Our regulatory priorities

Our patrols target all our regulatory priorities and any impacts on the health and wellbeing of our forests and native wildlife. For example, regional patrols align with regional compliance priorities which may include firewood take and theft, litter and dumping and illegal off‑road driving/riding in public land areas.

Illegal campfires

While the weather conditions influenced by recent La Nina conditions have reduced the risk associated with unattended and illegal campfires, the potential harms to the environment and community remains. The risk of unattended or illegal campfires escaping is elevated through the summer months and on windy days. We detect the most illegal campfires during school holiday periods and long weekends from late spring to mid-autumn.

Escaped campfires can quickly turn into large bushfires, risking the destruction of native plants and animals and heritage values, loss of access to public land, loss of personal property, impacts to community infrastructure, and in the worst cases - loss of life.

Visits to Victoria’s forests, parks and reserves are expected to continue increasing and we want to support all Victorians in making the most of public land in a safe and sustainable manner. We are committed to sustaining our efforts to engage and educate Victorians about campfire safety.

We engage with the Victorian community through targeted campaigns, patrols and messaging aimed at raising the awareness of campfire safety and regulations. This year we conducted 488 patrols on weekends and public holidays across the State, during which time 88% of people observed were acting within the law. We issued 60 infringements and detected 581 unattended campfires. The number of unattended campfires is just below the eight-year average but represents a 31% increase from 2022–2023.

In 2023–2024 approximately 50% of all bushfires were caused by unattended campfires. This is consistent with the data captured over the last eight years, which shows unattended campfires have accounted for approximately 45% of all bushfires.

Enforcement in action: 40º and 40 illegal fires on Victoria’s Labour Day long weekend

On Friday 8 March, weekend forecasts of hot, dry conditions prompted authorities to declare Saturday 9 March a day of Total Fire Ban across five weather districts: the South West, Central, Wimmera, North Central, and West and South Gippsland regions.

Despite the extreme fire danger and temperatures peaking around 40 degrees, campsites in these regions were still the busiest in the State, with many campers visiting from Melbourne. During patrols, Authorised Officers provided campers with information and resources on campfire safety and Total Fire Ban rules to ensure they minimised the risk of bushfires.

During state-wide patrols of campsites over the 2024 Labour Day long weekend, Authorised Officers from the Conservation Regulator and Forest Fire Management Victoria detected more than 40 campfires still alight during a Total Fire Ban. This number could have been much higher had officers not intervened to prevent several people from lighting fires during the day.

Authorised Officers also handed out fines and official warnings to campers caught breaching other campfire rules, including leaving their campfires unattended and failing to clear flammable materials for three metres around their fire.

Campers are responsible for being up to date with the latest fire danger ratings and restrictions, especially if a Total Fire Ban is in place, before lighting a campfire or barbecue.

Before leaving home, campers should check weather forecasts and fire warnings, which can be found online through the Bureau of Meteorology, or via the VicEmergency website, app, or hotline on 1800 226 226. And to stay informed about weather conditions and warnings from their campsite, campers should also pack a portable radio and listen to their local station for updates.

It is a serious offence under the Country Fire Authority Act 1958 to light or maintain a fire on a declared day of Total Fire Ban, attracting penalties of up to $46,154 and/or 2 years in prison. Other campfire offences in state forests and parks attract fines of between $577 and $19,231.

Check weather forecasts and fire warnings

• Bureau of Meteorology website(opens in a new window) or app
• VicEmergency website(opens in a new window) or app
• Call 1800 226 226

Illegal take of firewood

In 2023, we launched Taskforce Ironbark with Parks Victoria. Taskforce Ironbark aims to disrupt the illegal firewood trade and minimise impacts on the health of our parks, forests and reserves, while also educating the community and promoting responsible firewood acquisition and consumption.

Taskforce Ironbark is targeting firewood thieves who illegally take commercial quantities of timber from public land. Much of this firewood is then being offered for sale to unsuspecting Victorians. These cases frequently affect areas of high biodiversity and areas of cultural significance as firewood thieves target large old dead standing trees that often provide wildlife habitat.

We know firewood theft occurs across Victoria. In 2023–2024, we received the most reports from the Gippsland, Grampians, Loddon Mallee and Port Phillip regions.

Illegal firewood trade represents a large proportion of all illegal firewood information reports. Forty-four per cent of all reported take of firewood from February until June was identified as having a commercial element either due to volumes taken, equipment used, or intelligence gathered suggesting a link to sale.

