Andrew Barr MLA
Treasurer
ACT government
email:  budgetconsultation@act.gov.au

 

Dear Sir

Friends of Grasslands (FOG) is a community group dedicated to the conservation of natural temperate grassy ecosystems in south-eastern Australia. FOG advocates, educates and advises on matters to do with the conservation of grassy ecosystems, and carries out surveys and other on-ground work. FOG is based in Canberra and its members include professional scientists, landowners, land managers and interested members of the public.

The ACT is custodian of a number of quality areas of our unique natural heritage, for example the critically endangered Natural Temperate Grasslands and Box-Gum Woodland communities, and threatened species that live in these communities such as the Golden Sun Moth, Grassland Earless Dragon, Striped Legless Lizard and Button Wrinklewort. FOG supports the Government’s efforts to retain these threatened species and communities for future generations by inclusion of many sites in the ACT’s reserve system and its management of these sites, for instance control of weeds that threaten their viability.

However, we would like to draw your attention to one area that is not well covered at the moment – compliance with the provisions of the Nature Conservation Act 2014. We are aware that activities of a minority of the community impact negatively on our native flora and fauna, but that little is done about compliance with the Act’s provision due to lack of appropriate resources, e.g. illegal dumping of rubbish into reserves, non-compliance with cat containment in suburbs adjoining nature reserves. We ask that the funding provided for following up non-compliance with the Nature Conservation Act be increased.

Yours sincerely

 

Geoff Robertson
President

31 October 2018