Contents

• Introduction & The issue 2
• Background 3
• Relevant Legislation 5
• Reflection 11
• Conclusion 14
• Bibliography 15

Description

The biological diversity of a country is the sum of all the species that inhabit it. It includes the plants and animals of the region and the migratory animals that use the country during their migration.
The biological diversity of a country has a number of benefits to the local environment, many of which are still being discovered today. Public attention to this fact is growing, thanks to the efforts of conservationists, agencies such as the UN and a number of non – governmental organizations that help spread awareness about the issue. One of the most noticeable environmental issues in Australia has been that of the decrease in migratory birds of the country and their habitat. Information about wetlands that is used by these birds as a habitat between their migrations from different countries has also gained importance. Various ways in which the wetlands help sustain the flora and fauna of a region have been discovered and made known to the public. Public pressure on the government has also increased, to come up with measures that help maintain the wetlands. However, since migratory birds often travel great distances that spread over many countries, conservation efforts are required from all of these nations. It has been found that a majority of the migratory birds that use Australia as a habitat travel to Japan, China and Korea among other nations. Therefore, the government of Australia has drawn up agreements with these countries for mutual efforts in the conservation of these species and their habitat. These agreements are also in line with international agreements that look at the conservation of migratory birds and wetland protection. Legislation is important since the ecologically rich environments are also rich in other raw materials such as coal, petroleum, etc that draw the attention of industries. Hence, restrictions are important to safeguard against overexploitation of these resources. The central piece of legislation of the Australian government to impose such restrictions and measures is the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC). Therefore, in the report below we shall analyze the environmental law concerning the protection of migratory birds and their habitat. This will require looking into international and domestic laws and the laws that concern all of the stakeholders in the protection of the environment.