Native vegetation

Submission to biodiversity legislation review (September 2014)
Final report - Listing Yellow Mimosa as a feral native species (April 2013)

Submission to biodiversity legislation review

The Commission provided a submission to the Independent Biodiversity Legislation Review Panel. This submission presents the Commission's thinking to date on the Independent Panel's review of the Native Vegetation Act 2003, Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and related biodiversity legislation, policies and programs.

Feral native species listing

In 2013, the then Minister for the Environment requested the Commission to provide advice on the proposed listing of Yellow Mimosa (Vachellia farnesiana) as a feral native species in the then Border Rivers-Gwydir, Namoi and Central West Catchment Management Authorities (CMA) regions, as well as across all of NSW.

The Commission provided its final report to the Minister recommending that Yellow Mimosa be listed as a feral native species in these regions and across the state.

Reasons to list Yellow Mimosa include:

• it is found outside of its ‘natural range’ as defined in the Native Vegetation Regulation 2005
• it is likely impacting both environmental and economic values in a negative way, for example, potentially reducing habitat quality, increasing soil erosion and causing economic loss to agricultural production
• it needs to be contained before it can establish in new areas and becomes widespread
• improved control will likely deliver environmental and economic benefits to landholders and NSW.

The Commission's report also provides advice on other issues that were raised by stakeholders. For example, expanding or replacing the current decision rule to define native vegetation and ensuring current and future regulation and strategies for both native and non-native weeds contribute to agreed whole-of-government outcomes for weed management, in particular for new and emerging weeds.

The Minister announced on 30 August 2013 that Yellow Mimosa has been listed as a feral native plant species under native vegetation regulations. This decision was based on the Commission's recommendations.