Mechanisms for improved integration of biodiversity conservation in regional NRM planning within Australia: literature review

A literature review prepared as part of a project to identify how the Commonwealth might assist regions in integrating biodiversity conservation into catchment and regional planning aimed to identify a set of criteria for evaluating effective mechanisms. In particular, the review considered the effects of making catchment and sub-catchment areas responsible for delivering natural resource management (NRM) outcomes, the increasing trend towards evaluating NRM investment opportunities against targets, and the growing recognition that support for biodiversity conservation is of fundamental importance to landscape management, agricultural production and the provision of ecological services. A number of deficiencies in current planning processes were identified including a lack of reference to biodiversity per se, and a failure to address 'head of power' issues, resolve institutional complexities, or align public and private sector activities. The review also revealed that there were a lot of blockers for biodiversity conservation, but few drivers. The review concluded that the effectiveness of integrating biodiversity conservation into NRM plans can be assessed against a range of criteria broadly grouped as information dissemination mechanisms, incentive mechanisms, the institutional framework and planning processes.