Bioregional planning pilot project in South Australia

Summary

The Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and the South Australian Government are piloting bioregional planning in two areas of South Australia.
The project pilots a landscape-scale planning approach that maps biodiversity values and shows where development is more appropriate and where nature needs protection or restoration.

This page will help you

See the two pilot areas.
Understand how bioregional planning works.
Know who is involved and how data is collected.
Learn what the pilot will deliver.
Confirm what obligations remain unchanged under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act).

Pilot areas

Our two bioregional planning areas are in South Australia’s mid Far North:

Upper Spencer Gulf – Gawler Ranges.
Braemar Province.

These regions contain diverse habitats with nationally threatened species, alongside land uses such as pastoralism and conservation. They are also recognised as important areas for potential renewable energy and critical mineral development.

View a map of the pilot bioregional planning areas.

Objectives

Identify and map important biodiversity values, including matters of national environmental significance under the EPBC Act.
Provide better spatial data and tools for informed decision-making.
Support ecologically sustainable development in priority sectors such as renewables and critical minerals.
Establish a credible, peer-reviewed evidence base for future planning and engagement.

How bioregional planning works

Bioregional planning is a Commonwealth initiative seeking to improve biodiversity outcomes and the efficiency and effectiveness of development assessment processes, through strategic planning. Bioregional planning takes a landscape and/or seascape-scale approach to environmental planning. Bioregional planning is aimed at regions with high biodiversity values where development pressure from a particular industry or sector is forecast. Information and guidance about the environmental values in the region will help proponents minimise their impacts, inform decision making, and guide investment into restoration and conservation activities. Information on how to avoid or mitigate impacts, where feasible, will assist proponents.

How we will work

South Australia is piloting the approach.

Joint governance: The Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and the South Australian Department for Environment and Water (DEW) are working in partnership, with input from First Nations groups, local stakeholders, industry and technical experts.
Field surveys: Surveys will address key data gaps for targeted protected matters under the EPBC Act. These will follow DEW data standards and align with best practice survey methods.
Peer-reviewed outputs: Spatial products (such as species distribution models and biodiversity value maps) will be independently reviewed.
Data sharing: Data and insights will be shared with DCCEEW to support national planning, with appropriate protections for sensitive cultural information.

What this will deliver

Improved biodiversity mapping and information.
Planning information to help governments, industry and communities understand constraints and opportunities earlier.
Stronger evidence to support environmental assessments and more timely decisions.

No changes to land rights and approvals

The outputs of the pilot will guide, rather than bind decisions and will not change current land rights or approvals. Project proponents must still consider protected matters and submit an EPBC Act referral if required. The information provided by the pilot will strengthen the evidence base for proponents and decision-makers.