In response, Taskforce Ironbark is undertaking a approach on public land to detect and disrupt this illegal activity through a risk-based and intelligence-led approach. Where we know there is widespread illegal cutting, we are focussing our resources on areas where the greatest environmental harm is occurring. The taskforce uses a variety of regulatory approaches to monitor, detect, and investigate firewood crimes which include targeted patrols, use of surveillance cameras and monitoring equipment to detect and record offending on public land.

Operation Centaur: Illegal timber felling and wildlife habitat damage costs Kyneton man

A 39-year-old Kyneton man was convicted and fined $3,000 after pleading guilty to two charges of damaging wildlife habitat and illegally cutting native red stringy-bark trees for timber in the Metcalfe State Forest in September 2022.

Parks Victoria and Conservation Regulator Authorised Officers investigated, with assistance from Victoria Police and the Game Management Authority, after the man was caught on concealed cameras using a chainsaw to illegally cut timber in the forest. The concealed cameras were installed as part of the Parks Victoria-led Operation Centaur, targeting the illegal removal of critical habitat and hollow-bearing trees on public land in the Central Highlands.

When a tree is cut into blocks or fallen and decaying logs are removed from the ground, their habitat values are destroyed.

The Metcalfe State Forest is home to a range of native wildlife that rely on tree hollows for shelter, nesting, and protection from predators, including sugar gliders and yellow-footed antechinus, as well as white-throated treecreepers and Bougainville’s skinks.

Community assistance and information is crucial to investigating environmental crime and we encourage community members to report any illegal cutting or removal of firewood to the Conservation Regulator or Parks Victoria.

Report illegal cutting or removal of firewood

Parks

Parks Victoria 131 963

Forests

Conservation Regulator 136 186

Cruelty to wildlife

The Conservation Regulator opposes any cruelty to wildlife, and we are actively working to address and prevent intentional and significant harm to wildlife. Cruelty can involve continuous inadequate care or treatment of animals that results in their pain, suffering or death.

Examples include holdings of captive wildlife kept in substandard conditions, illegally hunting wildlife, and illegally taking wildlife from the wild, and some breaches of wildlife licences or authorisations.

The Conservation Regulator has five key objectives for the prevention of, and our response to, wildlife cruelty

1 Greater community awareness

Increase understanding of wildlife welfare in the community and improve community, stakeholder and co-regulator reporting

2 Enforcement capability

Ensure our Authorised Officers have the appropriate tools, training and resources to identify, record and respond to instances of animal cruelty

3 Appropriate permissions

Ensure our licences and permits appropriately protect animal welfare

4 Prevent harm

Monitor compliance with licences and permits with a higher risk of cruelty

5 Stakeholder communication

Ensure key stakeholders, including councils, co-regulators, non-government organisations and veterinarians understand our role in preventing cruelty to wildlife and when to refer matters to us

Operation Maitland: Case closed

In 2023-24, we finalised our major investigation into reports of injured and starving koalas at a Cape Bridgewater property in January and February 2020. Approximately 250 koalas were found at the site, and sadly, more than 70 of them were either deceased or required euthanasia. Veterinarian assessment concluded that most of the animals were suffering from severe starvation and dehydration, and many had sustained major or non‑survivable injuries.

In February 2024 the landowner was fined $34,000 without conviction after admitting to wounding, and causing or likely causing unreasonable pain, suffering, and fatal injuries to 70 koalas when he cleared habitat from his Cape Bridgewater property in 2019 and 2020. The 85-year-old man pleaded guilty to four charges under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986, including three for cruelty and one for aggravated cruelty, at the Warrnambool Magistrates’ Court.

The two businesses contracted by the owner were also charged. In November 2023, a forestry and earthmoving business was convicted and fined $79,000 after pleading guilty to five animal cruelty charges, including one of aggravated cruelty. In December 2022, a separate business was fined $20,000 after pleading guilty to one cruelty offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.

In sentencing, Magistrate Lethbridge said that while the man’s actions were “not deliberately cruel”, he failed to meet his “obligations to prevent cruelty to animals. The days have long passed when contractors and farmers can ride roughshod over wildlife”.

