EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Instrument under section 184(1)(d)

(Issued under the Authority of the Minister for the Environment)

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the Act) places certain obligations on the Commonwealth to protect and conserve threatened ecological communities.

The purpose of this instrument is to amend the list of threatened ecological communities under section 181 of the Act and in accordance with paragraph 184(1)(d) of the Act by updating the name and description of:

·         Weeping Myall – Coobah – Scrub Wilga Shrubland of the Hunter Valley

to the revised name and description of:

·         Hunter Valley Weeping Myall (Acacia pendula) Woodland.

The update takes account of new information about the ecological community and that it is not limited to a single site, as originally listed. The item is retained in the critically endangered category. This follows the recommendation of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee), having regard to the definition of critically endangered ecological communities under subsection 182(1) of the Act.

The Committee concluded that the Hunter Valley Weeping Myall (Acacia pendula) Woodland ecological community met the criteria specified in Division 7.1 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000, as follows:

·         Criterion 2 as critically endangered because its geographic distribution is very restricted and the nature of its distribution makes it likely that the action of a threatening process could cause it to be lost in the immediate future; and

·         Criterion 4 as critically endangered because the reduction in integrity across most of its range is very severe as indicated by degradation of the community or disruption of important community processes that is very severe.

On the basis of the assessment and advice of the Committee, I am satisfied that this ecological community is eligible to remain in the critically endangered category. In deciding to retain it in the list, I only considered matters that relate to whether the ecological community is eligible to be retained in that category, and the effect that retaining the ecological community in that category could have on the survival of the ecological community.

The Committee recommended the ecological community for listing review on the Finalised Priority Assessment List for the assessment period commencing 1 October 2013. Consultation on the listing review to amend the list of threatened ecological communities under the Act for this ecological community was undertaken before the legislative instrument was made in accordance with the process outlined in Part 13, Division 1, Subdivision AA of the Act. A draft listing and conservation advice was placed on public exhibition, and public comments were sought as required by the Act. Parties with relevant expertise were directly consulted regarding their views. All public submissions received were forwarded to the Committee and to me for consideration.

This instrument is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.

The instrument commenced on the day after it was registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.