What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of life forms, including flora and fauna, the genes they contain and the ecosystems in which they live. Australian ecosystems contain many species found nowhere else in the world. Road reserves often contain important biodiversity that is rare in the surrounding landscape.
How does Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) minimise its impact on biodiversity?
Potential impacts on biodiversity are assessed and mitigation measures are proposed as part of environmental assessment required under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
When managing biodiversity, RMS aims to:
- Avoid and minimise impacts first.
- Mitigate impacts where avoidance is not possible.
- Offset where residual impacts cannot be avoided.
Further information on how RMS protects biodiversity can be found in the annual report.