Mulgara. Photo by Judy Dunlop/DBCA
On 1 January 2019, the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2018 replaced both the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 and the Sandalwood Act 1929 and their associated regulations.
The Biodiversity Conservation Act and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations protect biodiversity and biodiversity components, including threatened species and threatened ecological communities.
The Biodiversity Conservation Act is currently being reviewed. Please visit our Review of our Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 page.
The Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2018 can be downloaded from the Parliamentary Counsel's Office website.
How do the new Biodiversity Conservation Act and Regulations protect biodiversity?
- The Biodiversity Conservation Act protects Western Australia’s unique native fauna and flora by providing the legal foundation for conserving biodiversity and protecting the natural processes it provides.
- The objects of the Biodiversity Conservation Act are to:
- conserve and protect biodiversity and biodiversity components in the State; and
- promote the ecologically sustainable use of biodiversity components in the State.
- The Biodiversity Conservation Act provides the statutory basis for listing threatened species and threatened ecological communities. More information on the listing process and lists is available on our Threatened species and communities page.
- Under the Act, threatened species and threatened ecological communities receive significant protection with penalties of up to $500,000 or $2.5 million available.
- Information on applying for authorisations to take or disturb threatened species and threatened ecological communities is available on our Protections and approvals page.
- The Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2018 regulate activities involving flora and fauna across the State.
- Information on how to obtain a licence is available from our licences and permits pages.
- Information on the department’s approach to conserving biodiversity is available on our Biodiversity Conservation Framework page.
