Section 3 — Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: Objects of Act

(1) The objects of this Act are: (a) to provide for the protection of the environment, especially those aspects of the environment that are matters of national environmental significance; and (b) to promote ecologically sustainable development through the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources; and (c) to promote the conservation of biodiversity; and (ca) to provide for the protection and conservation of heritage; and (d) to promote a co-operative approach to the protection and management of the environment involving governments, the community, land-holders and indigenous peoples; and (e) to assist in the co-operative implementation of Australia’s international environmental responsibilities; and (f) to recognise the role of indigenous people in the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of Australia’s biodiversity; and (g) to promote the use of indigenous peoples’ knowledge of biodiversity with the involvement of, and in co-operation with, the owners of the knowledge. (2) In order to achieve its objects, the Act: (a) recognises an appropriate role for the Commonwealth in relation to the environment by focussing Commonwealth involvement on matters of national environmental significance and on Commonwealth actions and Commonwealth areas; and (b) strengthens intergovernmental co-operation, and minimises duplication, through bilateral agreements; and (c) provides for the intergovernmental accreditation of environmental assessment and approval processes; and (d) adopts an efficient and timely Commonwealth environmental assessment and approval process that will ensure activities that are likely to have significant impacts on the environment are properly assessed; and (e) enhances Australia’s capacity to ensure the conservation of its biodiversity by including provisions to: (i) protect native species (and in particular prevent the extinction, and promote the recovery, of threatened species) and ensure the conservation of migratory species; and (ii) establish an Australian Whale Sanctuary to ensure the conservation of whales and other cetaceans; and (iii) protect ecosystems by means that include the establishment and management of reserves, the recognition and protection of ecological communities and the promotion of off-reserve conservation measures; and (iv) identify processes that threaten all levels of biodiversity and implement plans to address these processes; and (f) includes provisions to enhance the protection, conservation and presentation of world heritage properties and the conservation and wise use of Ramsar wetlands of international importance; and (fa) includes provisions to identify places for inclusion in the National Heritage List and Commonwealth Heritage List and to enhance the protection, conservation and presentation of those places; and (g) promotes a partnership approach to environmental protection and biodiversity conservation through: (i) bilateral agreements with States and Territories; and (ii) conservation agreements with land-holders; and (iii) recognising and promoting indigenous peoples’ role in, and knowledge of, the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of biodiversity; and (iv) the involvement of the community in management planning.