The Animal Justice Party recognises wild animals as individuals with
unique needs, and believes that humanity has a duty to allow them to
live their lives unimpeded and unharmed by human actions to the greatest
extent possible. We support proactive measures to protect species and
their habitats and to reduce or mitigate human impacts by tackling the
drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem decline.
- Halt further wildlife habitat destruction and fragmentation by
prohibiting native forest logging and land clearing for agriculture
(especially animal agriculture). - Take proactive measures, including provision of financial
incentives, to restore and preserve functional ecosystems through
rewilding. - Ensure that adequate and secure funding is provided to government
agencies in all jurisdictions to properly enforce wildlife
protection laws and take proactive, effective and prompt measures to
protect threatened species and ecological communities. - Amend wildlife protection legislation to remove exemptions that
currently allow the killing and injuring of wild animals for damage
mitigation and fund research into the development of
wildlife-friendly methods of crop protection. - Remove other exemptions that allow harm to be caused to native
wildlife for commercial activities (*e.g.* forestry, kangaroo
killing, development and animal agriculture) as well as research and
recreation, and include an enforceable duty of care towards animals
on a landholder’s property during all land use changes. - Reduce the alarming mortality rate of native species killed on roads
by reducing speed limits; avoid the building of roads through
wildlife habitat; invest in the research and development of
appropriate technologies to separate wildlife from traffic; impose
severe penalties for intentional collisions; introduce
wildlife-sensitive components in driver education and training
programs; and create a legal duty of care to assist wild animals
injured, orphaned or displaced (see Wildlife Care policy). - Introduce standards for built environments and infrastructure to
make them safe for wildlife (*e.g.* wildlife-friendly fencing and
netting, wildlife bridges and tunnels) and to prohibit structures,
equipment, substances and practices that are known to pose risks to
wildlife (*e.g. *barbed wire and cluster fencing). - Introduce comprehensive education programs in order to foster an
appreciation of and respect for wildlife, and address animal
cruelty, exploitation, ignorance and short-sighted government
policies. - Support and fund wildlife care organisations as a means to mitigate
harm (see Wildlife Care policy). - Encourage and support sustainable, ethical and respectful
wildlife-based tourism in Australia.