Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153:body:0:p45
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00153
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 137244–140406

by designing development around the ecological community and applying buffer zones;
             + retain medium and higher quality patches of the ecological community, rather than offset them (particularly with lower quality offset sites);
             + focus on retaining remnants of the ecological community with mature trees;
             + manage and protect offset areas in perpetuity in areas dedicated for conservation purposes - avoid risks that may reduce their size, condition and ecological function in the future;
             + select offset sites as close as possible to the impact site, to allow for local and regional variation in the ecological community, but also consider future sea-level rise and coastal erosion;
             + increase the area and improve ecological function of existing patches, for example by enhancing landscape connectivity, habitat diversity and condition;
             + focus on the restoration of good and moderate quality patches of the ecological community to achieve high quality condition;
             + extend protection to otherwise unprotected sites (e.g. sites that are currently too small or degraded to meet the condition thresholds for national protection, but can reasonably be restored to a better, more intact condition); and,
             + monitor offset areas and the outcomes they deliver over the long-term, to manage them adaptively and improve understanding of the best ways to manage offsets to deliver biodiversity benefits.

Despite an overall net loss to biodiversity, when used effectively and appropriately, offsetting provides an option to protect and fund ongoing management of sites in perpetuity. Guidance on the EPBC Act environmental offsets policy is available on the Department of the Environment and Energy website.

6.2.3      Reporting
The impact of cumulative actions is particularly important in the highly fragmented landscape of Littoral Rainforest. Therefore, the availability of up-to-date and accurate information about the status (size, extent and condition) of the ecological community is essential for effective management and planning. Councils and regional and state government agencies have access to habitat loss data from clearing for developments, as well as habitat gains from restoration works. This information needs to be collated annually, if not more frequently, to support ongoing management and to provide an early warning of the trend of recovery efforts throughout the ecological community. The use of aerial imagery and other remote sensing techniques can provide an efficient method for monitoring components of an ecological community and assessing changes in vegetation. However, components such as understorey species richness cannot be monitored using these techniques. In addition, these techniques are only accurate at a coarse scale and ground-truthing is required to provide fine-scale resolution of the conservation status of Littoral Rainforest.

6.2.4      Existing programs and funding
Since 2013 the Australian Government has funded more than 50 projects across the range of Littoral Rainforest. These include projects funded under