Environmental Justice Australia made a submission to the Northern Territory Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security on its draft biodiversity offset policy.
The Territory Government intends the biodiversity offset policy to allow for compensation of impacts on biodiversity at one site by requiring conservation and/or restoration activities elsewhere. It says, ‘when used appropriately, offsets are a tool within the environmental regulatory system that can help minimise environmental harm’.
EJA raised concerns in our submission in relation to the need to: (1) address recent criticisms to state and federal offset schemes; (2) develop a biodiversity strategy to underpin the policy, and (3) more clearly define key elements of the policy.