Native Vegetation

Clearing Response
The Queensland Government reponse to the
Native Vegetation Scientific Expert Panel Report

Toward a more harmonised approach to sustainable vegetation management

in Queensland

September 2023
#32603 | 0923
 Acknowledgement of Country
The Queensland Government acknowledges the Country and people of Queensland’s
First Nations. We pay our respect to Elders past and present.
We acknowledge and thank First Nations people for the enduring relationship
connecting people, Country, and ancestors—an unbreakable bond that has safely
stewarded and protected the land, waters, and sky for thousands of generations.
We acknowledge the deep relationship, connection and responsibility to land, sea,
and sky Country as an integral element of First Nations peoples’ identity and culture.

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Minister’s foreword
Queensland’s native vegetation is a vital asset to our economy—supporting human wellbeing, providing essential habitat
for our rich biodiversity, cost-effective solutions to address climate change, and a strong foundation for our tourism, natural
resources, and agricultural industries to thrive.
Given the value forests provide to our society, the Queensland Government continually monitors changes to the extent and
attributes of woody vegetation. While I am pleased to report that the most recent 2020–21 monitoring has shown a 49 per
cent decrease in clearing since 2018–19, in 2018–19, this monitoring detected that an area of 680,000 hectares of native
vegetation had been impacted by clearing activities.
The Palaszczuk Government urgently appointed the then Queensland Chief Scientist, Professor Hugh Possingham, to lead
an independent review into factors behind the clearing data, and to identify pathways to better protect, restore and manage
native vegetation in the future.
The Native Vegetation Scientific Expert Panel (the Panel) conducted the review and has delivered its recommendations
to government. The Native Vegetation Scientific Expert Panel Report (the Panel Report) recognises the rigorous science
underpinning Queensland’s programs and policies and finds that the government’s approach to sustainably managing
native vegetation is fundamentally robust. It does however identify some opportunities for improvement.
The Panel Report provides ten recommendations to enhance the implementation of the existing vegetation management
framework and further support landholders to seize the emerging economic opportunities of the national carbon and nature
repair markets, Queensland Land Restoration Fund, and other programs. This can be achieved by delivering improved
extension services, business support tools, education, and outreach to landholders.
I thank the Panel for their findings and considered recommendations and support their adoption by the Queensland
Government. Despite the significant reduction in clearing activity since the Panel Report was commissioned, and the
adoption of a number of measures aligned with the Panel’s recommendations during the intervening period, the Queensland
Government acknowledges that further work is required in collaboration with land managers and land sector industries to
achieve our shared aspirations. I also recognise that implementing some recommendations will require further consultation
and research prior to delivery.
The Panel Report sets out a promising path forward toward a more harmonised approach to native vegetation management
that better engages, incentivises, recognises and rewards people for their actions to conserve Queensland’s native
vegetation and wildlife habitat on their properties.
Delivery of the Response is already underway through programs across government which are harnessing the strengths
of our partnerships with landholders and seeking to co-design solutions with industry. These include the Department of
Environment and Science’s recently announced $50 million third investment round of the Land Restoration Fund; $2.3
million offered in funding since 2021 for the Carbon Farming Advice Scheme; $9.8 million over four years provided in the
2023-24 Budget for an enhanced compliance program, supporting landholders to understand the requirements of the
vegetation management framework; and delivery of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Queensland Low Emissions
Agriculture Roadmap 2022–2032, which was co-designed with industry.
Recognising that habitat loss is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, implementation of the Queensland Government’s
response to further reduce native vegetation clearing will support delivery of commitments under Conserving Nature: A
Biodiversity Strategy for Queensland.
Landholders’ enduring expertise and contributions to native vegetation management in Queensland is highly valued. All
Queenslanders benefit from the land stewardship services that our farmers, First Nations peoples and natural resource
managers provide for society, by conserving habitat on their land and actively managing native vegetation from the risks of
fire and invasive species.
The Queensland Government will continue to support landholders in the shared responsibility of stewarding our unique
biodiversity, and our land sector industries as they respond to emerging global demands for sustainable and deforestation-
free products. Working hand-in-hand with land managers to achieve long-term sustainable outcomes will accelerate progress
toward our state’s emissions reduction and protected area targets and enhance the resilience of our regional economies into
the future.

