Monitoring is integral to all aspects of policy and management for threatened biodiversity. It is fundamental to assessing the conservation status and trends of listed species and ecological communities. Monitoring data can be used to diagnose the causes of decline, to measure management effectiveness and to report on investment. It is also a valuable public engagement tool. Yet in Australia, monitoring threatened biodiversity is not always optimally managed. Monitoring Threatened Species and Ecological Communities aims to improve the standard of monitoring for Australia's threatened biodiversity. It gathers insights from some of the most experienced managers and scientists involved with monitoring programs for threatened species and ecological communities in Australia, and evaluates current monitoring programs, establishing a baseline against which the quality of future monitoring activity can be managed. Case studies provide examples of practical pathways to improve the quality of biodiversity monitoring, and guidelines to improve future programs are proposed. This book will benefit scientists, conservation managers, policy makers and those with an interest in threatened species monitoring and management.

Reports on the operation of specific acts administered by the Dept., provided to Parliament as required under terms of those acts; some other acts are the subject of reports provided separately.

The illegal trade in timber and timber products leads to economic losses in many countries as well as environmental degradation. International policy exists to curtail some of the trade, but there are still clandestine operations by large organisations and criminal networks. This report examines the scale of the illegal timber trade in the Asia-Pacific region, encompassing the processes and current trends in logging, sourcing, trafficking, manufacturing, importing and consumption of illegal timber and timber products. Assessments of countries' timber resources, extent of illegal logging, policies and legislation, and enforcement initiatives show the efficacy of local, regional, national and international legislative frameworks and actions to suppress illegal trade. The report highlights the need for cooperative policies and regulations between countries to resolve sovereignty issues, share information and develop standards. Issues addressing monitoring the transit of timber and timber products would identify weaknesses in governance, laws, policies and enforcement. Potential research that identifies the causes of the trade, economic dimensions and legal frameworks combined with government intelligence would inform policymaking.

Internationally, Australia has the most developed heritage jurisprudence because of the use of the World Heritage Convention in Federal and State disputes, and at the State and Territory level, the laws have achieved a rare consistency across the jurisdictions. Until now, however, there has been no comprehensive treatment of this subject. Heritage Law in Australia fills this gap. It is a clear and concise text that will be of use to anyone wanting a general overview of the development of heritage law in Australia. The text offers a systematic analysis of the range of natural and cultural heritage law by discussing heritage law not only by reference to a limited sets of Acts of the Australian Parliaments, the Heritage Acts, but as illustrating what is happening more generally in environmental law and regulation.