This includes consolidating the four Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals (IFOAs) for the Eden, Southern, Upper and Lower North East coastal regions of NSW, into a single, modern Coastal IFOA.
The objectives of the IFOA remake were to
- reduce costs associated with implementation and compliance
- improve clarity and enforceability of the conditions for protecting the environment, threatened species and fisheries in state forests
- incorporate innovations in best regulatory practice and advances in technology
- deliver a contemporary regulatory framework that is fit for purpose
Consultation on the Draft Coastal IFOA
The Draft Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (IFOA) and supporting documents were open for public consultation from 15 May 2018 to 13 July 2018.
The aim of the public consultation was to gather feedback from key stakeholders and the wider community to assist the NSW Government in determining whether the proposed Coastal IFOA conditions achieve the appropriate balance between maintaining environmental values, wood supply and social outcomes in NSW public forests.
Public submissions were invited on the draft Coastal IFOA, and a total of 3,148 submissions were received via email, post and the NSW Government’s ‘Have Your Say’ website. Of the total, 419 were unique individual and peak group submissions and 2,729 were campaign submissions. The NSW government also invited environment and industry stakeholders to a series of regional information briefings.
The EPA is committed to open and transparent public consultation processes. The EPA engaged an independent consultant to prepare a Consultation Summary Report (PDF 1198KB) summarising feedback received from all public submissions and briefing sessions.
In response to public feedback, changes were made to the Coastal IFOA to increase environmental protections, improve operating efficiencies for industry, and improve its clarity and enforceability. These changes are outlined in the Summary Changes to Coastal IFOA (PDF 236KB).
In publishing submissions where consent to make public has been given, steps have been taken to remove the personal information of authors and identifying information where appropriate. In some cases, an author did not consent to the publication of their name or requested that their name be withheld, and these submissions are published under ‘Name withheld’.
The EPA may draw on the contents of the submissions and quote from them or refer to them in publications, although copyright and the views expressed in the submissions remain those of the individual author or organisation. The submissions do not represent the views of the EPA.
