EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Making of Instrument under section 270B
(Issued under Authority of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts)
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the Act) places certain obligations on the Commonwealth to protect and conserve threatened species and ecological communities, and to ensure threat abatement plans are in force under the Act.
Section 270B of the Act enables the Minister to make a threat abatement plan for the purpose of reducing the effects of a key threatening process.
The purpose of this instrument is to ensure the following threat abatement plan is in force in accordance with s.270B of the Act.
- Threat Abatement Plan to reduce the impacts of exotic rodents on biodiversity on Australian offshore islands of less than 100 000 hectares.
The Plan sets out the research, management and other actions necessary to reduce the key threatening process concerned to an acceptable level in order to maximise the chances of the long-term survival in nature of native species and ecological communities affected by the process. It has been assessed and complies with s.271 of the Act and reg. 7.12 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000.
Stakeholders were consulted during the drafting of the Plan. These stakeholders were identified on the basis of their interest and expertise in the management of rodents as demonstrated through their involvement in Australian Government and national processes, including the seeking of program funding, research output, public statements and submissions to ministers and parliamentary processes.
The draft Plan was also placed on public exhibition for three months as required under section 275 of the Act and public comments were invited. All comments were taken into account in finalising the Plan.
The Plan is available electronically from the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts at:
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/tap-approved.html; or from the Community Information Unit (ciu@environment.gov.au); or by post from Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601; or by phone on 1800 803 772.
The Plan is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.
The Plan came into force on the day after it was registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.