Enforcement in action: Cruelty report

Unfortunately, wildlife cruelty can be widespread, but offences vary across the State. In 2023-24, reports of cruelty to possums were more significant in metropolitan areas, often involving poison or illegal and inhumane trapping practices. A concerning incident in Epping involved a southern boobook owl which was stuck in an illegal glue trap in a tree. The bird had to be taken to a wildlife shelter for rehabilitation before it could be released. The sale and use of glue traps for trapping animals is prohibited in Victoria.

In regional Victoria, attacks on eastern grey kangaroos with weapons, dogs and motor vehicles have become a significant concern, with several incidents involving more than 50 kangaroo deaths in 2023-24. In many of these cases, kangaroos were shot but not killed and left suffering with their injuries. We have also seen cases where mothers were killed and their joeys left abandoned.

Disappointingly, cruelty also occurs along our coastline, often towards endangered southern right whales and other marine mammals. In the last year we received reports of private vessels deliberately and accidentally moving at high speeds and nearly colliding with these whales.

There are a range of agencies and regulators who work together to ensure that wildlife in Victoria are appropriately assessed and protected, and that reports of cruelty are considered and investigated. The Conservation Regulator, RSPCA, Animal Welfare Victoria within Agriculture Victoria, and Victoria Police work closely together to prevent and address animal cruelty. Agencies collaborate to ensure the referrals of cases where necessary. There is also an established one-stop shop for reporting wildlife crime through CrimeStoppers. This was recently promoted through the Wildlife crime: It’s your call! CrimeStoppers campaign.

Permissions

An important way the Conservation Regulator promotes wildlife welfare is by issuing a range of wildlife licences, permits and authorities under legislation. We also provide guidance to licence holders and undertake compliance checks to ensure they adhere to required conditions.

In 2023–2024, 88% of applicants applied for licences through our online system, highlighting the value of our digital forms which were launched in 2022. We are continuing to enhance our digital offering, and this year the Conservation Regulator created an online application pathway for Wildlife Shelter and Foster Carer authorisations. We also published further guidance for wildlife shelters and foster carers.

Wildlife licence holders are required by law to keep up-to-date records of all wildlife in their possession. Each year, licence holders must submit an Annual Return form to the Conservation Regulator which details any changes to their collections, including if animals have been acquired, traded, or have died.

This data helps us to understand what wildlife is being held and monitor any trends, such as high death rates or concentrations of dangerous species, such as venomous snakes. We will continue to follow up with licence holders to ensure this obligation is met.

In March 2024, the Conservation Regulator also published an additional three online forms to support the regulatory requirements of wildlife licence permissions holders. This included amendment requests for licensees, the notification of escaped wildlife and the ability to request a new official Record Book. Since the launch of these forms, over 300 entries have been submitted, amounting to approximately 43 per cent of all transactions of this type.

The Conservation Regulator also educates permission holders and the community to increase their understanding of wildlife care and protection. We aim to equip individuals with the tools and knowledge they need to prevent and identify cruelty. Our guidance sets out the minimum care and condition requirements for the health and safety of native animals, as well as protecting people who legally interact with them.

In 2023–2024 we published the following new guidelines

Rehoming Wildlife

Educates individuals on how to legally rehome wildlife, including outlining the licensing requirements to do so

vic.gov.au/rehoming-wildlife

Veterinary Care for Wildlife

Educates vets on when and how they can legally treat sick, injured or abandoned wildlife

vic.gov.au/veterinary-care-wildlife

Permissions we are responsible for

There are many different types of licences and permits issued by the Conservation Regulator, which help ensure safe, legal, and ethical interactions between people and native wildlife.

Authority to Control Wildlife

Allows landholders and land managers who have issues with wildlife causing damage to buildings, pastures, crops, or other property, or which pose risks to human health and safety, to manage these problems. An authority may include permission for lethal and non‑lethal control methods.

Commercial Wildlife Licence

Allows for the commercial use of wildlife, including selling wildlife in pet shops, keeping wildlife in zoos, as well as taxidermy and other processing of wildlife products

Private Wildlife Licence

Allows people to keep wildlife in their private residences

Wildlife Shelter Authorisation and Wildlife Foster Care Authorisation

Allows people to care for and rehabilitate injured, ill, or orphaned wildlife for release back into the wild

Research, Conservation, Management and Nursery Authorisation

Allows people to conduct research where activities may be impacting wildlife, protected flora or fish, but are necessary for improving scientific understanding, such as attaching radio collars to track wildlife

Wildlife Import/Export Permit

Allows people to bring wildlife into or out of Victoria

Forest Produce Licence

Allows individuals and private companies to cut, dig, or take away material from state forests for personal or commercial use

Operation XYLEM: Koala management under authorisations to disturb

Operation Xylem was established to undertake inspections on blue gum plantations to directly observe koala management practices and ensure they were aligned with legal requirements.

