Latest news with #BiodiversityConservationAct
Sydney Morning Herald
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
The state made new laws to protect WA nature. Then it forgot something
The department charged with protecting Western Australia's threatened plants and animals is not only failing to protect three-quarters of them, but was never given the resources to do so. A damning auditor general report tabled in parliament on Thursday says of the 65 threatened ecological communities listed in this state, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is only focusing monitoring and protection of the 28 per cent of them on land it manages. Auditor General Caroline Spencer has found the department has made no significant progress on monitoring the condition of the 72 per cent of these precious communities on others' land, and is not making landowners aware of their existence and available assistance to protect them. Spencer said this amounted to some of the state's threatened ecological communities having only legal, not practical protection. She also found that at its current pace, the department would take more than 100 years to list and protect the additional 390 priority ecological communities identified, if they were all deemed suitable for listing as threatened. It was unclear if the condition of the state's threatened ecological communities was improving or declining. She found the department could not effectively track nor demonstrate the impact of its conservation activities. She said parliament passed the Biodiversity Conservation Act in 2016 and given it effect in 2019 through regulations, but had not resourced the department to implement those regulations. But she also said the department's implementation planning was weak, and it lacked a strategic plan to demonstrate the level of resourcing it needed to meet its threatened ecological community responsibilities under those laws.
The Age
27-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
The state made new laws to protect WA nature. Then it forgot something
The department charged with protecting Western Australia's threatened plants and animals is not only failing to protect three-quarters of them, but was never given the resources to do so. A damning auditor general report tabled in parliament on Thursday says of the 65 threatened ecological communities listed in this state, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is only focusing monitoring and protection of the 28 per cent of them on land it manages. Auditor General Caroline Spencer has found the department has made no significant progress on monitoring the condition of the 72 per cent of these precious communities on others' land, and is not making landowners aware of their existence and available assistance to protect them. Spencer said this amounted to some of the state's threatened ecological communities having only legal, not practical protection. She also found that at its current pace, the department would take more than 100 years to list and protect the additional 390 priority ecological communities identified, if they were all deemed suitable for listing as threatened. It was unclear if the condition of the state's threatened ecological communities was improving or declining. She found the department could not effectively track nor demonstrate the impact of its conservation activities. She said parliament passed the Biodiversity Conservation Act in 2016 and given it effect in 2019 through regulations, but had not resourced the department to implement those regulations. But she also said the department's implementation planning was weak, and it lacked a strategic plan to demonstrate the level of resourcing it needed to meet its threatened ecological community responsibilities under those laws.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Influencer Facing Backlash After Taking Baby Wombat From Mom in Video
Originally appeared on E! Online An American influencer is being slammed for snatching a joey. Sam Jones sparked outrage online after posting a now-deleted video on Instagram where she was seen grabbing a baby wombat from its mother in Australia and bringing it back to her car. As the mother ran towards Jones—who self-describes as an "outdoor enthusiast" on her now-private Instagram account—a man holding the camera was heard laughing during the incident. "I caught a baby wombat," Jones said in the video as the marsupial hissed in her arms. "It's OK, mama's right there and she is pissed." Despite the baby wombat screeching in distress, Jones held onto the marsupial for a little longer before ultimately releasing it back on the road. It's unclear if the animal was able to reunite with its mother since the video ended as she let go of the wombat. However, she said that the mother and baby "wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed" in a comment under her now-deleted Instagram post viewed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. More from E! Online Kim Kardashian Reveals She Paid for Kris Humphries Engagement Ring—and Had to Give It Back in Divorce Christina Haack Celebrates Her Special 12-Year Milestone With Boyfriend Christopher Larocca Kristin Cavallari Reveals NSFW Reason She'd Get Back With Ex Mark Estes E! News has reached out to Jones for comment and has not heard back. After posting the video, which was deleted amid the backlash, Australian conservation organizations, officials and online users criticized her actions. The Wombat Protection Society of Australia emphasized that Jones' actions could have "fatal consequences" for the animal. "We are expressing shock and concern over the actions of a tourist who mishandled a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for 'social media likes,'" the organization shared in a March 12 Facebook post. "The individual, who appeared to have no understanding of wombat behavior or the severe stress caused by human interference and separation from its mother." The post emphasized that "there is no clear evidence that the joey was successfully reunited with its mother," which is especially concerning as "a baby of this size is highly dependent on its mother, and prolonged separation could have fatal consequences." Although animal protections vary state by state, all Australian wildlife is protected by the Biodiversity Conservation Act, Wires Wildlife veterinarian Dr. Tania Bishop told 10 News First. She emphasized, "You're not allowed to pick them up, you're not allowed to interact with them and you're most certainly not allowed to cause harm or distress to them." It's an offense to "harm" a wombat without a license from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, according to the Australian government. An online petition signed by over 25,000 people urged politicians to deport Jones, with one supporter writing, "This was such a blatant disrespect and disregard for wildlife in another country and should absolutely not be tolerated in ANY country." The country's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said authorities are reviewing her visa and whether she breached any immigration laws. "Either way, given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I'll be surprised if she even bothers," he said in a statement per NBC News. "I can't wait for Australia to see the back of this individual. I don't expect she will return." For more jaw-dropping influencer scandals, read on. (E! News and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.) Colleen BallingerMyka Stauffer For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
