Submission from Environment Australia
June 1997
Environment Australia is the Environment Program of the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories. It is responsible for providing advice and administration to the Commonwealth Government on the Government's environmental policies and programs, in particular those relating to biodiversity conservation, wildlife protection, sustainable land and water use, native vegetation protection, water quality management, greenhouse response measures, environmental information, environmental economics, and natural heritage conservation.
Ecologically sustainable land management (ESLM) is an important subject for Australia, with many complex and interrelated aspects, and is a subject of highest priority as a policy and program issue for Environment Australia .This submission is written to address (ESLM) according to the headings in the Productivity Commissions Issues Paper.
In developing strategies for ecologically sustainable land management, Environment Australia looks for solutions that will enable the natural and cultural values of the continent to be used in a way that protects these essential values for the benefit of future generations. Wise and sustainable use of our lands requires our policies and programs to be conscious of the broader social and economic contexts in which they operate.
The submission, with attachments, covers:
- the nature of the ecological challenges arising from the current management of land in Australia, covering biodiversity loss and threats to biodiversity, as well as the costs in terms of degradation of the land and water resource base;
- the circumstances that have given rise to the current situation, including the nature of property rights, perverse incentives which have encouraged degradation, and economic circumstances for producers;
- government policies, strategies and programs that seek to address ESLM, particularly the Natural Heritage Trust and the National Biodiversity Strategy, and governmental mechanisms and forums to implement these;
- views on a range of measures that can be used, including types of regulation, economic instruments and incentives, educational and community involvement measures, valuing of resources, and cost-sharing arrangements; and
- information and research activities and needs.
The main themes and conclusions that arise from the submission are as follows:
- Australia must change the way it manages the soil, water and vegetation in our agricultural areas, to be more attuned to the Australian climate and natural environmental processes.
- Retaining the native vegetation we have is extremely important. For both biodiversity conservation and sustainable production, it is far easier, cheaper and more effective than replanting. Therefore our priorities for native vegetation should be:
- limiting clearing of native vegetation;
- encouraging protection of significant remnants, both in biodiversity conservation and sustainable production terms;
- encouraging appropriate management of remnant native vegetation in order that its quality and ecological value is retained and enhanced; and
- strategic plantings of native vegetation.
Governments need to take a range of measures to help address the degradation problems and achieve ecological sustainable land management, including:
- information provision, including research dissemination, awareness raising, technical extension, and education;
- planning, including regional natural resource planning, property management planning, and drought preparedness planning;
- mechanisms for valuing resources, for example appropriate resource pricing and consideration of non-economic and non-market economic values;
- the development of financial incentives including taxation, rating, covenants, and grants;
- appropriate and adequate regulation, for example, clearing controls and lease conditions; and
- development and use of assessment processes to assess the net benefits of current and alternative land management, to achieve ESLM while also covering other environmental, economic and social considerations.
A recommendation from the inquiry should therefore be one that sets out a framework for how assessments on ESLM should be carried out, including who should carry out such assessments. There should also be as summary of measures that can be drawn on which will allow the necessary adjustments to take place, to achieve ESLM.
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