Struggling with the Act - Some observations by ecological consultants

This paper explores the influence of the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) and its predecessors upon the assessment of impacts on native fauna. There has been a move away from an overall assessment of impacts upon total biodiversity towards an approach focused on threatened species and communities. For ecological consultants dealing with the TSC Act, interpreting its many requirements can be difficult and can often lead to differences of opinion between the proponents of a development and the Determining Authority. Some of the positive and negative aspects of the TSC Act are described, and it is concluded that there is a large gap between satisfying the requirements of the Act and providing information about the effects of various activities upon the fauna and their habitats.