today. It is worth noting that the government has deferred any reforms to its offsets system and delayed introducing any environmental standards, meaning we will be stuck with the current offset settings for a while yet. The government is proposing to strengthen compliance powers, which will hopefully mean increased enforcement of existing approval conditions and relevant biodiversity offsets. #Conservation #Biodiversity #naturelaws Read the story here: https://lnkd.in/ggrMhi35 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gPhu4N9f And you can see the full suite of our recommended reforms for Australia's biodiversity offsets system here: https://lnkd.in/gfXt9eed

Namibia addresses global biodiversity crisis: Namibia has welcomed delegates from around the world to the 11th Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The event serves as a crucial platform to launch two landmark reports, the Nexus Assessment Report and the Transformative Change Assessment Report, pivotal in addressing some of the most pressing ecological crises of our time. The plenary’s inaugural session was marked by an address from environment and forestry minister Pohamba Shifeta who emphasised the collective responsibility of countries to confront the intertwined challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, food insecurity, and public health. “Your presence here reflects our commitment to these urgent global issues,” he said. The Nexus Assessment Report highlights the interconnectedness of biodiversity, water, food and health, advocating for integrated decision-making aligned with global objectives like the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. The Transformative Change Assessment Report focuses on the root causes of biodiversity decline, delineating pathways to achieve the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity. Together, these reports provide a framework for transformative action at local, national and international levels. Since its independence in 1990, Namibia has made significant strides in environmental stewardship, becoming the first African nation to include environmental protection in its Constitution. A network of over 20 state-protected areas and 86 community conservancies exemplifies Namibia’s commitment to sustainable resource management. “Through community involvement and empowerment, we have not only conserved our biodiversity but have also created sustainable livelihoods for our people,” said Shifeta. Pohamba Shifeta The successful implementation of the community-based natural resource management programme since 1996 has been instrumental in enabling local communities to manage and benefit from wildlife and tourism. With over 200 000 Namibians directly benefiting from conservation initiatives, the model illustrates how conservation can drive social and economic progress. “Biodiversity conservation is not merely an environmental issue; it is an economic and social imperative,” Shifeta added. Namibia confronts challenges that resonate beyond its borders, particularly regarding human-wildlife conflict. This issue, worsened by climate change and habitat loss, poses significant risks for vulnerable communities living alongside wildlife. Shifeta urged the plenary to pursue collaborative strategies for addressing these conflicts, emphasising that “the well-being of communities must be at the forefront of our conservation efforts.” Regional cooperation also plays a vital role in Namibia’s conservation efforts. The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier…

The NSW Government is planning a major overhaul of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW), with a renewed focus on net positive biodiversity outcomes. Dr. Louise Camenzuli, Louise Lee and Jade Sams explore key takeaways for project proponents from the government’s NSW plan for nature and the new biodiversity offsets reform Bill.

Dbytes #616 (17 April 2024) Info, news & views for anyone interested in biodiversity conservation and good environmental decision making “The proposed principles suggest 25 years of “intention” to deliver biodiversity outcomes is enough. This is a problem for two reasons. First, “intention” does little for biodiversity if the landholder chooses to sell their property a few years after being recognised as an OECM and the new owner has no such conservation interest. Second, a 25-year timeframe is at odds with long-established Australian policy for defining “long-term” for protected areas. A minimum timeframe of 99 years is required if permanent protection is not possible.” James Fitzsimons [see item 1] https://lnkd.in/gNwsghKt In this issue of Dbytes 1. Why an intention to conserve an area for only 25 years should not count for Australia’s target of protecting 30% of land 2. The big dry: forests and shrublands are dying in parched Western Australia 3. New high level push to give communities the right to challenge big, environmentally destructive projects 4. Database for marine and coastal restoration projects in Australia and New Zealand 5. Coastal wetlands can’t keep pace with sea-level rise, and infrastructure is leaving them nowhere to go 6. Glaring gaps in tools to estimate businesses’ biodiversity impacts hinder alignment with the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework 7. Linking network ecology and ecosystem services to benefit people 8. Fossil fuel’s war on protest https://lnkd.in/gNwsghKt

