Wildlife trade and conservation
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up window
Proposed exceptional circumstances permit
1 February 2008
The Minister is considering granting a permit to K.F. Hayward of NSW to export Australian native cut flowers.
A permit, issued by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), is generally required to export Australian native flora. For a permit to be issued the product must be sourced from a harvest program approved by DEWHA.
The New South Wales Cut Flower Management Plan expired on 30 June 2006. A draft Wildlife Trade Management Plan (WTMP) has been prepared by the NSW state government and is currently being assessed. It is likely to be some time before an approved plan is in place to allow standard export permits to be issued.
As there is no current WTMP in place, the usual requirements for a permit to be issued are not satisfied and K.F. Hayward has applied for an exceptional circumstances permit under Section 303GB of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Collection and trade will proceed as if the now ceased WTMP were still in place.
The delay in approving the new WTMP will be detrimental to the industry unless an exceptional circumstances permit is issued.
This permit may only be issued if biodiversity will not be adversely affected, exceptional circumstances exist, and the export would not be contrary to the objects of Part 13A of the EPBC Act. You are invited to provide comments on the proposal to issue this permit, and any comments will be taken into account in making the decision.
Please address any comments to:
The Director
International Wildlife Trade Section
Department of the Environment and Water Resources
P.O. Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
wildlifetrade@environment.gov.au
Invitation to comment period closes Friday 8 February 2008