Question

6.4 You are an environmental regulator in a developed country faced with a decision as to whether to permit mining in a wetland’s wilderness are that probably contains threatened species. You are required to perform an assessment of the desirability of this activity.

a) What should your opinion set be?

b) Perform a CPSA for each opinion (this can be qualitative). What stakeholders should you involve in order to support your CPSAs? What are the major issues that can be resolved by gathering data, and what issues involve value judgments?

c) Are there any issues you feel are important, but you cannot fit into a CPSA? Assuming that there are, how would you ensure they are considered as part of the regulatory process?

Answer 1

Landscape Conservation

The Department requires conservation advice to support landscape scale conservation outcomes for Queensland. This is achieved through identification and securing in protected areas key locations in Queensland. EHP delivers this programs through key initiatives including:

• Nature Refuge Program
• Nature Assist
• National Parks acquisition.

Landscape Conservation has increased its focus on recognising the risks of climate change to Queensland’s wildlife and the need for a whole of landscape response to these threats. The challenge of identifying the most resilient areas for a protected area program depends on sound scientific information and models. The Protected Area Resilience Program uses science to provide a better way to identify priority areas for protection – recognising the risks of climate change.

Supporting science and dependencies

The Department is dependent on meaningful science to assess vertebrate species response to climate change projections. Supporting science is needed to prioritise future protected areas acquisition.

Further the Department’s Landscape Conservation program is dependent on science to better assess areas for Nature Refuges, including:

• habitats or vegetation types that are threatened, such as endangered and of concern regional ecosystems
• habitats and ecosystems that are poorly represented in existing protected areas
• corridors for native animals, especially those linking areas of remnant vegetation or existing reserves
• significant wetlands.

The Government has committed to a target of 17% of Queensland's area as protected areas. The climate change resilience analysis work is central to defining priority future protected areas for biodiversity protection.

Science Gaps

• Build on existing climate change resilience work, which is important to defining priority future protected areas for biodiversity protection.

Opportunities

Increase partnerships with the scientific community to inform the protected areas acquisition program.

Threatened Species

The Department has responsibility for managing and conserving threatened species in Queensland via the Nature Conservation Act 1992. However, a range of different user groups and individuals within all levels of Government, the community and industry sectors undertake activities relating to threatened species.

The Department’s Threatened Species Unit manages, facilitates and coordinates activities relating to the conservation and protection of threatened flora and fauna in Queensland. Other ways threatened species are being helped by the Queensland Government include:

• Protected areas
• Biodiversity offsets
• Nature Refuges
• Protected plants.

Programs to enhance biodiversity and environmental outcomes are achieved using a range of mechanisms including planning, education and provision of credible information to improve environmental decisions.

Supporting science and dependencies

Biodiversity science currently used to support the Threatened Species Program includes:

• Northern hairy nosed wombat, manage and grow population
• Greater bilby, monitor and assess population status
• Bridled nail-tail wallaby, support population management activities on protected and private estate
• defining dugong habitat use and migratory and foraging behaviour and monitoring marine turtle nesting
• surveys for the eastern bristlebird, rufous scrub-bird
• completion of koala survey schedule for SEQ.

There are strong dependencies on external science including foundational information. Science delivery is leveraged through external sources and funding. Innovative strategies have enabled EHP to access necessary science – however there are risks associated with such a strong reliance on external resources.

Information is needed to better understand the ecology, conservation status, and key threats to priority threatened species. The drivers for threatened species science relate to long term management needs.

There will be no reduction in service demand for threatened species science. Community and government expectations in relation to the protection of Queensland’s threatened species will continue to increase, with a resultant increase in required science needs.

Science Gaps

There are major gaps in our knowledge of threatened species including:

• optimising methods for controlling feral species
• incorporating cost into EHP’s Back on Track Species Prioritisation Process
• determining when to create mainland islands or move threatened species onto offshore islands.

Opportunities

The Department’s collaborative approach to delivering science for priority threatened species has resulted in significant leveraging of external funding.

Wildlife Management

The Department’s wildlife management function is responsible for the take or use of wildlife under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and managing human wildlife interactions.

Supporting science and dependencies

Science is needed to support Queensland’s licensing system to help protect native wildlife from over exploitation. This ensures viable wild populations of plants and animals are maintained and that taking, keeping, using or moving wildlife for commercial, recreational or other purposes are managed. Expert services include the collection of information about crocodile and flying fox and their locations.

Wildlife and humans come into conflict for a range of reasons. In some situations, it is necessary to take wildlife to minimise damage or loss of property (e.g. crops) or to protect human health or wellbeing. Information is needed to ensure decisions made about wildlife are based on evidence that the ‘take’ of wildlife is ecologically sustainable.

Science Gaps

• Evaluation of the ecological outcomes of using damage mitigation permits and other regulatory mechanisms.

Ecosystem Analysis – Biodiversity Assessment

EHP requires timely and authoritative biodiversity advice to support the sustainable outcomes for Queensland. This is achieved through improved (evidence based) biodiversity and wetlands information.

Science investment enhances biodiversity outcomes through:

• informed planning decisions
• appropriate Matters of State Environmental Significance (MSES)
• provision of credible information to improve environmental decision
• transparent decision-making based on science and research across the Department.