Hon. Leanne Linard MP

Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef
Minister for Science and Multicultural Affairs
September 2023
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 Overview
The Native Vegetation Scientific Expert Panel’s The Panel was formed in March 2022 following the
(the Panel) recommendations represent a pathway release of the Queensland Government’s Department
towards a more holistic and cohesive future for of Environment and Science’s (DES) 2018–19 State-
the Queensland land management sector wide Landcover and Trees Study (SLATS) report in
that recognises, rewards, and incentivises December 2021, which showed that about 680,000
improvements for a more sustainable approach hectares of woody vegetation across Queensland had
to vegetation management. been impacted by full or partial clearing activities.
The Queensland Government acknowledges and Given the adverse impacts of high native vegetation
supports the need for an improved way of working clearing rates on communities, industries, and
with Queensland’s land managers to deliver novel Queensland’s environment the Queensland
solutions to avoid native vegetation clearing. It also Government acted swifty to investigate this clearing
recognises that these solutions can enhance the and identify the need for further action.
sustainable profitability of Queensland’s agricultural
The Panel’s year-long review included extensive
businesses and regions. To achieve this, the
consultation with both public and industry sectors
Queensland Government agrees to adopt the Panel’s
and used the best available science to analyse the
suggested overarching strategic vison for native
drivers, behaviours, and causal factors of clearing.
vegetation management in Queensland based on the
It also included an evaluation of existing policy
key principles of engage, inform, and incentivise
measures for managing native vegetation and
and reward.
consideration of a broad suite of potential options
The Panel’s recommendations aim to improve and to further incentivise a reduction in clearing rates.
support the management of native vegetation,
The Panel proposed ten specific actions that the
without any changes to a landholder’s ability to
Queensland Government will work to implement.
clear native vegetation mapped as Category X on
All recommendations are accepted in full, with
a Property Map of Assessable Vegetation (PMAV).
the exception of launching an environmental
At the core of the Panel’s recommendations is the
stewardship program, reviewing exemptions, and
important role for enhanced educational, financial,
establishing an expert advisory committee, which
and motivational measures to further encourage
the government accepts in principle. This supports
landholders to go beyond their existing regulatory
the Panel’s suggestions that delivering some of
requirements and realise the tangible financial
the recommendations will require more detailed
benefits of nature positive and low-emissions
policy analysis and careful monitoring over time, to
trade growth.
ensure these interventions meet the three ecological
Emerging carbon and natural capital markets will play objectives of protecting, restoring, and maintaining
a pivotal role in enabling this transition, by providing the condition of Queensland’s ecosystems.
financially rewarding incentives for the adoption
of more sustainable land management practices,
including protecting, retaining, and restoring
native vegetation.

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What we are already doing
While the Panel conducted its review, the 6. Ongoing delivery of the annual SLATS to monitor
Queensland Government continued to deliver and and report changes in woody vegetation extent
improve its existing native vegetation conservation in Queensland, and the ongoing publication of
measures. This included: SLATS data analysis relevant to the vegetation
1. Supporting the expansion of landscape management framework.
restoration and carbon farming projects across 7. Co-designing the Queensland Low Emissions
Queensland through the delivery of the number Agriculture Roadmap 2022–2032 in partnership
one ranked carbon market scheme in the country, with industry, which will further support
the $500 million Land Restoration Fund (LRF), landholders to transition toward low-emissions
which leverages the national carbon market to practices, including adopting carbon farming
provide stable, competitive income streams for and economically sustainable landscape
landholders, farmers, and First Nations peoples. management opportunities.
2. Supporting Queensland landholders to seek 8. Signed a Memorandum of Understanding that
expert advice on the viability of establishing a committed Queensland to working with the
carbon farming project on their land through $2.3 Australian Government to develop an approach
million in funding offered for the Carbon Farming to improve the strategic identification and
Advice Scheme (CFAS), which provides up to protection of biodiversity through
$10,000 towards the costs of carbon farming bioregional planning.
advice received from a LRF approved adviser. 9. Reviewing the Managing a native forest practice
3. Implementation of Queensland’s Protected Area Accepted Development Vegetation Clearing Code
Strategy 2020–2030 which has been supported (ADVCC), considering the views of the Native
by a record $262.5 million investment to grow Timber Advisory Panel.
the state’s protected areas and improve the 10. Delivering the Native Timber Action Plan,
sustainable management of the protected including commitments to transfer up to
area estate. 20,000 hectares of State Forest into the protected
4. Implementation of the South East Queensland area estate by the end of 2024 and to end state-
Koala Conservation Strategy 2020–2025, owned native timber harvesting in the South East
including the publication of a Consultation Queensland Regional Plan area (south of Noosa)
Post-implementation Review on Queensland’s by the end of 2024.
strong koala planning regulations, and updates
to ensure that delivery of state infrastructure
projects contribute to koala habitat conservation
in South East Queensland.
5. Administration of the Vegetation Management Act
1999 (VMA), which delivers a fair and balanced
approach toward native vegetation management
in Queensland. This includes accepted
development vegetation clearing codes that
provide for low ecological risk clearing, of which
eight were recently reviewed based on the best
available science.

