December 2022

This report and position paper from the Royal Society of Victoria (RSV) is released in the context of a new post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework being negotiated under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. The framework will define targets and pathways for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity for the next decade and beyond. Since early 2019, consultation workshops and meetings involving all stakeholders have been organised at the national, regional, and global levels before its planned adoption at the resumed session of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15), scheduled for 7–19 December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.

The paper draws on proceedings from a cross-sector forum involving research expertise, First Nations knowledge holders, policy leaders, catchment management authorities, finance sector leadership and community champions at the RSV on 4 June 2022. It summarises the current state of biodiversity reviews, responses and policies in Victoria in the broader Australian and global context. The aim is to bring stakeholders up to speed with work already underway, and to bring together diverse groups and sectors to meet the goals set out in “Protecting Victoria’s Environment – Biodiversity 2037,” Victoria’s ambitious strategy to halt the decline of our State’s biodiversity and ensure that our natural environment is healthy, valued and actively cared for by everyone.

We seek to generate further discussion, exploration and collaborative action by decision-makers and changemakers across all sectors of Victorian society. The RSV is communicating the recommendations arising from the process to raise awareness of the biodiversity crisis, offer pathways for resolution and identify further work required to inform and enable a positive transformation of Victorians’ relationship with nature.

This RSV paper is independent, authoritative, and evidence-based, seeking practical pathways toward transforming how Victorians think about the natural world and recommending work to conserve and restore our State’s unique biodiversity.

Intended for a broad readership of leaders across the sectors, the Society has developed this paper in consultation with four 2022 RSV Fellows: Ms Judith Downes, Chair of Bank Australia; Mr Damein Bell, Atlantic Fellow for Social Impact; Ms Fern Hames, Director of the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research; and Professor Brendan Wintle, Professor of Conservation Ecology at the University of Melbourne. We thank the RSV’s Councillors and Committee members for their input and guidance, and our peer reviewers from across the sectors represented for their time, expertise and candour in providing critical feedback.