With World Bank via PFCIGL project: We have carried out an environmental and social impact assessment on the World Bank Group's Trade Facilitation and Integration Project in the Great Lakes Region (PFCIGL). This PFCIGL project has been classified as a ‘High Risk’ project from an environmental and social point of view in accordance with the World Bank's New Environmental and Social Framework because it will be carried out in a wetland area that is the excellence habitat of hippopotamuses. The study aimed to integrate specific biodiversity measures, mainly those that would make it possible to limit as far as possible the negative impacts of the sub-project activities on the hippopotamuses identified in the sub-project area. The objectives of this project were to Assess the risks and direct or indirect effects of the sub-project on rare species found in the area, in particular hippopotamuses, reptiles, amphibians and other mammals, plants and ecosystem services, and propose mitigation measures; Analyze the risks and negative impacts of the sub-project on the wetland that provides services to the local population, hippopotamuses and the grassy meadow that is used for grazing during periods of flooding; Identify and assess the potential risks and dangers during and after implementation of the project, insofar as the project will be built in a low-lying area that is a wetland and a preferred habitat for hippopotamuses; Analyze the migratory movements and life of the hippopotamuses in the sub-project area with a view to proposing specific measures to avoid disturbing their peace of mind and development during the construction phase; Assess and/or analyze the threats and gaps to biodiversity and its ecosystem services in the sub-project area; Organize participatory consultations with stakeholders and then propose an awareness-raising plan on hippopotamus ecology; Define, in a participatory manner, rules aimed at reducing the scale of the human-hippopotamus conflict; Propose a hippopotamus protection and conservation strategy in consultation with the IUCN, Provincial Environment Coordination, local and national authorities, including local communities, etc.); Identify and analyze the direct and indirect threats to hippopotamuses posed by the project, the gaps in knowledge and resources and other factors hindering conservation efforts; Identify measures to minimize negative impacts and restore biodiversity, in accordance with the mitigation prioritization principle described in SEN no. 6; Propose a monitoring plan to ensure that mitigation measures are properly implemented; Propose a financial budget and implementers. Measures such as environmental education, relocation and compensation of victims, direct compensation, physical barriers, and the creation of a community hippo protection and conservation site, etc. were proposed by all the stakeholders consulted for the management of the human - hippo conflict, but also to mitigate or minimize.

In recognition of the International Day for Biodiversity 2024, securing priority areas for biodiversity, climate and health is an important opportunity for Target 3 and the Global Biodiversity Framework #IUCN WCPA

Results from a new paper shows that Statutory Biodiversity metric which measures biodiversity value doesn’t work for all species.   The Statutory Biodiversity Metric is a way of measuring biodiversity net gain by using various habitat features. Developers use this metric to calculate and thus demonstrate how a project will achieve a minimum biodiversity net gain of 10%.   Cicely Marshall at the University of Cambridge was awarded a Small Grant by us to assess the validity of this metric across England. Her team did this by looking at plant, bird and butterfly species data at multiple long-term experiment sites (LTEs), some of which are registered with the ECT.   They found that while the metric works for plant diversity, it doesn’t for bird and butterfly data. Conservation management may therefore be required for the bird and butterfly data in order to satisfy the biodiversity net gain minimum. She and her team will present these findings to Natural England and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Read the full open access paper and find out which LTEs were registered with the us: https://lnkd.in/eBJj5V69 #LongTermExperiment #LTE #Ecology #Biodiversity #Grant #OpenAccess

Biodiversity offsetting in NSW is set to go 'net positive'. This article looks at some key takeaways from the NSW Government's plan for nature and the new biodiversity offsets Bill.

The Protected Planet Report 2024 has been released. It provides the first official review of global progress towards the world's commitment to Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), namely to conserve 30% of land, waters and seas by 2030 (see full text of target 3 https://lnkd.in/eKRyHAej). Amongst many other matters, the report shows that: - global coverage of protected and conserved areas has now reached 17.6% of terrestrial and inland waters and 8.4% of marine and coastal areas.  - with six years remaining to reach the 30% coverage target in each realm, a further 16.7 million km2 (12.4%) of terrestrial and inland waters, and 78.3 million km2 (21.6%) of marine and coastal areas are needed to be secured in networks of protected and conserved areas. - more data is required on the quality of governance, management, and the achievement of conservation outcomes to assess and understand progress towards the "effectiveness” aspects of Target 3. There is clearly a lot of work to do between now and 2030 to achieve Target 3 of the GBF, including: to increase global coverage; for effective management, and for quality governance. https://lnkd.in/eV8RWaVa #biodiversity #kmgbf #protectedareas ADM Capital Foundation International Ranger Federation International Council of Environmental Law IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law Chris Galliers