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 Carbon farming opportunities
Case study:
for industry
Existing projects such as Beef and Conservation for Lower stocking rates, reduced vegetation clearing,
the Future (BC4) at Goondicum Station in Central and pasture spelling is allowing reduced stress on
Queensland demonstrate how environmental the land overall, and has led to improvements in
markets can be leveraged to better protect, restore, the nutritional quality of feed grasses. Goondicum
and manage native vegetation in agricultural Station now has healthier cattle and native grass
production systems for multiple benefits. pastures and soils, demonstrating the important role
that native grasses and forests play in the production
Goondicum Station owners Rob and Nadia Campbell
of high-quality beef.
are generating income from carbon credits issued
under the Australian Government’s Emissions With the income generated from carbon credits,
Reduction Fund. Credits are generated through the Campbells are continuing to re-invest in
carbon farming methods involving restoration of wildlife conservation and habitat restoration on
parts of the property where vegetation was previously their property. University students regularly visit
cleared, and through adoption of alternative cattle the station to observe and study the local wildlife.
herd management techniques that alter the timing Learnings from their approach are shared with other
and extent of grazing to allow native pastures to landholders to demonstrate how investment into
regenerate and seed. natural capital can improve on-farm profitability
while delivering positive ecological outcomes.
Goondicum has a contract to sell a percentage of
its credits to the Queensland Government’s Land In addition to Accounting for Nature, Goondicum works
Restoration Fund (LRF). The LRF pays a premium for with carbon proponent and key partner GreenCollar.
credits from carbon projects like Goondicum that
This example shows the possibilities that
deliver environmental and social benefits, including
environmental markets and collaborative
benefits to First nations peoples, in addition to
partnerships are already facilitating to
storing carbon. The LRF requires these co-benefits to
encourage more sustainable landscape
be verified for example through the Accounting for
management in Queensland.
Nature® Framework, to ensure these projects deliver
genuine outcomes for communities.
Leveraging the carbon market to deliver the
right balance between grazing and regenerative
agriculture has allowed Goondicum to increase their
agricultural profitability.

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 Cattle and conservation on
Case study:
Artemis Antbed Parrot Nature Refuge
Artemis Antbed Parrot Nature Refuge, situated in care for it deeply. We’ve always tried to do things
the southern part of Cape York Peninsula, is an right so our cattle business is viable, but we’re also
intergenerational grazing property and home to looking after the golden-shouldered parrot and other
the endangered golden-shouldered parrot. wildlife. So, we’re very happy and grateful to the
Queensland Government for the chance to extend our
Through the Private Protected Area Program’s
conservation work.”
NatureAssist grant program, the landholders, Tom
and Sue Shephard, were able to protect an additional The NatureAssist funding is being used to restore
103,059 hectares of their property. Grant funding is native grasslands and create the ideal habitat for the
being directed towards integrated land management golden-shouldered parrot. In addition, the funding
activities to protect the golden-shouldered parrots will be used for fencing to assist with spelling the
and their habitat, whilst maintaining the cattle land, reducing grazing pressures, and enabling the
production enterprise and restoring grassland and open woodlands to regenerate.
native vegetation.
Sue and Tom Shephard say, “Our thing has always
been to look after the country. We’ve lived on
Artemis for most of our lives and we know it and

