BDAR Waiver (NSW)

A BDAR Waiver in New South Wales (NSW) refers to an exemption from the requirement to prepare a Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR) as part of a development application.

What is a BDAR?

A BDAR is a technical ecological assessment required under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW). It assesses the impact of a development on biodiversity values, particularly threatened species, ecological communities, and their habitats. A BDAR must be prepared by an accredited assessor and submitted to the NSW Department of Planning or local council as part of the development approval process.

What is a BDAR Waiver?

Why would you need a BDAR Waiver?

You may need a BDAR Waiver if your project technically triggers the BOS threshold, but you believe that:

Minimal impact will occur to biodiversity values, and
A full BDAR would be disproportionate or unnecessary to the scale of the impacts.

This can save time and money in the assessment process.

When might a BDAR Waiver be granted?

You may be eligible for a BDAR Waiver if:

The mapped Biodiversity Values Map (BVM) includes part of your land, but the area of actual impact is outside high-value habitat or limited in scope.
The proposal involves minor or routine land use, such as:
Minor boundary adjustments
Infrastructure maintenance
Low-scale developments with little or no clearing
The biodiversity impact is negligible or very low (even though technically within a mapped biodiversity area)

Each waiver request is assessed on a case-by-case basis, and must be formally applied for via the NSW DCCEEW.

How to Apply for a BDAR Waiver

Prepare supporting documentation, such as:
- A site plan
- Description of the proposed activity
- Preliminary ecological assessment or justification of low impact
Submit your request to DCCEEW
- There may be a fee associated
- Online through the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme portal