There are 85 'threatened ecological communities' listed under Australian environment law. But unrealistic criteria means they're not adequately protected.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on EPBC Act
Displaying 1 - 20 of 29 articles
The royal commission made welcome and necessary recommendations around helping wildlife after hazards. But it's not enough to focus only on response.
We found 92 threatened species reported in industrial catch records. This is shameful and unnecessary.
The Brandy Hill Quarry expansion was approved under the weak environment laws of NSW. Now, the federal government must decide if it will proceed. The fate of many koalas is in Sussan Ley's hands.
With targeted conservation action, we might just save many of these species before it's too late.
The proposed changes to be introduced to Parliament in August may ultimately damage the natural places they're designed to protect.
The Morrison government has seized on environment law reform proposed on Monday. I was a federal environment official for 13 years – and I know these things cannot be rushed.
Up to 8,000 spectacled flying-foxes, around 12% of the species' population, will be forced to leave their home in central Cairns.
As a former environment official, I've been involved with the EPBC Act for more than 20 years. But I was still shocked by the scathing report card.
In my 24 years of research, including visiting most sites, I've yet to see a successful rehabilitation case study of Australia's uranium mines.
I was a federal environment official for 13 years. Streamlining approvals for big infrastructure projects is a big environmental risk, unless it's done properly.
It's a stunning win for a small community group that relied on crowd funding to cover legal costs.
Our environmental laws work in the favour of mining interests – even when the industry itself claims otherwise.
New research reveals how governments ignored decades' worth of scientific advice on how the Adani mine threatened to damage precious water supplies.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley has announced a review of Australia's nature laws. The poor state of our biodiversity shows we must do a better job of protecting the places we love.
Just one out of a possible 775 development approvals was refused on the basis that it would harm the southern black-throated finch, despite this endangered species being protected by federal law.
Newly revealed documents show the Commonwealth government approved a controversial tourism plan for Tasmania's World Heritage wilderness without assessing it against federal conservation legislation.
The WA government has announced plans to reclassify dingoes as no different to wild dogs - paving the way for them to be culled at will. But dingoes are unique and deserve to be recognised as such.
Most of Australia's plants and animals are found nowhere else on Earth. This remarkable biodiversity requires a bolder, brighter conservation vision.
Australia's federal environment laws are inadequate to halt Australia's alarming rates of land clearing and species loss. A more robust set of laws are urgently needed.
Top contributors
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Director of the Centre for Energy and Natural Resources Law, Deakin Law School, Deakin University
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Honorary Associate Professor, ANU College of Law, Australian National University
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Associate Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University
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Associate Professor in Environmental and Planning Regulation and Policy, The University of Queensland
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Adjunct Asssociate Professor, James Cook University
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Lecturer in Ecology, University of New England
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Associate Professor in Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University
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Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering, RMIT University
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Lee Godden is a Friend of The Conversation.
Director, Centre for Resources, Energy and Environmental Law, Melbourne Law School, University of Melbourne
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Megan C Evans is a Friend of The Conversation.
Lecturer and ARC DECRA Fellow, UNSW
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Researcher, Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, The University of Queensland
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Professor, Cetacean Research Unit, Murdoch University, Murdoch University
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Professor of Law, University of Melbourne
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Postdoctoral research fellow in conservation biology, The University of Queensland
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Director of the UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia
