Key functions of the Conservation Commission are outlined in the Conservation and Land Management Act (1984) and include:
- To be an advisory and policy development body to the Minister;
- To be a vesting body for all terrestrial conservation areas, including national parks, conservation parks, nature reserves, State forests and timber reserves.
- To submit management plans for vested lands to the Minister for Environment
- To develop policies to protect the State's natural environment and for the appreciation and enjoyment of that environment by the community;
- To promote and facilitate community involvement;
- To advise the Minister on management of native flora and fauna;
- To recommend guidelines for ecotourism;
- To set performance criteria for assessing and auditing the performance of the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and the Forest Products Commission, in carrying out and complying with management plans;
- To advise the Minister on the application of the principles of ecologically sustainable forest management in the management of State forests and timber reserves and forest produce throughout the State; and to commission research for the purposes of its policy development function, with Ministerial approval.
Expanded functions of the Conservation Commission:
