Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287:reg:3:p95
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 95/276)
Character Range: 399446–402763

in implementing the plan and the effectiveness of different management approaches (section 4.3).

4.5.2        Policy and legislation
Policy, legislation and funding must be improved to successfully implement recovery actions for threatened species in the Norfolk Island Group.

Actions
    * Develop stronger legislative protection (including enforcement) for native vegetation/habitat, such as limiting tree removals, stronger offset conditions, and the use of conservation covenants. Greater protection is required for mature trees (particularly Norfolk Island pines), which take 200–300 years to reach the stage where they provide significant environmental benefits, including hollows for birds and water recharge.
    * Communicate responsibilities for native vegetation protection on private land to ensure that these responsibilities are understood by the community.
    * Develop and implement improved regulation and enforcement of restrictions on the importation of all cats or particular breeds, pending outcomes of community consultation. Additionally, undertake further consultation with the community to determine the level of support for greater regulations around domestic cat ownership, including for example: registration, vaccination, microchipping and desexing, feral adoption bans, curfews, fines for cats that are found straying from home, and pet exclusion zones.
    * Advocate for the Norfolk Island Group to become or join a designated Natural Resource Management Region (NRM) of Australia to enable eligibility for national funding programs, including the National Landcare Program. Such funding could support private land initiatives and Norfolk Island community work on public land (as occurred in the past).
    * Update climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning for the islands.
    * Review threatened species listings for plants, snails and other groups such as terrestrial arthropods, and submit listing nominations if required.

4.5.3        Community engagement
A high level of community support and engagement will be essential for the plan to be achieved.

Actions
    * Develop or support a citizen science and broader volunteer program on Norfolk Island linked to a coordinated Conservation Management Network, to encourage community involvement in research, monitoring and management.
    * Continue the community-based Norfolk Island morepork monitoring project.
    * Develop an education campaign to encourage community understanding and appreciation of Norfolk Island's endemic and threatened species. This could include: field guides, opportunities to be involved in surveys, school programs, and live exhibits at the visitor centre or botanic garden (such as threatened snails and reptiles).
    * Share information and continue community education about the importance of management practices for control of rodents, free-roaming cats, feral chickens, swamphens and crimson rosellas, and their impact on native species.
    * Continue community education and incentives for best practice in domestic cat ownership.
    * Explore community values and aspirations for the future environment and biodiversity of the islands, including attitudes to potential conservation interventions and priority locations for action.
    * Support the community to