The Draft Fire Management Plan states that it "defines objectives for ecological fire management and the protection of life and property, particularly in relation to visitors and adjacent landholders."

While the Plan provides comprehensive detail for the protection of life and property, the Society believes that it has failed to adequately cover some of the over arching principles necessary for the ecological fire management of public reserves that are dedicated to the conservation and protection of native species, populations, communities and habitats. The Society has provided the following specific comments to help to improve the scientific credibility and ecological focus of this document.

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The Nature Conservation Society has grave concerns regarding the processes and scientific methodologies used to develop the document, Seeking a Balance: Conservation and resource use in the Northern Flinders Ranges. In particular the Society has concerns about the validity, transparency and accountability of the methods utilised to produce this report and the adequacy and appropriateness of the data used to determine the proposed management zones.  This document has omitted a variety of critical and essential steps that form the basis of an unbiased and scientifically sound planning document.

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We are extremely disappointed with the approach taken to biodiversity protection and management throughout the Olympic Dam Expansion Environmental Impact Statement – whilst some token efforts have been made to reduce impacts, there is no commitment to voluntarily create any non-compulsory environmental benefits to offset the monumental and far reaching impacts of the mine.  This is completely at odds with the biodiversity commitments made by BHPBilliton in 2007/08, including the commitment to: “Manage our projects, operations and activities in a manner that supports and encourages positive biodiversity outcomes “ 

We welcome the opportunity to provide comment on the draft biodiversity strategy and wish to acknowledge the good intentions of the Australian Government, State and Territory Governments and the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council in developing it. Although we enthusiastically support the purpose of the strategy, in our view, the strategy shies away from opportunities to improve the way biodiversity is protected and managed in Australia.