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 Supporting First Nations peoples
connections to Country
The Queensland Government acknowledges the For First Nations peoples, there are ongoing
unique and ongoing connection of First Nations economic opportunities in environmental markets
Queenslanders to land, wind, waters, and to implement traditional knowledge of land and
biodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander landscape management, such as cool savanna
peoples maintain a distinctive cultural, spiritual burning methods that sequester carbon and
and physical relationship with Country, and have minimise impacts on biodiversity. For example, the
recognised legal rights and interests in land and sea. $500 million Queensland Land Restoration Fund
supports these opportunities by providing a premium
The Queensland Government response (the
payment for carbon farming projects that also deliver
Response) to the Native Vegetation Scientific
meaningful First Nations co-benefits.
Expert Panel does not restrict the rights of First
Nations peoples to make decisions on their land. The Response supports the Queensland
The Response includes actions that will support Government’s Statement of Commitment to
First Nations peoples’ economic opportunities Reframe the Relationship, by promoting the rights
from their connection to Country. This includes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to
improved landholder engagement services for all foster a material economic relationship with their
Queenslanders, including First Nations landholders land and culture, including through enabling joint
and native title holders, encouraging greater management, restoration and savanna burning
awareness of the economic opportunities provided opportunities. The Department of Environment
through stewardship programs and environmental and Science, through the Gurra Gurra framework
markets to enhance protection, restoration, and 2020–26, is committed to working in genuine
management of native vegetation on land. partnership with First Nations Queenslanders to
achieve stronger outcomes for Country and people.

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The Panel’s recommended actions
The Panel Report details the findings of an 2. To implement a suite of educational, financial,
independent review of the drivers and behavioural and motivational measures that will further
factors behind the native vegetation clearing advance the ecological objectives and be
and re-clearing identified in the Department of consistently applied over a minimum of 15 years.
Environment and Science’s 2018–19 SLATS report
(released on 30 December 2021). To achieve these objectives, the Panel provided
ten recommendations designed to improve the
The Panel investigated the drivers contributing to implementation of the Vegetation Management
clearing and re-clearing in Queensland and identified Act 1999, support the protection and recovery of
pathways to protect, restore and manage native biodiversity, and assist landholders and regional
vegetation for multiple benefits, including outcomes communities to become more economically and
for biodiversity conservation, emissions reduction, socially resilient through the adoption of more
and socio-economic resilience. sustainable vegetation management practices.
The Panel Report focuses on two overarching These recommendations are described in full in
objectives: the Native Vegetation Scientific Expert Panel Report,
1. To maintain a stable, ecologically robust and are summarised in Table 1.
regulatory framework that provides security and
confidence to landholders and the general public.

Enhanced satellite imagery, like this collected over Charleville, is used

in the annual Queensland Government Statewide Landcover and Trees
Study (SLATS), which maps the location and extent and change in woody
vegetation across Queensland (Mulga Lands bioregion).

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 Table 1: Panel recommendations

R1: Maintain Maintain current settings for regulating Category X land covered by a Property Map of Assessable
regulatory stability Vegetation (PMAV), to provide certainty to landholders that will reduce volatility in clearing levels.
The current system requiring landholder consent to change vegetation mapping on a PMAV remains
appropriate and provides consistency. In addition, monitor the environmental and other impacts of the
recently reviewed accepted development vegetation clearing codes (ADVCCs) over an extended period.

R2: Improve Fund and support an improved extension service to landholders, focusing on consultation,
extension, education, engagement, and information on ways landholders can enhance biodiversity while maintaining
and demonstration or improving agricultural productivity and profitability. This should ideally be locally based and
provide support for landholders to easily identify opportunities to protect, restore and manage native
vegetation while generating on-farm income, including through accessing environmental markets and
relevant government programs.

R3: Launch an Design and establish a voluntary land stewardship program that raises awareness of the benefits
environmental of, and rewards landholders for, integrating biodiversity into land management/farming systems.
stewardship scheme Offering a range of options is considered important to meet the variable circumstances and priorities
of different landholders, ranging from low-obligation to higher-obligation programs that emphasise
active landholder engagement.

