Environmental Policies
Roadside Vegetation Conservation Position Statement
As outlined in this Position Statement, the Wildflower Society maintains that roadside vegetation provides an economic, as well as conservation and cultural, benefit to the Western Australian economy and road reserve managers have a responsibility to maintain roadsides to maximise all those benefits.
Position Paper: Prescribed burning and the sustainable management of ecosystems in Western Australia
This Position Paper is relevant to south-western Western Australia including the Swan Coastal Plain, Wheatbelt, Great Southern, Goldfields and adjacent regions. Western Australia’s arid lands and the Kimberley are not considered here, as these areas have very different fire ecologies, issues and challenges. The WSWA recognises that fire is an integral part of the landscape and environment of Western Australia, has been present, at varying frequencies, intensities, seasons and extent for a very long time, and is an important tool for managing the incidence, extent and severity of wildfire and the health and integrity of natural ecosystems. The WSWA is concerned that Prescribed burning as currently used in south-western Western Australia is too blunt an instrument for the management of wildfire and protection of human and environmental assets.
Position Statement on Renewable Energy and Native Vegetation
As detailed in this Position Statement, the Society is opposed to the clearing of native vegetation for the purpose of constructing and operating renewable energy facilities, such as wind and solar farms, dams and bioenergy plants, and their attendant infrastructure including power transmission lines.
Position Statement on Mountain Bike Trails
In Western Australia, the Conservation Estate is a collective term which includes national parks, conservation parks and nature reserves. These reserves contain the State’s most significant natural and cultural heritage assets. Mountain bike riding is of growing popularity and as a consequence, the WSWA is concerned that mountain bike trails when established in native vegetation in the Conservation Estate cause a number of unacceptable environmental, social and cultural impacts.
Position Statement on Native Vegetation
As you will see in this Position Statement, the Society calls on the Western Australian Parliament to halt the continuing over-clearing of native vegetation in the southwest of Western Australia.
Principles of Flora Conservation
The Wildflower Society of WA believes that the conservation of our remaining bushland heritage is of paramount importance. The philosophy of conservation of the beautiful and unique wildflowers of the West is encapsulated in these ten principles of flora conservation. They were officially adopted by the Society at its 1991 State Conference with minor changes since. These principles remain as relevant today as they did in 1991.
Environmental Offsets Policy
The Wildflower Society of WA is concerned at public policy attempts to use environmental offset conditions in development approvals to implement “no net loss” principle and “net environmental benefit” goal biodiversity outcomes. The Society considers the clearing of native vegetation communities can only result in a ‘net loss’ of biodiversity conservation in our State that cannot be replicated through rehabilitation or revegetation offsets. The Society does not consider it possible to fully re-establish specific ecosystems due to their complexity and diversity.
Revegetation Policy (including Seed Collecting and Usage)
The Wildflower Society of WA believes that the natural WA landscape is a valuable asset worth of protection and conservation. The aim of this policy is to provide a set of standards and guidelines to encourage the preservation and regeneration of indigenous vegetation.