The National Local Government Biodiversity Strategy (NLGBS), a document developed by Mayor Mike Berwick of Douglas Shire Council in Queensland to assist Local Government to become a key partner in biodiversity conservation, was unanimously adopted at the 1998 National General Assembly of Local Government.
This strategy is structured around the five key issues including awareness, education and training; resourcing; regional partnerships and planning; legislative frameworks; and information and monitoring.
As part of the first stage of implementing the NLGBS, a survey of Australian Councils was conducted in 1999/2000. This assessed the number, focus and effectiveness of programs impacting on biodiversity conservation.
The survey found that the level of activity undertaken in any Local Government area is closely related to the level of resources that are available – in particular, the level of human resources dedicated to environmental management issues.
The issue of resourcing in Councils, particularly for dedicated environment officers, was identified as a key issue in the NLGBS.
The survey data revealed that 35 percent of Councils have a dedicated environment officer, 72 percent of which are located in urban areas and regional centres.
This highlights the disparity that exists between urban and rural municipalities and forms the basis of a key recommendation to address the problem of adequate human resources. A national education and awareness campaign, particularly targeting remote Councils is a key recommendation.
Another key recommendation is establishing a network of regional environmental management extension officers to support biodiversity conservation activities, particularly in rural and remote Councils and Indigenous communities.
The majority of partnerships are with community and regional catchment management groups. However, participation rates fall dramatically in terms of alliances with industry groups and research organisations.
This presents an opportunity to improve the capacity of Councils and regional partnerships by further encouraging the involvement of more non traditional partners from these sectors.
The survey states that although Local Government is making headway in incorporating biodiversity conservation activities into their corporate planning processes a greater emphasis needs to be encouraged.
The full implementation of the NLGBS will require a long term effort and intergovernmental cooperation.
For further information on the survey and strategy contact Marie Illman at ALGA, telephone (02) 6281 1211.
