A permit is required to undertake activities that involve the taking or disturbing of threatened species of fauna listed under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (TSPA). 'Take' is defined in the TSPA as kill, injure, pursue, catch, damage, destroy and collect.
A permit is required to undertake activities that involve the take, possession and release of wildlife and/or the take, possession and disposal of products of wildlife scheduled under the Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulations 2021 (NCWR).
Protected wildlife includes:
all rare and threatened species
most native vertebrates and their products
some introduced vertebrates
some native invertebrates
all animals and their products on reserved land
Wildlife products include:
the dead bodies, and parts of the dead bodies, of that form of wildlife
any material or thing obtained from the bodies or dead bodies of that form of wildlife
any eggs of that form of wildlife
any nests of that form of wildlife
Assessment of Permit Applications
Applicants should allow 20 business days for an application to be assessed and processed. Permits will generally not be issued until other approval requirements are obtained.
Considerations prior to making an application
Proposed scientific research must demonstrate an ability to assist in the conservation or management of a native species, increase the understanding of human health or increase the understanding of Tasmania’s ecology.
When proposing to undertake research on threatened species, the application must also demonstrate that research objectives cannot be achieved through research on more common native species.
Removal and/or disturbance of native animals from the wild should be ecologically sustainable, i.e., it will not threaten the species viability or genetic integrity, or threaten rare, restricted or localised populations. The preference is to use captive-bred animals where possible for research. If not feasible or possible, minimal numbers of wildlife should be used.
Animal Ethics Committee approval
If you are intending to take or disturb living vertebrate or higher invertebrate wildlife then you must have Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) approval from an institution licensed under the Tasmanian Animal Welfare Act 1993. This AEC approval process is managed separately from the scientific research permit approval process and is applied for separately.
A copy of the AEC approval (with any associated conditions) and the AEC application must accompany the permit application. A permit application may be rejected if the research does not meet the guidelines for scientific research in Tasmania.
Licensed institutions
Animal research in Tasmania can only be conducted by institutions licensed by the Minister for Primary Industries and Water. Researchers, particularly Australian mainland researchers, must ensure their institution is licensed. If you don’t have access to an Animal Ethics Committee that is licensed under the Animal Welfare Act 1993, you can apply to the NRE Tas Animal Ethics Committee.
For more details and contacts see the Biosecurity Tasmania web page on Animal Research.
How do I apply?
Complete the Permitting for Scientific Research Activities for Fauna Application Form to apply. This application form includes a factsheet for guidance purposes. Please note that as part of the process for issuing scientific research permits for fauna, the community is invited to view and comment upon certain permit applications. These Project summaries are listed on the NRE Tas website:
Scientific Permits (Fauna) Applications for Public Comment, for a period of two weeks.
Permit applications must be made using the form below and with all associated information requested attached.
Permitting for Scientific Research Activities for Fauna for an Individual Fact Sheet and Application (PDF 810Kb)
A Permit Summary Form must be completed in conjunction with the Scientific Permit Application Form.
Scientific Permit Application - Project Summary
(49Kb)
A scientific permit report is normally required as a condition of a scientific permit.
Scientific Permit Report (33Kb)
Data on the species collected under a scientific permit is normally required as a condition of the permit. A Natural Values Atlas (NVA) spreadsheet for submitting this data can be downloaded from the
Natural Values Atlas or contacting the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas).
Impacts to Aboriginal and Historic heritage
Aboriginal and Historic heritage must be considered before any ground disturbing works. Failure to demonstrate due diligence or to gain appropriate approvals may result in substantial penalties in the event that Aboriginal or historic heritage is impacted. See Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania or Heritage Tasmania for more information about your obligations.
Fish
If you are collecting freshwater fish or marine fish (including marine invertebrates) you will need a separate permit.
Contact the
Inland Fisheries Service for all permits to take freshwater fish.
To collect any fish from marine State waters, including invertebrates and plant species, contact Fisheries Permits. If these species are threatened you will still need a scientific permit in addition. The fishery permit application form and further information is available on the fishing
Permit Activities page.
Export
To remove protected wildlife or wildlife products from Tasmania requires an export permit.
Import
To bring threatened species or protected wildlife into the State of Tasmania, several permits may be required.
Information on the requirements for importing fauna can be found on the
Importing Fauna webpage.