The Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic) is the primary piece of legislation which establishes the management structure for Victoria's catchments. It establishes:

• the Victorian Catchment Management Council; and
• Regional Catchment Management Authorities ('CMAs').

The Act addresses environmental management on a catchment scale to enhance long-term land productivity and conservation of the environment;

• establishes a system of controls on noxious weeds and pest animals;

• encourages community participation in the management of land and water resources;

• establishes the Victorian Catchment Management Council to advise the Minister;

• establishes Catchment Management Authorities for each catchment and land protection region;

• provides for the creation of regional catchment strategies;

• places obligations upon land owners to conserve soil, protect water resources and avoid causing or contributing to land degradation which causes or may cause damage to land of another land owner (eg. deforestation);

• allows for the Secretary to serve upon land owners a land use condition or a land management notice to prohibit or regulate land use or land management practices or require specific action to be taken to improve land management practices or prevent or minimise land degradation;

• allows for the Minister to issue a priority area notice which sets out the category of noxious weed or pest animal to which the notice applies and the measures to be taken by land owners to control or eradicate them;

• allows the Minister to declare a plant to be a ‘state prohibited weed’, ‘regionally prohibited weed’, ‘regionally controlled weed’ or ‘restricted weed’;

• allows the Minister to declare an animal to be a ‘prohibited pest animal’, ‘controlled pest animal’, ‘regulated pest animal’ or an ‘established pest animal’;

• can require land owner to control ‘noxious weeds’ and ‘pest animals’ or destroy noxious weeds;

• provides mandatory procedures to prevent spread of noxious weeds;

• offence to import, keep or sell pest animals without a permit;

• Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (AustLII)