Appendix 1
Terms of Reference
On 18 June 2008, the Senate referred the following matter to the
committee for inquiry and report by 27 November 2008:
The operation of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and other natural resource protection
programmes, with particular reference to:
-
the
findings of the National Audit Office Audit 38 Referrals, Assessments and
Approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act
1999;
-
lessons
learnt from the first 10 years of operation of the EPBC Act in relation to the
protection of critical habitats of threatened species and ecological
communities, and potential for measures to improve their recovery;
-
the
cumulative impacts of EPBC Act approvals on threatened species and ecological
communities, for example on Cumberland Plain Woodland, Cassowary habitat,
Grassy White Box Woodlands and the Paradise Dam;
-
the
effectiveness of responses to key threats identified within the EPBC Act,
including land-clearing, climate change and invasive species, and potential for
future measures to build environmental resilience and facilitate adaptation
within a changing climate;
-
the
effectiveness of Regional Forest Agreements, in protecting forest species and
forest habitats where the EPBC Act does not directly apply;
-
the
impacts of other environmental programmes, eg EnviroFund, GreenCorps, Caring
for our Country, Environmental Stewardship Programme and Landcare in dealing
with the decline and extinction of certain flora and fauna; and
-
the
impact of programme changes and cuts in funding on the decline or extinction of
flora and fauna.
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