About the Conservation Regulator

Our responsibilities

We are responsible for the regulation of timber harvesting, fire prevention, use of public land, wildlife and biodiversity.

We oversee these regulatory functions by:

• educating the community about the laws governing conservation and environment protection in Victoria
• providing guidance and support to encourage compliance
• monitoring compliance with regulatory requirements and taking enforcement action against non-compliance.

What we aim to achieve

We use regulation to achieve 3 central outcomes. We want to make sure that:

1. Everyone has equitable and safe access to public land and use of natural resources.
2. We protect the natural and heritage elements of our land for future generations to enjoy.
3. Victoria is a place of socially, economically and environmentally sustainable communities.

Regulatory priorities

The annual regulatory priorities support the Conservation Regulator to focus its regulatory efforts on the greatest risks and what is most important to the Victorian environment and community. The Conservation Regulator enforces compliance across all our regulatory responsibilities, however we prioritise effort to our statewide priorities. Our regulatory priorities for 2023–24 are:

• illegal campfires
• illegal take of firewood
• cruelty to wildlife
• protection of threatened species
• illegal commercial timber harvesting
• illegal vehicle use.

Read the Regulatory Priorities 2023–24.

Who we work with

Two of the most important elements of our approach to regulation are collaboration and engagement.

We develop and maintain relationships with communities, Traditional Owners, co-regulators, regulated parties and peak bodies.

These relationships and strong networks help us to conduct risk-based and intelligence-led regulation. The better the information we can gather, the more easily we can identify emerging risks to the environment we protect.

Careers at the Conservation Regulator

Interested in working with us? Explore a rewarding career helping to protect Victoria’s environment here.