Auditor General kicks Victorian Government over biodiversity
This week the Victorian Auditor-General's Office (VAGO) released its report on Victoria’s biodiversity . In a damning report VAGO heavily criticises processes of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning( DELWP ) The major criticisms include : DELWP cannot demonstrate if, or how well, it is halting further decline in Victoria's threatened species populations. Much of the data used in the models is old and likely outdated, and has some critical gaps. This raises questions about the reliability of the modelled outputs and the decisions they support. DELWP’s cost-benefit approach can also miss endangered threatened species at extreme risk of extinction. DELWP has no transparent, risk-based process to prioritise these species for management. Further, DELWP continues to make limited use of available legislative tools to protect threatened species. Funding available to DELWP to protect speci...