About the Conservation Regulator

Our responsibilities

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

We oversee these regulatory functions by:

• monitoring compliance with relevant laws, investigating alleged breaches of these laws and taking enforcement action where appropriate.
• issuing licences, permits and authorisations to manage and protect Victoria’s forests and wildlife.
• encouraging voluntary compliance through educating the community about the laws governing biodiversity, public land and wildlife in Victoria.

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 biannual 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 2025 – 2027 are:

• Illegal campfires
• Illegal take of firewood
• Cruelty to wildlife
• Protection of threatened species
• Illegal vehicle use.

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.

Transfer of Parks Victoria regulatory functions to the Conservation Regulator

From 1 July 2026, in line with the Victorian Government’s response to the Independent Review of the Public Service (Silver Review), Parks Victoria environmental regulatory functions will transfer to the Conservation Regulator.

This will improve regulatory efficiency and consistency across both DEECA and Parks Victoria managed public land.

Parks Victoria Authorised Officers and Authorised Rangers will remain the primary day-to-day in-field presence on the Parks Victoria estate, including undertaking community engagement and education and low-level compliance activities.

The Conservation Regulator will prioritise regulatory activity across DEECA and Parks Victoria managed land, focusing on preventing and addressing serious forest and wildlife crime.

Careers at the Conservation Regulator

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

Visit Careers at Conservation Regulator(opens in a new window)