From biodiversity to bioperversity: from good science to poor environmental policy

Abstract

While Australia is one of the world leaders in conservation biology, it is not in conservation policy. Proposed socalled policy “reforms” in environmental policy will undermine many of the important gains made in conservation management. Here I outline four retrogressive policy changes proposed or currently taking place in eastern Australian states. These range from branding climate research as “post-normal” science through to grazing of alpine environments to reduce “blazing” despite overwhelming evidence that it has no such effect. Conservation scientists will need to work extremely hard to communicate their science and underscore the need for scientific data to underpin truly evidencebased conservation policy and evidence-based conservation management. The consequences of failing to do so will be an ongoing decline in the quality of environmental policies and impaired environmental and conservation outcomes.