Section 171 — Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: Identifying and monitoring biodiversity

(1) The Minister may, on behalf of the Commonwealth, co-operate with, and give financial or other assistance to, any person for the purpose of identifying and monitoring components of biodiversity. (2) Without limiting subsection (1), the co-operation and assistance may include co-operation and assistance in relation to all or any of the following: (a) identifying and monitoring components of biodiversity that are important for its conservation and ecologically sustainable use; (b) identifying components of biodiversity that are inadequately understood; (c) collecting and analysing information about the conservation status of components of biodiversity; (d) collecting and analysing information about processes or activities that are likely to have a significant impact on the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of biodiversity; (e) assessing strategies and techniques for the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of biodiversity; (f) systematically determining biodiversity conservation needs and priorities. (3) In this Act: components of biodiversity includes species, habitats, ecological communities, genes, ecosystems and ecological processes. (4) For the purposes of this section, the components of biological diversity that are important for its conservation and ecologically sustainable use are to be identified having regard to the matters set out in Annex I to the Biodiversity Convention. (5) The giving of assistance may be made subject to such conditions as the Minister thinks fit.