NATIVE VEGETATION —
MANAGEMENT
1192. Hon TJORN SIBMA to the Minister for Environment:
I
refer to the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's
publication ''Native Vegetation in Western Australia: Issues
paper for public consultation'' dated November 2019.
(1) I refer to
the information contained within box 8, ''Towards statewide, regularly
updated native vegetation information''. What further progress has been
made over the last 12 months in ''building on and scaling up existing
platforms, products and partnerships to improve datasets and access to them''?
(2) Has DWER
resolved an answer in respect of what a best practice data acquisition,
management and utilisation strategy might be?
(3) If yes to (2), please describe
what it is and what funding has been appropriated to that end.
Hon
STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1)–(3) The
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has been undertaking a range
of actions over the past 12 months to improve the management of native
vegetation. Over 1 000 submissions were made on the ''Native Vegetation
in Western Australia: Issues paper for public consultation'' which are being
considered in the development of the first whole-of-government native
vegetation policy. The native vegetation policy will include a staged approach
to improve data acquisition, management and use of native vegetation data. The
draft is expected to be released for public consultation before the end of the
year. In addition, DWER is leading improvements through adjustments to practice
within usual business, leveraging the progress of projects, including
Environment Online and the biodiversity information office. Further
appropriations will be considered once the policy is finalised.