R4: Enhance carbon Encourage the Australian Government to develop new methods under the Emissions Reduction
market opportunities Fund for avoidance of clearing of regrowth on Category X land that is at high risk of being re-cleared
and extend crediting periods for high integrity projects. Focus delivery of the Land Restoration
Fund on longer-term projects that protect and restore areas of high conservation significance that
have previously been cleared and ensure payments options are competitive relative to alternative
productive land uses.

R5: Clearer reporting Release annual standardised and carefully interpreted SLATS report cards that include clear
and communication of explanations and data breakdowns to show the full balance sheet of native vegetation clearing, re-
SLATS clearing and regrowth accounted for. This includes reporting on the reasons why clearing is occurring,
through a vegetation management analysis of data. A fixed release date is recommended to provide
transparency and confidence.

R6: Enable better Increase funding and resources to the Department of Resources to improve the enforcement of
enforcement the Vegetation Management Framework and allow for improved and increased early detection,
engagement, and intervention.

R7: Better Consider further, finer-scale regional planning to understand and plan for current and emerging
regional planning threats and opportunities to native vegetation from urban development, infrastructure, energy, and
in fragmented mining projects. The Panel notes Endangered and Of Concern regional ecosystems and areas that
bioregions provide habitat for threatened species, particularly in South East Queensland, the Wet Tropics, and
the Brigalow Belt bioregions as focus areas.

R8: Review Review exemptions under the Vegetation Management Framework for urban development,
exemptions for infrastructure, and resource activities (including Priority Development Areas), to ensure that impacts
clearing in threatened to Endangered and Of Concern regional ecosystems and habitat for threatened species is ideally
ecosystems avoided, or otherwise assessed under State Code 16: Native Vegetation Clearing.

R9: Review forestry Review private native forestry practices that result in full and partial clearing in Endangered and
in threatened Of Concern regional ecosystems, and areas that provide habitat for threatened species, to identify
ecosystems appropriate measures to minimise and, ideally, avoid such clearing.

R10: Establish a Form a standing expert advisory committee that meets periodically to investigate and advise on issues
standing expert of native vegetation management in the state and help progress the recommendations of this review.
advisory committee

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Principles underpinning the
Panel’s recommendations
The Panel details three ecological objectives that 3 Management
underpin their recommendations: Improving the condition of areas of remnant
1 Protection and regrowth vegetation by incentivising
Reducing the loss and risk of loss, of intact improved management practices for biodiversity
and vulnerable native vegetation ecosystems, conservation and environmental outcomes.
particularly Endangered and Of Concern regional The Queensland Government acknowledges
ecosystems, through imposition of long-term the Panel’s ecological principles and has used
restrictions on land use and land-use change. them to guide the development and delivery
Restrictions should seek to eliminate as far as of the government response, and will use
possible the clearing of remnant vegetation and them for future policy pertaining to native
prevent any more regional ecosystems becoming vegetation matters.
threatened due to clearing or re-clearing.
This is achieved by:
∙ incentivising the retention of regrowth
vegetation, particularly Endangered and
Of Concern regional ecosystems
∙ identifying, protecting and maintaining old-
growth vegetation, as many of its critically
important habitat components (such as large
old trees, natural hollows, and intact ground
layer structure) are essential, irreplaceable
once lost
∙ preventing the loss and degradation of all
remaining examples of native vegetation with
an intact, native ground layer
∙ protecting remnant and high value regrowth
vegetation to prevent land degradation,
enhance biodiversity and provide wildlife
habitat (especially for threatened species)
while sequestering carbon, and improving
agricultural productivity and profitability.
2 Restoration
Restoring ecosystems that have been lost
because of past clearing by incentivising
regeneration and replanting of Endangered and
Of Concern regional ecosystems and incentivising
the regeneration or replanting of native vegetation
in strategic locations to protect soil, watercourses
and provide wildlife habitat (especially for
threatened species), where outcomes such as Major Mitchell’s cockatoo (Lophochroa leadbeateri)
carbon sequestration and improved agricultural is a hollow-dependent species iconic to agricultural
productivity and profitability can be achieved. landscapes in south-western Queensland.