There were 55 inspections conducted on plantation companies that had been issued authorities to disturb koalas.

We saw an increase in employee knowledge of the relevant Koala Management Plans and Authorisation to Disturb along with overall koala welfare impacted by blue gum plantations. There was a noticeable improvement in employee knowledge and attitude during inspections with the quality of Proof Safe data and the fact that companies were willing to self-report or report others for non-compliance. There was an increase in individual confidence which in turn created a trusted environment which saw the passing of operational intelligence onto officers during inspections.

Enforcement in action: Melbourne man convicted for “heinous” wildlife cruelty

In addition to issuing wildlife licences and permits, we undertake investigations to ensure licence requirements are being met.

A 38-year-old Melbourne man was convicted, sentenced to an 18-month Community Correction Order, and banned from keeping animals for 10 years after he pleaded guilty to 16 animal cruelty offences for failing to provide food, water, and/or shelter to the wildlife in his care and causing the death or euthanasia of three pythons and two possums from prolonged starvation or dehydration.

The Conservation Regulator investigated the matter following anonymous reports of wildlife welfare and licensing concerns, and executed a search warrant in March 2021 at the man’s home to ensure he was complying with his Commercial Wildlife Licence.

In sentencing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, Presiding Magistrate Howe said the man had committed “horrific offending against native animals that had no way to protect themselves”.

Operation Hudson: Regulating protection of wildlife involved in research

Operation Hudson was a statewide compliance operation aimed at engaging with the holders of research authorisations issued under the Wildlife Act 1975 to ensure they are aware of, and adhering to, their regulatory obligations.

Research authorisations are administered by the Conservation Regulator to allow institutions and individuals to subject wildlife to procedures that have been approved by an Animal Ethics Committee.

In early 2022, the Conservation Regulator revised 14 standard conditions for research authorisations that were implemented to all new Research Authorisations. This presented an opportunity to audit and educate permit holders about their legal obligations and how to comply.

We received 82 notifications from authorisation holders, as per their authorisation conditions, during the operation which included diverse research activity such as pit-fall trapping of reptiles, radio tracking of koalas and marine-mammals surveys using fixed-wing aircraft. Of the 82 notifications received from research institutions, 55% were for surveys of coastal marine mammals.

The Conservation Regulator will continue to monitor and inspect research authorisation holders, prioritising high-risk authorisations, and will investigate any detected non-compliance with research authorisations.

Cruelty operations

In addition to laying 694 charges this year for wildlife cruelty offences, the Conservation Regulator has achieved several significant court outcomes in 2023–2024.

Summary of enforcement action

• 76 Official warnings
• 364 Infringements issued
• 157 Charges heard before a magistrate
• 77 Charges finalised with penalty

Performance measures for regulating the protection of wildlife

Protection of threatened species

The Sharing our Shores campaign on Phillip Island, featured posters designed by local school children to raise awareness about vulnerable wildlife visiting the coast over summer. The campaign led by Phillip Island Nature Parks in partnership with Bass Coast Shire Council and the Conservation Regulator helped educate coastal visitors about sharing the beach safely with wildlife and promoted small actions they could take to support the survival of threatened species, including the threatened, beach-nesting hooded plover.

Biodiversity 2037

environment.vic.gov.au/biodiversity/biodiversity-plan

We also attended and presented at the Island Whale Festival at Phillip Island to educate people about our iconic southern right whales.

Another coastal campaign surrounds the Logans Beach exclusion zone near Warrnambool which is in force until the end of October to protect the endangered Southern right whales from powered watercraft and drones in the only established nursery in south-east Australia. Southern right whales are one of our most interesting species, from the way they whisper to each other to their unique white callosities, and it takes a huge amount of energy for mum to protect and raise her calf, so people are asked to admire from afar to help protect these gentle giants.

For the third year running, we partnered with BirdLife Australia and Parks Victoria for Operation Save our Hoodies (SoHo). This is an initiative educating beach-goers about keeping their distance from hooded plovers and their nests, and taking enforcement action when these rules are broken to support this vulnerable species during their crucial breeding season.

