WA Compliance Context — DPLH Heritage Register & NatureMap

This article explains the key Western Australian government registers and legislative obligations relevant to ecological and heritage consultants, and how TerraSitu is configured to support compliance.

DPLH Aboriginal Heritage Register

What it is: The Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) maintains the register of Aboriginal heritage sites in Western Australia under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972. Unlike some other states, access to the register is publicly available via the Aboriginal Heritage Enquiry System (AHES), though the level of detail provided for sensitive sites is restricted.

Legislative basis: The Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (WA) is one of Australia's oldest heritage protection statutes. It creates significant obligations on landowners and project proponents — disturbing a registered site without ministerial consent is a serious offence. The Act requires due diligence surveys before ground-disturbing activities.

When surveys are required: Section 18 consents are required before disturbing land that may contain Aboriginal heritage. Heritage surveys — typically conducted by specialist consultants with engagement from relevant Aboriginal groups — inform the Section 18 application process.

How TerraSitu helps: Heritage observation forms include fields for site type (artefact, rock art, grindstone, mythological site, etc.), condition, sensitivity, and Traditional Owner group consultation status. The AHES Sites reference layer is available under Settings → Reference Layers and displays known registered places. Export via Reports → Export → AHES CSV generates a register table compatible with DPLH submission requirements.

WA Heritage Act 2018

What it is: The Heritage Act 2018 replaced the former Heritage of Western Australia Act 1990. It establishes the State Register of Heritage Places, maintained by the Heritage Council of WA. The register covers built heritage, cultural landscapes, and archaeological sites of State significance.

When it's relevant: Development affecting a State Registered Place requires assessment by the Heritage Council and potentially a referral under Section 18. Consultants conducting heritage surveys near registered places should check proximity to the State Register before fieldwork.

How TerraSitu helps: The WA State Heritage Register reference layer is available to enable on projects. Proximity alerts notify field researchers when observations are recorded within a set buffer of a registered place.

NatureMap — Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016

What it is: NatureMap is the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions' (DBCA) spatial database of flora and fauna occurrence records for Western Australia. It is the primary repository for biodiversity survey data and informs species distribution modelling, conservation planning, and environmental impact assessments.

Legislative basis: The Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (WA) replaced the former Wildlife Conservation Act 1950. It governs the protection of threatened and priority flora and fauna and requires rigorous survey effort for valid records to be submitted to NatureMap.

What NatureMap requires: Records must include species name (as per the WA Flora Census or DPaW fauna checklist), survey method, effort, coordinates accurate to the method, and observer details. Priority Flora records have additional requirements including voucher specimen information.

How TerraSitu helps: WA ecology form templates include NatureMap submission fields. The species autocomplete includes WA Threatened and Priority Flora/Fauna lists, and conservation status alerts fire for Threatened species under the BC Act. Export via Reports → Export → NatureMap CSV generates a submission-ready file. The WA Priority Flora and Threatened Fauna reference layers are available for project maps.

EPBC Act (Commonwealth)

Western Australian surveys are also subject to Commonwealth EPBC Act obligations for matters of national environmental significance. When a species listed under the EPBC Act is recorded, TerraSitu displays a status alert and includes the species in the EPBC threatened species table in your reports. See VIC Compliance Context for a general description of EPBC obligations — these apply equally in WA.

Enabling WA Reference Layers

1. Open the project and go to the Map tab
2. Click Layers → Reference Layers
3. Enable: AHES Sites, WA State Heritage Register, NatureMap Threatened/Priority Flora, NatureMap Threatened Fauna, and Bush Forever sites where relevant
4. Set WA layers as project defaults under Settings → Reference Layers → WA Defaults