Our Wildlife Need Stronger Laws

Australia’s environment is facing one of its toughest periods. The combined threats of habitat destruction, drought, bushfires, climate change and more means that Australia’s wildlife is battling an extinction crisis. 

It is clear that stronger laws are required if we want to protect the wildlife we have and to avoid further destruction. 

Australia is not alone in this challenge. A recent panel of experts convened by the United Nations identified the need for ‘transformative change’ to tackle the global extinction crisis. 

Australia’s federal environmental law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), is the national law responsible for protecting our wildlife. The Australian Government has announced that in 2024 they will undertake major reforms to this law to ensure they deliver stronger environmental outcomes in line with new National Environmental Standards. This is a welcome move but it’s in the detail that we will see whether the reforms will really deliver for nature.

To inform our response to these laws, we have worked with lawyers at the Environmental Defenders Office, we have developed a series of papers setting out the federal legal changes needed to protect wildlife and their habitat:

• Next Generation Biodiversity Laws 
• Next Generation Best Practice Wildlife Trade Provisions in National Law 

Key issues from these reports are summarised through our Nature Law Explainer series, which includes:

• What are National Environmental Standards and why do we need them?
• The importance of an “EPA”
• Critical habitat needs protection
• Managing wildlife trade
• Objects and Duties
• Strengthening Conservation Planning
• Climate change 
• Community Rights in Decision Making
• Protecting Marine and Migratory Species
• Regional Planning
• What ‘triggers’ the EPBC Act?
• Strong nature laws shouldn’t be undermined by exemptions
• Environmental assessments and decision-making
• What are biodiversity offsets? (Part 1)
• What are biodiversity offsets? (Part 2)
• Nature Laws Explainer – EPBC Reform Stage 2

We are also a co-founder and active lead member of the Places You Love alliance. Through this alliance we work together with colleagues in the environmental sector in support of national environment laws that demand strong leadership from our federal government and empower independent institutions that properly protect and recover threatened species and their habitats. 

At a state and territory level, we take every opportunity to engage in the improvement of environmental decision making, particularly when it involves inhumane treatment of animals. 

Sign our petition and let governments know that you want them to address the extinction crisis through the implementation of stronger environmental laws.   

Make a submission to the government’s consultation on new national nature laws.

Donate to support our work (we don’t receive any government or corporate grants and rely on people like you!).

Join HSI’s Extinction Fighters and be first to know when opportunities arise to make a change for nature. Learn more here!

Want a heads up on opportunities to participate in environmental law reform? Join our newsletter by filling in the form at the bottom of this page and we will keep you in the loop! 

Watch our video and share it with your friends to encourage them to speak up for nature:

You can also follow us on social media for updates and information on developments in environment laws across the country.