Area management plans
Area Management Plans (AMPs) are a new tool within the vegetation management framework. An AMP is an integrated plan that details the way a landholder or group of landholders will manage native vegetation on their properties. Once it’s approved, clearing carried out under the plan won’t need any further approval under the Vegetation Management Act 1999 (VMA).
An AMP provides landholders with a process to comply with the framework in a way that reduces administrative burden, provides more clarity, certainty and flexibility, whilst not being inconsistent with the current rules and regulations.
An AMP can be created over an area of any size, from one property to a district, to a regional council area, to a bio-region. The only requirement is that the land relevant to the AMP must be contiguous, reasonable steps are taken to inform relevant landholders with the AMP over their land and the AMP must not be inconsistent with State policy for vegetation management and the relevant regional vegetation management code.
An individual landholder, group of landholders or organisation may apply to DERM for approval of a draft AMP or accredit an existing planning document for an area, if the application:
- is in the approved form (PDF, 131K)*
- is signed by the applicant or at least one of multiple applicants
- relates to a single area or contiguous area
- shows that the applicant has given, or taken reasonable steps to give, notice of the application to each owner of the land in the area
- provides the draft AMP or existing planning document
- provides the prescribed fee.
An AMP can either be a specific approved AMP under the VMA or an existing planning document that is accredited as an AMP. DERM may approve a draft AMP or accredit an existing planning document where the details of the AMP ensure the plan would achieve the outcomes required by the regional vegetation management codes.
The AMP must include details of the management intent and management outcomes for vegetation management within the proposed area and the conditions for clearing within the proposed area to achieve the management outcomes. These details can be documented in the AMP in a range of ways, and many different documents can be submitted as AMP’s, including:
- region wide management plans
- existing property management plans
- on ground procedural manuals and industry based best management protocols.
In each case, these documents can be approved as an AMP provided they can ensure that clearing will provide the same outcomes required of the regional vegetation management codes. A Guide for drafting Area Management Plans is available to assist in meeting the assessment requirements.
Following an approval of an AMP or accreditation of an existing planning document, the owner must give notification of that clearing to the department in order to use the AMP as an approval. The notification must:
- be in the approved notification form (PDF, 123K)*
- identify the unique reference for the relevant AMP or planning document
- specify the location and extent of the area proposed to be cleared
- specify the purpose of clearing the vegetation.
There is no requirement for anyone to prepare or submit an AMP. Even when a region-wide AMP is in place over a property, a landholder does not have to use the AMP. Instead they can continue to acquire permits through the normal process, and any existing permits will be unaffected. In some cases a landholder may be able to choose between several AMP’s and decide to clear under the AMP that best suits their needs.
Further detail regarding the requirements and application of AMPs is available in the Fact Sheet V44—Area Management Plans (PDF, 91K)*.
Currently, there are no approved draft AMPs or accredited planning documents.
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Last updated 19 October 2011