Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

The objects of this Act are:

to provide for the protection of the environment, especially those aspects of the environment that are matters of national environmental significance; and

to promote ecologically sustainable development through the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources; and

to promote the conservation of biodiversity; and

to provide for the protection and conservation of heritage; and

to promote a co‑operative approach to the protection and management of the environment involving governments, the community, land‑holders and indigenous peoples; and

to assist in the co‑operative implementation of Australia’s international environmental responsibilities; and

to recognise the role of indigenous people in the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of Australia’s biodiversity; and

to promote the use of indigenous peoples’ knowledge of biodiversity with the involvement of, and in co‑operation with, the owners of the knowledge.

In order to achieve its objects, the Act:

recognises an appropriate role for the Commonwealth in relation to the environment by focussing Commonwealth involvement on matters of national environmental significance and on Commonwealth actions and Commonwealth areas; and

strengthens intergovernmental co‑operation, and minimises duplication, through bilateral agreements; and

provides for the intergovernmental accreditation of environmental assessment and approval processes; and

adopts an efficient and timely Commonwealth environmental assessment and approval process that will ensure activities that are likely to have significant impacts on the environment are properly assessed; and

enhances Australia’s capacity to ensure the conservation of its biodiversity by including provisions to:

protect native species (and in particular prevent the extinction, and promote the recovery, of threatened species) and ensure the conservation of migratory species; and

establish an Australian Whale Sanctuary to ensure the conservation of whales and other cetaceans; and

protect ecosystems by means that include the establishment and management of reserves, the recognition and protection of ecological communities and the promotion of off‑reserve conservation measures; and

identify processes that threaten all levels of biodiversity and implement plans to address these processes; and

includes provisions to enhance the protection, conservation and presentation of world heritage properties and the conservation and wise use of Ramsar wetlands of international importance; and

includes provisions to identify places for inclusion in the National Heritage List and Commonwealth Heritage List and to enhance the protection, conservation and presentation of those places; and

promotes a partnership approach to environmental protection and biodiversity conservation through:

bilateral agreements with States and Territories; and

conservation agreements with land‑holders; and

recognising and promoting indigenous peoples’ role in, and knowledge of, the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of biodiversity; and

the involvement of the community in management planning.