Supporting science and dependencies

This service generates derived terrestrial/aquatic knowledge, including:

• terrestrial and aquatic values using the Biodiversity Planning Assessments (BPA) and Aquatic Conservation Assessments (ACA)
• Essential Habitat, Essential Regrowth Habitat and Great Barrier Reef ACA values for inclusion in Matters of State Environmental Significance
• species habitat mapping for terrestrial and aquatic species focussing on – incorporating species habitat modelling and framework for modelling threatened and priority taxa
• trigger map to identify 'at risk' locations for threatened plant species when assessing an area for vegetation clearing
• statewide corridor mapping to assist with regional planning, development assessments and offsets.
• analysis and summary of significant biodiversity values for important issues such as the Abbott Point port development
• interpretation of the biodiversity terrestrial and aquatic significance within bioregions and catchments and provision of expert advice.

This service has strong dependencies on regional ecosystems and wetland mapping provided by DSITI. Community expectations for the protection of vegetation and wildlife continue to increase, with an ongoing need for evidence based policies and plans, incorporating specialised biodiversity assessment services.

Science gaps

• Habitat suitability models for threatened species.
• Improved understanding of fish ecosystem services.
• Integration of information on threats in biodiversity assessments for aquatic and terrestrial systems.
• Identification of biodiversity values related to climate change for incorporation into existing values assessment methodologies.

Ecosystem Analysis – Wetlands

Wetlands play an important role in landscape function, including cycling of carbon, water and nutrients, food and fibre production, water purification, regulation of flows, provision of habitats, and tourism and recreation services. They are recognised as some of Queensland’s most important ecosystems and play a critical role in nutrient processing and removal within the catchments of the Great Barrier Reef and Southeast Queensland.

EHP through the Wetlands group has a significant role in supporting wetland management in Queensland. Services include:

• advise and develop State policy and technical initiatives and reporting requirements consistent with government directions and initiatives
• provide State coordination and support for national and international wetlands (Ramsar) and waterbirds committees and initiatives
• promote and deliver wetland information and tools including the WetlandInfo website
• manage the Queensland Wetlands Program (QWP).

The QWP tools (PDF) fact sheet has information about many of the wetlands tools, including quick links.

Supporting science and dependencies

This service has dependencies on a number of services provided by DSITI and DAF, including the wetlands and groundwater dependent ecosystem mapping provided by DSITI. The wetlands mapping has been updated several times and the present mapping shows the status of wetlands in 2013, with changes in extent recorded between years.

Science gaps

• Understanding the role of wetlands in water quality improvement for wetlands located in Reef catchments and the catchments of south east Queensland.
• Groundwater dependent ecosystem (GDE) mapping.
• Understanding the effectiveness of wetland rehabilitation efforts in Queensland.
• Gaps in our understanding of our Internationally Important Ramsar sites.

Opportunities

Targeted development and use of wetlands tools will contribute to meeting targets for the Reef, south-east Queensland and other parts of the State.

State of the Environment Report

EHP is responsible for producing a State of the Environment (SoE) report at least every four years as specified under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 and the Coastal Protection and Management Act 1995. The State of the Environment report is a whole-of-government report that:

• assesses the condition of Queensland’s environment and coastal zone
• identifies significant trends in environmental and coastal values
• reviews programs for protecting, managing and restoring the environment and coastal zone
• evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of environmental and coastal management programs.

Supporting science and dependencies

The SoE report provides an assessment of the condition of Queensland’s major environmental and coastal resources and identifies significant trends in environmental and coastal values. To make these assessments and identify trends, EHP depends on a range of DSITI science services including air quality and ambient water quality monitoring data, regional ecosystem and wetland extent, SLATS data, species distribution, extent and status, climate data, coastal and tidal data and so forth.

Science gaps

• High resolution climate extreme modelling.
• Ecosystem and species habitat condition assessment.

Environmental Impact Assessment

The Department is responsible for impact assessment for mining and petroleum/gas projects under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act) and provides advice on the impact assessment of major infrastructure, transport, industrial, residential and tourism projects being managed by the Coordinator-General under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971.

The Department needs science to identify environmental values, support its assessments of the potential for impacts, and provide standards that can be used in decision making on the acceptability or otherwise of impacts.

Supporting science and dependencies

Assessment by EHP is informed by environmental assessment reports, prepared by the proponent’s consultants. Major environmental impact assessments sometimes involve specialist technical advice provided by DSITI.

Foundation science such as mapping of regional ecosystems, wetlands and ground water dependent ecosystems and the setting of water quality objectives significantly contributes to environmental assessment outcomes –by providing a consistent understanding of an area.

Assessment of impacts is also underpinned by scientific knowledge of noise impacts, air impacts, waste water, groundwater, land contamination, dust and odour impacts, impacts on flora and fauna, industrial processes and energy sector activities.

Science gaps

• Synthesis of existing information to better inform management and monitoring of development.
• Understanding the cumulative impacts of development to inform approval conditions for environmental management and monitoring.

Opportunities

Significant scientific information is provided to the department through environmental impact assessment reports.

Establishing formal protocols for impact assessment data verification (including inclusion of meta-data) and data entry systems would enable access to significant data for development assessment and future environmental protection and regulation activities.

Opportunities also should be explored to determine how DSITI sciences can be better utilised by ESR for impact assessment, conditioning and compliance work.

Assessment, Compliance and Investigations

The Department’s environmental assessment and compliance activities include:

• assessment of development applications and environmental authorities for industries that have the potential to cause environmental harm, for example extractive industries, waste management, mining and petroleum and gas activities, and industrial processes
• setting of regulatory standards and developing industry guidance material
• compliance and enforcement activities, including field based monitoring and sampling
• investigating and managing the resolution of pollution incidents and complaints from the public
• prosecuting serious breaches of legislation administered by EHP.

Environmental assessment and compliance focuses on key state interests including physical and ecological processes, such as built heritage values, significant wetlands, potential impacts to air quality, water quality, waste management, and impacts to other environmental values, coastal processes, contaminated land and other significant environmental values.

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