Advisory Councils
The Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) provides for the establishment of several bodies to advise the government on the strategic direction for the management of biological diversity.
Biological Diversity Advisory Council
The NSW Biological Diversity Advisory Council (BDAC) is an independent expert advisory council. Its core functions are to advise the Ministers and Director-Generals of the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) and Department of Primary Industries (DPI) as well as the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) on:
- likely impacts on biodiversity of actions to be taken under the TSC Act and Fisheries Management Act 1994 following the listing of threatened species, populations or ecological communities or key threatening processes, and;
- such other related matters as may be referred to BDAC by the Minister, the Director General or Natural Resources Commission.
The Council replaces the previously appointed NSW BDAC established in 2001, which then represented a broader stakeholder interest in biodiversity. The new look BDAC has an ecological focus and a more strategic perspective to advise on the approaches and challenges to biodiversity conservation in NSW, in view of emerging issues, legislative, policy and management arrangements and program initiatives.
Members must collectively have expertise in the areas of environmental science, conservation biology and ecology including systematics, biology, limnology or conservation genetics.
The DECC and DPI are currently working together to establish the new BDAC. Further information on BDAC will be available for downloading here as it is developed.
Social and Economic Advisory Council
The NSW Social and Economic Advisory Council (SEAC) is an independent expert advisory council. Similar to BDAC it’s core functions are to advise the Ministers and the Directors General of the DECC and DPI as well as the NRC on:
- likely social and economic impacts of actions to be taken under the TSC Act and Fisheries Management Act 1994 following the listing of threatened species, populations or ecological communities or key threatening processes, and;
- other related matters as may be referred to SEAC by the Ministers, the Directors General or the NRC.
More broadly the SEAC will help to develop strategic directions for social and economic consideration of issues relating to threatened species management including policies, changes to legislation, research priorities and planning. Collectively SEAC will represent expertise in the areas of natural resource management, economics, social impact assessment, industry and agriculture.
The DECC and DPI are currently working together to establish the SEAC. Further information on SEAC will be available for downloading here as it is developed.
NSW Scientific Committee
The NSW Scientific Committee is also provided for under the TSC Act. It is responsible for assessing the status of native animal and plant species, populations and ecological communities that are considered to be threatened in NSW. For further information on this body click here.