Last breeding season from September 2023 to April 2024, Authorised Officers conducted 260 patrols along the Victorian coast and engaged with more than 1,600 people. In this season, Birdlife monitored 152 breeding pairs along Victoria’s coastline and recorded 61 chicks that survived to become juveniles compared to an estimate of 40 in the previous season.

In promising news, authorities also found more beach-goers doing the right thing, issuing only 32 fines – down from 83 in 2022–2023 – to people for various offences, including disturbing birds and dog owners not complying with rules near hooded plover habitat.

We developed a new program to raise awareness about the small changes people can make to protect wildlife in the wild and in captivity. The Focus Species Program is set for launch in 2024–2025 and will feature six native species that are directly impacted when people don’t follow environmental rules. The Focus Species Program is a scalable initiative, and we hope to create further resources and feature more of our amazing native species in the future.

Taskforce Ironbark has developed a new internal geospatial tool which provides a platform to overlay critical data sets which supports our intelligence-led and risk-based approach. One key feature of the tool is the development of a new Strategic Biodiversity data set which when overlaid with illegal take of firewood reports, gives Authorised Officers the ability to target areas where illegal activity is likely to cause the greatest environmental harm.

Victorian State of the Environment Report 2023: Biodiversity

Victorian State of the Environment Report 2023 shows that biodiversity is declining and more frequent bushfires means more land is below the tolerable fire interval. Habitat loss and degradation, human population, land clearing, environmental weeds and invasive herbivores and predators are major drivers.

Our work is part of government wide effort to reverse this trend as outlined in Biodiversity 2037. Biodiversity 2037 is Victoria’s plan to stop the decline of our native plants and animals and improve our natural environment. Launched in 2017, Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037 (Biodiversity 2037) presents a long-term vision for Victoria’s biodiversity supported by two overarching goals:

• Victorians value nature
• Victoria’s natural environment is healthy.

Of particular relevance to the role of the Conservation Regulator are the following goals:

• Increase the collection of targeted data for evidence-based decision making and make all data more accessible. This has been supported by the Conservation Regulator’s Forest Protection Survey Program and will be supported in the future through the Biodiversity and Threatened Species Survey program.
• Raise the awareness of all Victorians about the importance of the state’s natural environment. This is supported by the educational programs particularly targeting children this year.
• Increase opportunities for all Victorians to have daily connections with nature and act to protect biodiversity. This is supported by our focus on promoting forest use and education on safe and legal practices in our forests and our proactive campaigns including protecting habitat by reducing illegal firewood take.
• Better care for and showcase Victoria’s environmental assets as world-class natural and cultural tourism attractions. This is supported by patrols looking to educate and enforce laws and regulations that protect the environment from bushfires and destructive consequences of dumping, illegal vehicle use.

Illegal vehicle use

You can drive vehicles such as four-wheel drives and trail bikes in state forests so long as you have a licence, follow Victorian road rules, drive only on formed roads and tracks, and not in a way that damages the environment.

Illegal vehicle use is a major issue for state forests due to the impacts it can have on ecosystems, flora and fauna and public safety. The most common types of vehicle-related offending are breaches of seasonal road closures and illegal off-road use of trail bikes and four-wheel drives. Offences are more concentrated between March and October, with approximately a third of observations recorded in the Gippsland region. This year we issued 109 infringements linked to illegal vehicle activity on public land.

We have been working hard to combat illegal vehicle use, through patrols to proactively monitor activity, enforce the rules, and engage and educate members of the public. Collaborative patrols have been carried out in several regions with co-regulators including Victoria Police and Parks Victoria. We also had a presence at several community events, where our aim was to empower individuals to make the right decisions concerning their trail bike and four-wheel drive use when in state forests.

Impact focus: 600+km of unique southwest environment and cultural heritage destroyed by illegal single trail riders

In August 2023, we revealed the devastating effects of illegal off-road motorcycle riding in Victoria’s Anglesea and Otway areas. More than 600 kilometres of illegal single trails have been created in the Great Otway National Park and Otway Forest Park by trail bike riders who are causing irreparable environmental damage and risking the survival of native species and Aboriginal cultural heritage.