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 The Queensland Government response
The Queensland Government welcomes the Panel’s The Queensland Government shares the Panel’s
final report and its recommendations for improving vision for a new way of working with landholders
sustainable management of native vegetation in to deliver improved outcomes for native vegetation
Queensland. The government thanks the Panel Chair, management. This includes adopting a more
former Queensland Chief Scientist, Professor Hugh harmonised approach to land management that
Possingham, and all members of the Panel for their better engages, informs, incentivises and rewards
efforts in undertaking this important independent landholders for retaining, protecting, and restoring
review and providing the final report. native vegetation on their properties.

The Queensland Government accepts or accepts in The government agrees to adopt the Panel’s
principle all of the recommendations of the Panel. ecological objectives, which focus on protecting
Specifically, the government accepts in full seven of the remnant Endangered and Of Concern regional
the Panel recommendations and accepts in principle ecosystems and high-value regrowth; restoring
the recommendations to launch an environmental ecosystems previously impacted by clearing; and
stewardship program, evaluate exemptions for improving management practices for biodiversity
threatened ecosystems and establish an expert conservation and environmental outcomes. This
advisory committee. This acknowledges that approach, which prioritises avoidance of clearing,
delivery of these recommendations will require more will enhance biodiversity conservation outcomes
detailed consideration, planning and evaluation by for Queensland’s threatened and many hollow-
government if they are to be implemented effectively, dependent species and further reduce emissions
and deliver on the Panel’s intended outcomes. associated with vegetation clearing.

The Vegetation Management Act 1999 remains To deliver these outcomes, the government
the overarching framework for the state-wide will continue to invest in and improve the
management of native vegetation in Queensland. implementation of a suite of educational, financial,
The objectives of the legislation are to conserve and motivational measures that will further
remnant vegetation and high-value regrowth, prevent encourage landholders to retain, restore, and
land degradation and loss of biodiversity, reduce manage native vegetation on their properties.
emissions, and allow for sustainable land use.
The rules provide a stable and ecologically robust
regulatory framework that enables landholders to
undertake sustainable vegetation management
on their properties, through a range of measures
including exemptions, accepted development codes,
area management plans, pathways for development
approval and clear prohibitions, where necessary.
This framework is complemented by existing
incentive programs including the Private Protected
Areas programs, $500 million Queensland Land
Restoration Fund and Regional Plans.

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Table 2: The Queensland Government response

Summary of Accept /
Panel Accept in Queensland Government Response Status
recommendation principle
R1: Maintain Accept The Queensland Government accepts this recommendation to Underway and
regulatory stability maintain a stable and ecologically robust legislative environment ongoing
that provides security and confidence to landholders. Since 2005,
Queensland industries and communities have adopted substantial
practice changes to comply with regulations and increase restoration
of native vegetation on their land. These efforts have delivered
transformative outcomes for Queensland’s emissions trajectory, with
emerging carbon and nature repair market incentives set to further
enhance these trends by providing competitive financial rewards for
protecting, restoring and managing native vegetation.
Consequently, the government will not change the regulation of
Category X land on a PMAV. The government will continue to monitor
and publicly report on vegetation clearing rates each year. It will also
consider ways to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of regulatory
settings, including the Accepted Development Vegetation Clearing
Codes (ADVCCs) that provide for low ecological risk clearing, over time.

R2: Improve Accept In partnership with industry, the Department of Agriculture and Commencing
extension, Fisheries will improve approaches to delivering existing education in 2023
information, and and training programs for producers and agriculture service providers
demonstration on low emissions production systems, and will enhance existing
capacity building programs for producers on low emissions practices
and technologies including GHG calculators and carbon sequestration
opportunities. Implementation of relevant pathways within the
recently-released Queensland Low Emissions Agriculture Roadmap
2022–2032 will also be optimised by leveraging, where appropriate,
investments that aim to deliver regional decarbonisation.
Landholder extension services will continue to be supported by the
Department of Environment and Science (DES), through delivery of
the $500 million Land Restoration Fund; continuing delivery of the
$2.3 million Carbon Advice Rebate Scheme, and by the Department of
Resources through enhanced engagement to support the operation of
the Vegetation Management Act 1999.
Approaches to improving landholder engagement and enhancing
landholder awareness of carbon farming opportunities will be
developed collaboratively across agencies and in consultation with
the Australian Government.

