Western Australia has proposed regulations that would allow companies to apply to have the state government act as the sole environmental decision-maker for their projects.
With South Australian government backing, The Nature Conservancy is examining ways to make wetlands restoration financially viable, partly by earning ERF carbon credits, and by establishing a 'blue carbon' insurance fund.
The NSW Nature Conservation Council has rebuked the state government for suspending proposed changes to its biodiversity offsets regime, accusing it of caving-in to developers.
A new federal strategy that will pick 100 threatened species for special intervention has been challenged by environment groups, with WWF calling for a broader 'zero extinctions' approach.
Environmentalists have warned industry not to use native timber sourced from VicForests, as they prepare to go to the High Court over a Federal Court decision today in favour of the logging agency.
Existing laws are "more than capable" of underpinning litigation against companies and directors over biodiversity loss, according to MinterEllison partner Sarah Barker.
The government's own advisory body on threatened species has doubts about a government EPBC Bill, and Australia's peak organisation for environmental lawyers says it is too flawed to pass.
Developers in NSW that want to transfer their biodiversity offset liabilities to the state government will have to ask for a quote for the service, under proposed changes.
It will be difficult to design national standards that can simultaneously ensure laws, policies and individual projects lead to better conservation results, law firm Clayton Utz has cautioned.