Illegal single trails are created when trail bike riders illegally leave formed roads and drive a path through native bushland. The trails often follow established wildlife corridors, revegetated land management paths and mountain bike or walking tracks which are not made for heavy motorbikes. These tracks cause environmental destruction with long-term consequences, including habitat disturbance, soil damage and erosion, spreading weed species and damage to cultural heritage sites. Erosion and unnatural changes to water flows caused by single trails spreads weeds and disease, such as cinnamon fungus, which is increasingly killing native grasstrees across the Anglesea area.

The heathlands near Anglesea are some of the most biodiverse in Victoria and home to a range of threatened species, including several plants found nowhere else in the world, such as Anglesea Leek Orchid, Angahook Caladenia, and Anglesea Large Bearded Greenhood. Riders also seriously risk wildlife welfare by disturbing the paths animals use to move between food, water, and habitat resources.

Vulnerable and endangered marsupials, such as the southern brown bandicoot and the swamp antechinus, are directly impacted by the fragmentation from single tracks, which exposes them to feral predators.

The coastal region is also rich with Indigenous cultural heritage and only a small percentage of historical sites have been recorded. As illegal single tracks are not planned, they have serious potential to damage culturally significant Aboriginal heritage sites and destroy Indigenous artefacts.

Conservation Regulator Authorised Officers target illegal vehicle use year-round by conducting regular patrols across public land and using intelligence-gathering methods such as concealed cameras and community reports.

In Victoria, it is illegal to take a vehicle off formed roads on public land. Anyone caught ignoring these rules faces an on-the-spot fine of $192, and a maximum penalty of $9,615 if prosecuted in court.

Report illegal vehicle use on public land

Call 136 186

Operation Sprocket: Recreational vehicle safety and compliance

Licensed operation of trail bikes and four-wheel-drive vehicles on Victoria’s public land is recognised as a legitimate recreational activity. However, this activity can result in serious trauma because of unsafe behaviours and environmental damage if breaches of laws occur.

Recent crash data showed sustained or elevated levels of trauma and fatalities on gazetted and non-gazetted roads and trails on public land prompting the Conservation Regulator to deliver an intelligence-led engagement and regulation program that included attendance at events and planned patrols. It aimed to complement other Conservation Regulator’s regulatory priorities with the added objective to reduce the number and severity of recreational vehicle crashes, related injuries and environmental harms occurring on Victoria’s State forests, parks, and reserves.

To address these issues, we ran Operation Sprocket from March 2020 to June 2024, with support from the Transport Accident Commission. The mission was to improve trail bike rider safety, and reduce environmental damage caused by illegal trail bike activity in Victoria’s state forests, parks, and reserves.

Through Operation Sprocket we increased our on-ground presence through patrols, engaged with riders at trail bike events and developed education material to decrease injury on public land. Education material developed during Operation Sprocket included Ride for Tomorrow and Ride for the Future materials, tyre pressure gauges and the Personal Location Beacon safety initiative.

A total of 1,525 observations were recorded during Operation Sprocket, adding to our intelligence about the use of vehicles on public land.

The Conservation Regulator will continue to explore proactive educational opportunities for trail bike riders using the road network within the public land estate to promote undertaking these recreational activities safely, sustainability and respectfully and contribute to reducing the number and severity of injuries occurring.

Illegal vehicle enforcement actions

Illegal commercial timber harvesting

Reports of non-compliance and threatened species detections

The Conservation Regulator continued to encourage members of the public to submit reports of alleged non-compliant timber harvesting activities. Community members were able to report threatened species or forest values found in or adjacent to planned timber harvesting locations.

Throughout the year we received eight reports of alleged non-compliance and closed 24 reports. We issued two formal written warnings and one direction for remediation to VicForests.

In 2023–2024, we received and assessed 22 threatened species reports. We processed and closed 142 threatened species reports, and all outstanding investigations relating to timber harvesting compliance and threatened species.

Forest Audit Program

The Conservation Regulator continued to deliver the Forest Audit Program. This maintained our ongoing commitment to independently review timber harvesting operations using an annual, risk‑based approach.

The program measured compliance of commercial timber harvesting operations by auditing a representative sample of coupes harvested in 2023–2024 to assess a range of target themes, including:

• Environmental compliance
• Roading compliance
• Infrastructure compliance
• Coupe planning compliance.

Independent auditors inspected 32 coupes for the 2023 Forest Audit Program. VicForests mean compliance score of 94%, was above the 7-year average of 91% and was a stabilisation of results when compared to the previous financial year. We are confident that improvements in compliance can, in part, be attributed to greater regulatory presence in timber harvesting.

