More than two thirds of Western Australia's threatened ecological communities (TECs) are ineffectively monitored and protected, with an auditor general's inquiry exposing the state's failure to act under its own conservation laws.
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) has made little progress in monitoring or protecting 72 per cent of TECs, according to the report by Auditor General Caroline Spencer.
Recovery plans were either interim or outdated, with none approved by the environment minister.
The Bunda Bunda Mound Springs on the Dampier Peninsula are considered a threatened ecological community. (Supplied: Shane Hughes)
The report also found it would take more than a century, at the current rate, to assess 390 at-risk communities identified as potentially threatened.
It said 60 of the communities awaiting assessment were in the Kimberley.
Ms Spencer said DCBA lacked the resources and planning to meet its obligations.
She found the department did not have a TEC strategy, and it was unclear if current activities aligned with long-term conservation goals.
Caroline Spencer says DBCA lacks resources to meet its obligations. (ABC News: James Carmody )
The WA Biodiversity Conservation Act was passed in 2016, coming into effect with regulations in 2019.
It allowed the environment minister to list a species or ecological community as threatened.
There have been 65 threatened ecological communities listed across the state.
'Disappointing' outcome
Environs Kimberley executive director Martin Pritchard said the government was not prioritising the environment.
Martin Pritchard says the state government needs to take action. (ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne)
"It's so disappointing the government is choosing not to fund the proper management of these threatened ecological communities to make sure they survive," he said.
"This means we don't know what's happening to these environments.
"Are they being severely impacted by cattle? Is climate change impacting them? Is the extraction of ground water a major threat to them?"
Mr Pritchard said he was "shocked" part of the $2.4 billion operating surplus for 2024-25 could not be used to fund ecological protection.
Poor resourcing
The Montane Heath and Thicket of the Eastern Stirling Range are listed as critically endangered on the state's south coast.
The Eastern Stirling Range Montane Heath and Thicket is a threatened ecological community. (Supplied: Clay Taylor)
University of Western Australia botanist Stephen Hopper said it was time to protect "wonderful natural heritage assets".
"It's simply going to decline and get worse, and that is not just a local problem, it's a national and international challenge," Professor Hopper said.
"If we don't care for now, who's going to?"
He blamed low state and federal government funding, in part, for limiting the DCBA's ability to effectively do its job.
"There are well-meaning people in the department trying to do the best they can," he said.
"They're in this invidious position of not even having the resources to be able to monitor whether the conservation status was going up or down with threatened communities."
Planning being finalised
The DCBA did not confirm whether it had made a formal case for increased funding to implement the Biodiversity Conservation Act.
In a statement, a department spokesperson said it welcomed the auditor general's review.
"Recovery actions for TECs and threatened species are built into broader conservation programs by DBCA and supported by State, Commonwealth, and non-government funding," they said.
"Regional conservation planning is being finalised across all nine DBCA regions, ensuring a consistent, prioritised approach to addressing threats to threatened species and ecological communities."
The spokesperson said recovery plans were prioritised when significant complexities in conservation planning arose.