R3: Launch an Accept in The Queensland Government currently delivers a range of programs Review
environmental principle offering landholders and First Nations peoples financial and underway and
stewardship non-financial support for their efforts to conserve and manage ongoing
scheme native vegetation on their land. This includes the $500 million
Land Restoration Fund and the Private Protected Areas Program
encompassing nature refuges, special wildlife reserves and the
NatureAssist toolkit. In addition, a range of other business planning
and productivity grants, loans and rebates are available under the
Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA).
The Queensland Government will consider the Panel’s
recommendation to complement these existing programs with a
broader range of stewardship payment options and recognition
schemes, particularly at the entry-level. This evaluation is underway
to analyse the different mechanisms that could be leveraged to further
recognise, reward, and incentivise landholders and First Nations
people that maintain high value native vegetation on their land.

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 Summary of Accept /
Panel Accept in Queensland Government Response Status
recommendation principle
R4: Enhance Accept The Queensland Government will continue to work with the Underway and
carbon market Australian Government to remove barriers to Queensland landholders ongoing
opportunities participating in financially rewarding carbon and nature repair
markets. This includes engagement around Emissions Reduction
Fund carbon market methodologies, particularly those with potential
to incentivise further avoidance of clearing in Category X areas,
retention of trees on agricultural properties for example silvopasture
grazing, and sustainable native forestry and plantation expansion
onto degraded lands. The government will also consider potential to
tailor future rounds of the $500 million Land Restoration Fund toward
projects in areas of high-conservation significance that are at risk of
clearing, and further incentivise longer project permanence periods
over 25 years.

R5: Clearer Accept As part of revisions and enhancements to SLATS science in recent Underway and
reporting and years, the Queensland Government has developed a new web-based ongoing
communication of approach to SLATS reporting enabling a range of breakdowns of
SLATS report woody extent, clearing and regrowth data, including breakdowns
for bioregions. The new format also enables direct access to SLATS
reporting data, and links to open data publishing of the spatial data.
Commencing with the most recent release of SLATS reporting in
2019–20, a vegetation management analysis of the SLATS clearing
data (referred to by the Panel as SLATS SCAN) was published on the
Department of Resources website, providing further breakdowns in the
context of the vegetation management framework. The Queensland
Government will also continue to work towards clearer and more timely
releases of SLATS reporting and will continue to refine and improve
communication of SLATS findings to ensure they are accessible and
understandable for key stakeholders.
In addition, the Department of Environment and Science, will continue
to advance science around vegetation type, condition, structure, and
age; allowing improved identification of regional ecosystems that
have higher biodiversity conservation value and carbon storage value,
and consideration of this information in the design and delivery of
government policies and programs.

R6: Enable better Accept The Department of Resources will pilot an enhanced compliance Commencing in
enforcement program to reduce carbon emissions, protect biodiversity and 2023
contribute to protecting the Great Barrier Reef. This will be achieved by
assisting landholders to better understand native vegetation on their
properties, how any necessary clearing activities can comply with the
vegetation management framework and how vegetation management
can assist landholders in reducing their carbon emissions. The
program will also ensure restoration of vegetation occurs where
clearing is found to be unauthorised.

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Summary of Accept /
Panel Accept in Queensland Government Response Status
recommendation principle
R7: Better Accept The Department of Environment and Science will work with the Underway and
regional planning Australian Government to develop an approach to improve the ongoing
in fragmented strategic identification and protection of biodiversity through regional
bioregions planning. This approach will focus on urban development, resource,
and renewable energy planning applications, with key focus areas
yet to be determined. These plans will be developed from a strong
evidence base, and will incorporate biodiversity values, First Nations
knowledge and community objectives. Plans will provide more
certainty to industry by specifying areas that cannot be impacted and
by supporting more streamlined assessments and approvals in other
areas.
The Queensland Government will also consider opportunities to
advance this recommendation through aligned initiatives, including
finer-scale, state-wide mapping of natural capital assets and a
committed review of the regional planning frameworks that will
consider key environmental areas (such as threatened ecosystems)
under the plan that are not suitable for development.