Proactive coupe inspections

With the cessation of native timber harvesting, the Conservation Regulator’s proactive Coupe Inspection Program focused on regeneration and coupe infrastructure, with priority themes of waterway crossings, litter and waste, regeneration and access and roading.

Our commitment was to inspect 30 coupes each year. In 2023–2024, we made an active decision to inspect a significant number of coupes to support the identification of potential legacy issues on previously harvested coupes. We conducted 155 proactive field inspections supported by desktop assessments of over 500 coupes using aerial photography and other datasets relating to timber harvesting. 14 per cent of the 155 coupes were determined to require further assessment and remedial measures to manage the risk of harm to the environment and human safety.

Regulating Victoria’s Native Forests: Victorian Auditor General’s Office report

In October 2022, the Victorian Auditor General’s Office (VAGO) published its report Regulating Victoria’s Native Forests. The report focused on the Conservation Regulator’s approach to responding to community reports submitted via our Forest Reports portal.

The VAGO report made a range of findings about the Conservation Regulator’s approach to regulation and acknowledged the significant progress made since the Regulator’s inception. The report outlined ten recommendations for improvement, which were all approved or approved-in-principle by DEECA.

Eight of ten recommendations were finalised in 2022–2023 and 2023–2024. The final two recommendations have been discontinued as they are no longer relevant given the cessation of commercial native timber harvesting. See Appendix A for details of each recommendation.

Statement of Regulatory Intent for Timber Harvesting Regulation

In 2019, the Conservation Regulator released its Statement of Regulatory Intent for Timber Harvesting Regulation. We committed to publicly reporting on an annual basis on the Statement’s performance measures. Performance measure results for timber harvesting compliance provides an update on each of the measures contained in the statement.

Forest Protection Survey Program

The Forest Protection Survey Program (FPSP) continued to conduct pre-harvest surveys to identify threatened or high-value biodiversity species in areas of state forests scheduled to be harvested. The surveys helped record observations of target species required to be protected by VicForests.

The FPSP operated for over five years, during which time around 105,000 observations of threatened species were made. The success of the FPSP has given rise to the Biodiversity and Threatened Species Survey (BaTSS) program, which will progress towards surveys of areas proposed for the department’s forest and fire land management works.

Performance measure results for timber harvesting compliance

Activity measures for timber harvesting related reports in 2023–2024

Key publications

We published several documents during 2023–2024 to help community and industry members understand where we focus our efforts, and how the public can support compliance and prevent harm from occurring.

Regulatory Priorities

Each year the Conservation Regulator identifies and implements a set of regulatory priorities. These priorities help us ensure our focus is on the greatest environmental risks, and what is most important to the Victorian community.

vic.gov.au/ regulatory-priorities-2024-2025

Rehoming Wildlife Guide

Educates individuals on how to legally rehome wildlife, including outlining the licensing requirements to do so.

vic.gov.au/rehoming-wildlife

Veterinary Care for Wildlife Guide

Educates vets on when and how they can legally treat sick, injured or abandoned wildlife.

vic.gov.au/veterinary-care-wildlife

Dingo fact sheet

Information about the dingo unprotection order in north-west Victoria due to new scientific information about the local dingo population’s imminent risk of extinction

vic.gov.au/dingo-protection-north-west-victoria

Wildlife management plan guidance

Guidance on how to prepare a wildlife management plan

vic.gov.au/preparing-wildlife-management-plan

Systems, processes, and tools

We are always looking for ways to improve our systems, processes, and tools, to enable more effective and efficient regulation. The Conservation Regulator has been working to progressively procure and implement modern business systems, including digitising regulatory interactions where appropriate to reduce unnecessary paperwork and the associated delays.

Projects and status

Licensing system

Procurement of a new licensing system to further improve the administration and the digitisation of our licences and permits.

Status: Underway

Case management system

Our new Case Management System was delivered in 2023–2024. This new system is designed to enhance our efficiency by automating processes and reducing administrative tasks. It will also help improve our investigative practices, collection of intelligence, and support our people to make good regulatory decisions.

Status: Complete

Digital application forms

In 2023–2024 we created an online application pathway for Wildlife Shelter and Foster Carers authorisations. This followed digitalisation of most licence and permit applications, as well as the annual returns form in 2022–2023.

Status: Complete