Page 1994 - Week 06 - Thursday, 9 June 2022
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In the ACT there are currently 53 species and three ecological communities listed as threatened under the Nature Conservation Act 2014. This means that they have been assessed as likely to become extinct in the foreseeable future. Some of the key threats include the loss of mature native trees, habitat fragmentation caused by land clearing and Canberra’s urban development, invasive plants and animals, disease and, increasingly, the impacts of climate change. Recent decades have seen the almost total loss of native small mammals from our suburban areas. There has been a loss of several woodland birds from multiple reserves in recent years. Loss of ecological connectivity and broader loss of habitat is strongly implicated in these losses, and these key threatening processes have been formally recognised by the ACT Scientific Committee, under the Nature Conservation Act 2014.
It is in this context of change that I have been concerned by recent debates in the Assembly, where some across this chamber have pushed for development in ecologically sensitive areas on the edges of Canberra. Despite claims that there is tripartisan support for climate action, I need to be clear that, if we are committed to climate action, we must also be committed to protecting our biodiversity. If we are serious about responding to the climate emergency, we must be serious also about responding to the biodiversity crisis. These crises must be solved together.
This is something that, as a government, we understand. There is significant work occurring across a range of government agencies, and I would like to thank my ministerial colleagues for their commitment to this challenge. This has included work to reform the ACT planning system to ensure that we have the best tools to plan where people will live, how they will move around, how the natural environment will be protected, and how our city will be resilient to the impacts of climate change. We are working to protect and grow a resilient urban forest through the urban forest strategy. We are protecting nature through the nature conservation strategy. We are maintaining and improving living infrastructure in Canberra to cool our city as our climate warms, and we reflect on the key role of the natural environment in shaping the wellbeing of Canberrans through the ACT wellbeing framework, which has indicators covering access to green spaces, tree canopy cover and the quality of our air, water and biodiversity health.
I want to highlight that this government is quietly progressing the important work to protect and enhance biodiversity. This includes developing biodiversity and ecological connectivity decision support tools to guide planning and development decisions that will promote positive environmental outcomes for the city. We are identifying priority areas for ecological restoration to maintain and enhance habitat corridors for species to move and adapt to a changing climate. We are embedding biodiversity-sensitive principles into urban design guidelines so that ecosystem services are stronger considerations in shaping future development in Canberra. We are delivering demonstration projects that show how we can enhance the biodiversity values of urban areas while providing other benefits such as spaces for recreation. And we are working with committed and capable citizen scientists to carry out an extensive program to monitor, manage and restore biodiversity across reserves and green spaces.
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