R8: Review Accept in The Queensland Government will commence data and information Commencing
exemptions principle gathering to advance understanding of how state instruments for in 2023
for clearing urban development, infrastructure, and other activities, may be
in threatened impacting on threatened ecosystems across the state, and whether
ecosystems these processes consistently consider how impacts on native
vegetation have been avoided, minimised, and offset.
This foundational work will be essential to informing any future policy
reviews that impact on native vegetation. Future policy work will take
into consideration the impacts of national reforms including the
introduction of national environmental standards, as well as policy
reviews and reforms currently underway to improve the Queensland
Environmental Offsets framework and SEQ Koala Planning Regulations.
This will not include a review of the exemption for vegetation mapped
as Category X on either the regulated vegetation map or a PMAV.

R9: Review forestry Accept The Queensland Government will finalise the review of the Managing Underway and
in threatened a native forest practice Accepted Development Vegetation Clearing ongoing
ecosystems Code (ADVCC), based on best available science and taking into
consideration the views of the Native Timber Advisory Panel. The
government is also investigating the carbon market opportunities for
private native forestry and plantations, and the potential for these
to deliver additional income streams for landholders by improving
biodiversity conservation and emissions reduction outcomes.

R10: Establish Accept in The Queensland Government will reconvene the Panel in two years’ Commencing
a standing principle time to provide an independent review on the government’s progress in 2023
expert advisory towards implementing the recommendations, and to provide advice
committee on the need for any further changes, if required.

15
 Next steps
Implementation of the Queensland Government 3. Within 12 months:
response will be progressed in four phases over ∙ Finalise the review of the Managing a
the next two years. native forest practice Accepted Development
1. Immediate initiatives: Vegetation Clearing Code and the delivery
∙ Pilot an enhanced compliance program to of the Native Timber Action Plan to provide
assist landholders to understand the native certainty around the future of sustainable
vegetation on their properties and comply native forestry in Queensland.
with legal obligations under the vegetation ∙ Commence data and information gathering
management framework. to further understand the impacts of urban
∙ Providing incentives for landowners to protect, development and infrastructure on threatened
retain, and restore native vegetation on their regional ecosystems across the state.
properties, through the launch of the $50 million ∙ Finalise the review of key legislative instruments
third funding round under the Land Restoration for protecting native vegetation, including the
Fund that prioritises projects offering longer-term Environmental Offsets framework, subject to
protections of native vegetation. the Commonwealth Government finalising the
∙ Providing landholders with opportunities to Nature Positive Plan and establishing its revised
seek expert advice on the potential financial framework of national environmental offsets,
benefits of protecting, retaining, and restoring and Post-Implementation Review: South East
native vegetation on their properties through Queensland’s Koala Habitat Regulations which
the offer of a further $700,000 in funding prohibit clearing of critical areas of koala habitat.
under the Carbon Farming Advice Scheme, on ∙ Commence delivering initiatives under the
top of the $1.6 million already provided. Queensland Low Emissions Agriculture
∙ Continue working collaboratively with the Roadmap 2022–2032, including enhanced
Australian Government to develop and extension services and business support tools
implement three initial bioregional plans for for landholders to increase awareness of and
Queensland, that will incorporate biodiversity access to emerging environmental markets
values, First Nations knowledge and and Environmental, Social and Governance
community objectives. credentialling (ESG).

2. Within three to six months: 4. In two years:

∙ Initiate a review into the scope and funding ∙ Reconvene the Panel to evaluate progress and
structure of the Land Restoration Fund to advise on additional measures, if required.
encourage increased landholder take-up, Staged delivery of the response as outlined will
ensure that projects provide competitive allow policy development to occur in consultation
income options for landholders, and deliver with relevant Queensland Government agencies,
more positive biodiversity and native particularly around recommendations requiring
vegetation outcomes. further evaluation and analysis against the Panel’s
ecological objectives.
This consultative approach will also inform the
framework for prioritising Queensland Government
investment in native vegetation matters over the
next twelve months and beyond, as well as ongoing
evaluation of the policy interventions as they
16 are delivered.
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