Legislation & Scientific Committee

This section of the threatened species website is concerned with the laws and regulations that protect threatened species, populations and ecological communities in New South Wales.

Threatened species in NSW: an overview. Are you new to the state's laws and regulations on threatened species? Get a basic introduction here.

Legislation. Find out about the Threatened Species Conservation Act, the Fisheries Management Act and other legislation affecting threatened species in NSW. Get news on recent amendments to these Acts.

Scientific Committee determinations. Two independent scientific committees are responsible for deciding which species should be listed as threatened in NSW. The committees also identify the state's 'key threatening processes'. Find out about the committees, and view all their determinations.

Critical habitat protection. Critical habitats are areas of land that are crucial to the survival of particular threatened species, populations and ecological communities. They are identified and protected by the Department of Environment and Conservation. Find out more, and view the state's critical habitat register.

Enforcing the law in NSW. Find out about the procedures - and penalties - used by the Department of Environment and Conservation in policing the state's threatened species legislation.