Bold new targets proposed to protect Queensland’s unique animals, plants and landscapes

• The Miles Government is seeking community feedback on new targets to preserve the state’s unique biodiversity.
• The proposed six targets aim to conserve species, help recover species in decline and restore ecosystems.
• Biodiversity is vital to the health, wellbeing and lifestyle of Queenslanders, to the economy and to industries including tourism, agriculture, resources and the creative sector.

Queenslanders are being encouraged to have their say on how best to conserve the state’s iconic biodiversity, protect native species and restore ecosystems.

The Miles Government has today launched public consultation on six ambitious new targets to protect Australia’s most biologically diverse state.

Queensland is home to 85% of Australia’s native mammals, 72% of Australia’s native birds, just over 50% of Australia’s native reptiles and frog species, plus over 14,000 native plant species, many of them unique to the state.

The targets – along with the supporting actions that reflect where to focus efforts and indicators that will measure progress – will enable evaluation of how Queensland is progressing towards achieving its vision for the future of biodiversity conservation.

The six targets are supported by identified actions and indicators to track progress. The targets are:

• Protect – Effectively protect areas of high biodiversity value to ensure net gain in extent and condition by 2030 as part of the national 30 by 30 target
• Restore - Restoration is underway in up to 2 million hectares of priority degraded ecosystems by 2030
• Recover - Improve threatened species recovery and reduce overall extinction risk by 2030
• Mitigate - Mitigate key threats to biodiversity and enhance nature’s resilience to change by 2030
• Mainstream - Integrate biodiversity into relevant decisions of government, business and community by 2030
• Connect - Increase awareness and engagement in conservation efforts by 2030

The targets connect closely to actions already underway through regulation, science and research programs, restoration projects, management, expansion and acquisition of national parks and other protected areas, and coastal management.

They will also demonstrate Queensland’s contribution, as one of the world’s most biodiverse places, towards national and international biodiversity targets,.

In addition to an online survey, the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation will consult with key stakeholders including peak bodies and organisations from the conservation, research and academia, agricultural, resources, utilities, tourism and sectors, as well as First Nations peoples and Traditional Owner groups.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Innovation, Leanne Linard:

“Queensland is proudly the most biologically diverse state in Australia - and we want to keep it that way.

“Our globally significant biodiversity and ecosystems support the health, wellbeing, cultures, and lifestyle of all Queenslanders and are critical to our economy and industries including the tourism, agriculture, resources and creative sectors.

“Leading global institutional investors are increasingly identifying biodiversity loss as a significant risk to business.

“Having clear targets will provide clarity and certainty to investors, industries and communities that we are committed to protecting our biodiversity, preserving our unique landscapes animals and habitats for future generations and improving the state’s future economic wellbeing.”

Further information:

More information about the targets and the public survey is available here.

Submissions close at 5pm on 11 September 2024.

ENDS

Media contact: Scott Chandler – (07) 3719 7339