Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (National Recovery Plan for the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis)) Instrument 2025
Unauthorised visitationUnauthorised visitation
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Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (National Recovery Plan for the Wollemi Pine (Wollemia nobilis)) Instrument 2025.
Unauthorised visitation
Unauthorised visits to the wild Wollemi Pine population are illegal and have the potential to damage Wollemi Pine individuals (especially seedlings and small juveniles which are very difficult to discern in the understorey), trample and erode fragile soils, and result in further introduction and spread of pathogens that may affect the health and viability of the population. Additionally, following its discovery, the species was at a high risk of damage from illegal collection by unauthorised visitors; however, this risk has declined significantly following the successful cultivation and commercialisation of Wollemi Pine cuttings.
Knowledge of the location of the wild population is restricted to the minimum essential staff. All visits to the population by NSW DCCEEW and NPWS employees, or by other approved persons, are conducted in accordance with the ‘Wollemi Pine Access Strategy’ developed by the Wollemi Pine Recovery Team and NPWS. The strategy details policies and procedures that include site hygiene protocols and within-stand access protocols to mitigate the risk of pathogen introduction or spread, and limit site access to activities critical to the conservation of the species and its habitat. The strategy also includes a requirement for NPWS to maintain a register of all personnel visiting the stands and the purpose of the visits.
Site surveillance is conducted to discourage and detect illegal, unauthorised visitation to the stands, and any breaches of notified closures under the National Parks and Wildlife Regulation 2019 (NPW Regulation) are investigated by NPWS. The known stands of Wollemi Pine are protected under both state and federal legislation, including through the declared AIS and AOBV, which provide legal protection for the Wollemi Pine and its habitat from damage and unauthorised visitation. Further legal protections for the Wollemi Pine are provided via the restriction of access through the AOBV declaration and associated clauses in the BC Regulation.