Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2023N00442:body:0:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2023N00442
Segment Type: other
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Character Range: 0–3383

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

DECLARATION OF AN APPROVED WILDLIFE TRADE OPERATION
QUEEN OF ANTS

I, Belinda Jago, Branch Head, Ocean and Wildlife Branch, as Delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Water under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, am satisfied that the Queen of Ants operation, to harvest and export live queen ants from Australian native taxa, is a small-scale operation, as defined by regulation 9A.20(2) under subsection 303FN(10)(b). I declare under subsection 303FN(2) that Queen of Ants is an approved wildlife trade operation.

This declaration has effect subject to the following conditions applied under S303FT:

     1. The operation is to be undertaken in accordance with the Wildlife Trade Operation Proposal - Queen of Ants, submitted to the department on 1 March 2023.

     2. Annual harvest for export is restricted to the following native ant taxa. Harvest levels must not exceed the maximum quantities set out for each genus.

Genus            Annual harvest quota

Amblyopone       1000

Anonychomyrma    1000

Aphaenogaster    1000

Brachyponera     1000

Camponotus       1000

Calomyrmex       1000

Crematogaster    1000

Dolichoderus     1000

Iridomyrmex      1000

Leptomyrmex      1000

Lioponera        1000

Mayriella        1000

Melophorus       1000

Meranoplus       1000

Monomorium       1000

Myrmecia*        1000

Notoncus         1000

Nylanderia       1000

Oecophylla       1000

Opisthopsis      1000

Orectognathus    1000

Pheidole         1000

Podomyrma        1000

Polyrhachis      1000

Pseudoneoponera  50

Pseudonotoncus   50

Pseudoponera     50

Rhopalomastix    50

Rhopalothrix     50

Romblonella      50

Rhytidoponera    1000

Solenopsis       1000

Stereomyrmex     50

Stigmacros       1000

Strumigenys      50

Tapinoma         50

Technomyrmex     1000

Teratomyrmex     50

Tetramorium      1000

Tetraponera      50

Turneria         50

*Subspecies Myrmecia sp. 17 is excluded from this approval.

    3.      Harvest is only permitted from the private property and non-protected public areas in Victoria.

    4.      The approval holder may apply in writing to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water to add additional taxa and harvest locations. Additional taxa can only be exported after approval from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is obtained.

    5.      Wild harvest must not involve any excavation or damage to existing ant nests or colonies.

    6.      This declaration is valid for three (3) years from the date of registration on the Federal Register of Legislation.

    7.      Erin Funnell on behalf of Queen of Ants must submit Harvest reports to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water every six (6) months. The first report is due by 1 March 2024.

    The report must include:

           * The total number of ants harvested by genus, harvesting dates, harvest locations including coordinates, and the name of the harvester.
           * A summary of the queen ant population monitoring completed at each harvest location, including a yearly comparison of the number of surveys completed, survey methodology, survey timing and the outcomes.

Dated:   17 OCTOBER 2023

Belinda