Protecting our environment is crucial. None of our activism or struggle for social justice could take place were it not for the physical environment in which we live and work. The Victorian government has recently issued a plan to protect biodiversity in our State. You can read more about this or make your own submission here: http://haveyoursay.delwp.vic.gov.au/biodiversity-plan
The following is the introduction to the plan:
Victoria’s natural environment is rich, diverse, unique and precious. We treasure the environment not just for its own sake, but for its indispensable value to us as humans. But unfortunately, it is in decline. To continue to enjoy the social, physical and economic benefits of a healthy natural environment we must accept the massive challenge of turning around this decline.
The Victorian Government’s draft biodiversity plan, Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2036, describes a new vision, in which Victoria’s biodiversity is healthy, valued and actively cared for. This will be achieved by fulfilling two goals:
- To encourage more Victorians to value nature, by increasing the number of Victorians spending time enjoying nature, increasing the percentage of Victorian organisations reporting on and managing their performance to support the natural environment, and increasing the number of Victorians who act to protect nature; and
- To ensure that Victoria’s natural environment is healthy, by halting the decline of threatened species and securing the greatest possible number of species in the face of climate change, improving the extent and condition of native habitats, and improving ecological regimes.
The draft plan’s approach to setting targets is to focus on the actions and places in the state where the best, most cost-effective results for biodiversity can be achieved.
The draft plan also has eleven key principles, which have guided its development and will guide its implementation into the future.
To answer the consultation questions in these chapters click here.
Read more about the AJDS’ environmental campaign.