Vegetation Management Act 1999

The Minister may make an interim declaration of, or prepare a declaration of, an area to be an area of high nature conservation value only if the Minister considers the area is 1 or more of the following—

a wildlife refugium;

a centre of endemism;

an area containing a vegetation clump or corridor that contributes to the maintenance of biodiversity;

an area that makes a significant contribution to the conservation of biodiversity;

an area that contributes to the conservation value of a wetland, lake or spring stated in the notice.

The Minister may make an interim declaration of, or prepare a declaration of, an area to be an area vulnerable to land degradation only if the Minister considers the area is subject to 1 or more of the following—

soil erosion;

rising water tables;

the expression of salinity, whether inside or outside the area;

mass movement by gravity of soil or rock;

stream bank instability;

a process that results in declining water quality.

An area declared under subsection (1) or (2) may include an area of regrowth vegetation.