Planning and Approvals

Aquatic ecosystems are implicated in any project that directly or indirectly impacts environments where water occurs. Therefore it is important to ensure aquatic biodiversity obligations are understood and implemented to satisfy Commonwealth and State government legislation.

Our services include:

Professional input to assist in the determination of aquatic values along waterways and wetlands, including significant species and listed communities, and where an assessment of the likely or potential impacts to aquatic habitats are required
Preparation of referrals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)
Expert witness statements
Representation in Administrative Appeals Tribunals, eg. VCAT
Independent advice during the design, planning, development and operational phases of projects (eg. where potential and sometimes controversial impacts to aquatic values have been identified)
Advice on how a particular project is to comply with relevant environmental legislation and policy throughout Australia.

Strong working relationships

We maintain excellent working relationships with the following key stakeholders, which assists with effective communication throughout all stages of a project, and facilitates the assessment and approvals process.