Special Wildlife Reserves Bill Passes

The Nature Conservation (Special Wildlife Reserves) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (2018), which aims to preserve habitat and increase protected areas, passed on Wednesday 27 March 2019.

The Bill introduces a new class of privately protected area, Special Wildlife Reserves, that are considered to be of high conservation value.

The Special Wildlife Reserves (SWR) will provide national park level protection for applicable private land.

Under the new legislation, the responsible Minister and landholders must agree that the declaration of a SWR should occur and there must be an approved management program.

The Property Council has previously raised concerns about the lack of clear criteria and definitions on how the Minister will reach decisions.

The Property Council is also concerned about the potential consequences for the landholders and maintains that Government needs to engage with all affected stakeholders in the consent process.

For more information or to read the Property Council’s previous submission, click here.