Bioregional planning
The Australian and Queensland governments are working together on ways to better manage the environment in specific areas of Queensland.
Part of this work involves planning to protect biodiversity (including threatened species), world and national heritage areas, and areas of cultural significance.
In Queensland, we call this process bioregional planning.
Bioregional planning will focus on the impacts of particular development across a region (rather than just from individual projects).
We are in the preliminary stages of developing pilot bioregional plans that support sustainable development and provide the community and industry with greater certainty by:
- better protecting areas that matter the most for the environment
- developing information to support decisions about where projects should and should not happen
- allowing for faster development decisions for industry and removing duplicate assessment under Australian Government environmental laws
- enabling targeted investment in restoration and other environmental projects
- making Queensland an even more attractive investment location.
The first three bioregional plans in Queensland will be developed in a:
- Southeast Queensland location with a focus on urban development
- North or Far North Queensland location with a focus on renewable energy
- Western Queensland location with a focus on critical minerals.
The proposed locations of these pilot bioregional plans are currently being refined.
How bioregional plans are being developed
Bioregional plans:
- are different from Queensland’s statutory regional plans under the Planning Act 2016 and Regional Planning Interests Act 2014
- will align with ShapingSEQ 2023, the Queensland Critical Minerals Strategy and the Renewable Energy Zone Roadmap – all of which recognise bioregional planning as contributing to their implementation
- will be informed by scientific expertise, First Nations’ knowledge and community values relating to land use
- will be developed in the context of targeted developments such as urban expansion, renewable energy facilities or critical mineral projects.
Developing a bioregional plan will be a collaborative process involving a variety of stakeholders relevant to the location of each plan, including:
- the local community
- First Nations peoples
- local governments
- environmental groups
- business and industry
- natural resource management organisations
- technical experts
- Queensland and Australian government departments.
Developing bioregional plans will involve:
- collating information about, and setting objectives for, biodiversity, social, cultural and economic values
- understanding key factors required for environmental sustainability in the region
- testing various development scenarios to understand the impacts on important values in the region
- developing zones where state and Australian government environmental approvals for certain activities could be streamlined, and others where certain development would be prohibited
- developing conditions that would apply to those activities that will benefit from streamlined approvals
- public consultation on a draft plan
- release of a final plan once approved by the relevant Queensland and Australian government ministers.
The Queensland Government has developed a draft methodology for mapping and modelling environmental values and development pressures, which will underpin the bioregional plans and ensure they meet the Australian Government’s Regional Planning Standard, once set.
During 2024, our focus will be working with key partners, collating relevant information, and further developing the methodology for bioregional planning.
Links to Australian Government environmental law reforms
In response to an independent review of federal environment laws, the Australian Government released the Nature Positive Plan: better for business, better for the environment. This plan recommends using regional planning (referred to as bioregional planning in the Queensland context) to achieve better overall environmental outcomes and faster decisions for business.
Further information on the Australian Government’s regional planning process can be found on their Regional Planning Initiative website.
In December 2022, the Australian and Queensland governments signed a landmark memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together to develop and implement three initial bioregional plans.
Bioregional planning may streamline approval processes by removing assessment under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 when particular development proposals are consistent with a bioregional plan.
The Australian Government is currently consulting on draft National Environmental Standards, including a Regional Planning Standard, and papers outlining the proposed reformed national environment legislation.
Opportunities to get involved
The Queensland Government is working with key partners to set up engagement approaches that suit each location.
We will also be providing regular updates on this website.
If you are interested in receiving information in the future or have further questions, please contact us at: bioregional.planning@des.qld.gov.au