Australia is a place of incredible landscapes, seascapes, unique wildlife, ancient forests and beautiful reefs. But our country holds some global titles we can’t be proud of.
Australia is a world leader on extinction, with the highest number of mammals declared extinct since colonisation. Habitat destruction, caused by global warming, deforestation, invasive species and pollution, is driving Australia’s globally significant wildlife, land and seascapes to breaking point.
Australia’s current nature laws are weak, outdated and failing. Nature can’t afford any more business as usual.
The Albanese government is currently rewriting our national nature laws for the first time in over 20 years. This is our big chance to create strong new laws to stop the destruction and restore wildlife, land and seascapes.
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is Australia’s national nature law. It provides legal protection for vulnerable marine habitats and species like dugongs, sea turtles, whales and Australian sea lions, and for our National and World Heritage treasures, such as Ningaloo, the Great Barrier Reef and the Cuttlefish Coast Sanctuary Zone.
These nature laws are meant to protect what we have left and recover vulnerable habitats and populations of our iconic Australian marine species. But instead, the laws are outdated, with inadequate monitoring and rarely enforced, leaving loopholes for ongoing destruction.
This is a critical opportunity to demand stronger laws that protect and help to restore the nature we have left, before the damage is irreversible.
We are urgently calling on the Australian government to introduce stronger national environmental laws, that:
Enact strong and enforced National Environmental Standards that safeguard nature against further destruction.
Properly fund habitat restoration and species recovery.
Create an independent Environment Protection Australia (EPA) that will monitor and enforce these laws.
Close legal loopholes that favour big businesses over nature.
If you love it, help save it. Speak up for strong laws that stop nature destruction with an independent regulator to enforce them.
AMCS is calling for stronger nature laws as a member of The Places You Love Alliance. Collectively, we represent 1.5 million Australians who love nature and want to save it.
