Wildlife Trade Management Plan for the Commercial Harvest of Kangaroos in New South Wales 2022–26.

Wildlife Trade Management Plan for the Commercial Harvest of Kangaroos in New South Wales 2022–26 (WTMP) was developed by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment and formally approved under section 303FO of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth), thereby acquiring the status of an Approved Wildlife Trade Management Plan. As such, the plan is legally binding for the purposes of authorising the commercial export of kangaroo-derived products from New South Wales, and compliance with its provisions is a statutory requirement for any entity engaged in such trade. The Plan governs the commercial harvest of four macropod species—Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus), Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus), Red Kangaroo (Osphranter rufus), and Common Wallaroo or Euro (Osphranter robustus)—on private and certain public lands, excluding conservation reserves. It establishes a regulatory framework that integrates ecological sustainability, animal welfare, and administrative oversight. The Plan mandates adherence to the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies, and requires scientifically robust population monitoring to inform annual harvest quotas. The WTMP sets out seven strategic aims, including ensuring humane harvesting, maintaining ecological sustainability, promoting transparency, enforcing compliance, and facilitating adaptive management and periodic review. These aims are operationalised through specific management actions and performance indicators, which are subject to audit and enforcement mechanisms. The plan also recognises the cultural significance of kangaroos to Aboriginal communities and encourages respectful engagement and inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in wildlife management. In legal terms, while the plan is not a regulation enacted by Parliament, its approval under the EPBC Act confers upon it a quasi-regulatory character, rendering its provisions enforceable within the scope of Commonwealth environmental law. It functions as a binding instrument for the purposes of wildlife trade authorisation and export control, and its breach may result in administrative or legal sanctions under the EPBC Act.