Permissions

Permits and licences are powerful regulatory tools for preventing harm to wildlife and forest values. We achieve this through effectively assessing applications, applying appropriate conditions, educating permit and licence holders on how to comply, monitoring compliance and taking enforcement action where appropriate.

During the year, we strengthened our guidance for licence holders and land managers by publishing updated and new resources that clarify permissions, responsibilities and minimum standards under wildlife licences. Together, these resources improve clarity and consistency around wildlife permissions, helping licence holders and land managers comply with the law while protecting animal welfare and biodiversity (See Key publications).

Supporting licence holders to report and apply

The use of our online forms has continued to increase, providing a more streamlined application experience for users while enhancing our capacity to meet statutory obligations and support harm prevention. In 2025–2026, 88 per cent of applicants applied for private wildlife licences, Authorities to Control Wildlife and wildlife import and export permits through our online system, further bolstering the value of the online platform.

Each year, licence holders must submit an Annual Return form to the Conservation Regulator which details any changes to their collections, including if animals have been acquired, traded, or have died. Use of the online return form continues to increase.

This data helps us to understand what wildlife is being held and monitor any trends, such as unusual death rates or escapes.

Integrated Flora and Fauna Guarantee and Forest Produce Licence application form

The integrated Flora and Fauna Guarantee and Forest Produce Licence application form was introduced to reduce barriers to compliance and simplify the application process for activities in state forests. Previously, some permit holders were unaware they also needed a licence under the Forests Act 1958, creating risks and delays when separate applications were required. The new approach keeps existing permits valid and streamlines processes to enable both permits to be applied for through a single streamlined form.

Implementation of this process included updates to guidance and a reduction in administrative burden, helping to improve compliance, and make the process simpler for applicants.

Statewide Permission Monitoring Strategy

During 2025–2026, we developed and implemented a Permissions Monitoring and Compliance Strategy to strengthen oversight of wildlife and forest permissions across Victoria. The strategy provides a clear, consistent framework for how permitted activities are monitored, helping ensure licence and permit holders are meeting their conditions and that authorised activities are being carried out safely, lawfully and in line with environmental protections.

The strategy supports the Conservation Regulator’s risk — based and proactive approach to permissions monitoring, enabling us to focus our effort where non — compliance could cause the greatest harm to wildlife, biodiversity or public land. By embedding monitoring into regulatory operations and using insights from inspections and compliance activity, the strategy helps inform future decision — making, improve regulatory practice and promote higher levels of compliance across the permissions system. It also promotes a more coordinated, evidence based approach to monitoring across regions, ensuring regulatory effort is directed where it can deliver the greatest conservation and compliance outcomes.

Permits issued and renewed in 2025–2026

There are many different types of licences and permits issued by the Conservation Regulator, which help ensure safe, legal, and ethical interactions between people and native wildlife.

Permissions we are responsible for include

Authority to Control Wildlife

Issued: 4192

Allows landholders and land managers who have issues with wildlife causing damage to buildings, pastures, crops, or other property, or which pose risks to human health and safety, to manage these problems.

An authority may include permission for lethal and non — lethal control methods.

Commercial Wildlife Licence

• Issued: 54
• Renewed: 230

Allows for the commercial use of wildlife, including selling wildlife in pet shops, keeping wildlife in zoos, as well as taxidermy and other processing of wildlife products.

Private Wildlife Licence

• Issued: 4156
• Renewed: 5707

Allows people to keep wildlife at their private residences.

Wildlife Shelter Authorisation and Wildlife Foster Care Authorisation

• Issued: 89
• Renewed: 172

Allows people to care for and rehabilitate as pets injured, ill, or orphaned wildlife for release back into the wild.

Research, Conservation, Management and Nursery Authorisation

• Issued: 342

Allows people to conduct research where activities may be impacting on wildlife, protected flora or fish, but are necessary for improving scientific understanding, such as attaching radio collars to track wildlife.

Wildlife Import/Export Permit

• Issued: 1645

Allows people to bring wildlife into or out of Victoria.

Forest Produce Licence

Allows individuals and private companies to cut, dig, or take away material from State forests for personal or commercial use.

Cruelty operations

The Conservation Regulator continued to take strong enforcement action against wildlife-related offending in 2025–2026.

Summary of enforcement action

• 157 official warnings
• 324 infringements issued
• 26 persons of interest charged
• 956 charges laid
• 886 charges heard before magistrate
• $127,750 cumulative financial penalty from all court outcomes

Performance measures for regulating the protection of wildlife

* Renewals are completed on a two year cycle, which results in a reduction in renewals every two years