Biodiversity Council warns: handing environmental approval powers to states is premature and high-risk
The Biodiversity Council has called on the federal government to scrap plans to hand national environmental approval powers to states and territories until strong National Environmental Standards (NES) have been developed.
The Biodiversity Council is a registered Australian not-for-profit charity, recognised by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), meeting national standards for integrity, transparency and accountability.
Acknowledgements
The Biodiversity Council acknowledges the First Peoples of the lands and waters of Australia, and pays respect to their Elders, past, present and future and expresses gratitude for long and ongoing custodianship of Country.
The Biodiversity Council is an independent expert group founded by 11 Australian universities to promote evidence-based solutions to Australia’s biodiversity crisis. It receives funding from 11 university partners and The Ian Potter Foundation, The Ross Trust, Trawalla Foundation, The Rendere Trust, Isaacson Davis Foundation, Coniston Charitable Trust and Angela Whitbread.
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Experts back petition for national light pollution laws to protect wildlife and starry skies
11 September 2025
Artificial light at night is a problem for many Australian animals and has been linked to a range of human health issues. Experts are urging Australians to call on decision makers to introduce legislation to reduce light pollution.
Researchers have been developing techniques to increase the heat tolerance of corals for over a decade, but human intervention can only take us so far. Learn more in our Q&A with coral geneticist Dr Kate Quigley.
Bubble curtains announced to protect cuttlefish site
28 August 2025
The SA and Federal Governments will trial air bubble curtain technology in a section of the cuttlefish breeding site to test whether this technique will be able to protect the developing eggs from the harmful algal bloom if it spreads.
NSW cat parliamentary inquiry recommedations out of step with evidence and community views
18 August 2025
An Animal Justice Party-led NSW Upper House inquiry into pet cat management has not backed local governments to bring in cat containment rules to protect wildlife and pet cats.
Great Southern Reef monitoring program needed to plug major data gaps in understanding SA bloom
15 August 2025
Experts call for an effective government-supported monitoring program to be established for the Great Southern Reef, with funding at least equivalent to the Great Barrier Reef’s monitoring program.
Minister’s commitment to investigate algal bloom impacts on marine species welcomed, but challenges flagged
13 August 2025
Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has committed to expedite an expert assessment of the impact of SA’s toxic algal bloom on marine life, but experts flag additional challenges that will need to be addressed moving forward.
The drivers of algal blooms in Australia: What causes algae to go from friend to foe?
7 August 2025
We spoke to an expert to better understand how algal blooms form, like the catastrophic bloom impacting South Australia, and how to reduce the likelihood of harmful blooms in the future.
The NSW Government’s proposed Conservation Hunting Bill risks harming wildlife and public safety
4 August 2025
The Biodiversity Council is calling on the NSW Government to abandon proposed amendments to Game and Feral Animal Legislation, which have been titled the Conservation Hunting Bill 2025.