Environment reform must include a ‘biodiversity BOM’
The Academy calls for a national biodiversity information system in the context of the review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Overview
- The Australian Academy of Science welcomes the interim report of the independent review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and supports its implementation in full.
- Australia’s monitoring of biodiversity, collection of data, and data curation and standards are inadequate and in pressing need of reform.
- The Academy considers that now is time to establish a new national biodiversity information system, led by an independent agency (similar to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) but focused on biodiversity), to integrate data and tools, support decision-makers, and ensure public confidence.
- The agency would need to have a legislative mandate, curate data, work with states and be empowered to enforce national environmental data standards.
- Such an agency would independently observe, analyse, forecast and warn on the state and trends of Australia’s biodiversity in a similar manner to the services the Bureau of Meteorology provides on Australia’s weather and climate.
Three elements of reform
- Establish a national environmental data, information and analysis agency (a ‘Biodiversity BOM’)
- Implement national data standards
- Develop nationally consistent, transparent decision-making protocols
