The environment is fundamental to everyone and every industry in Australia. The ongoing degradation of our natural environment reveals that current management is not working. It faces many threats and requires adaptive active management to achieve sustainability for future generations. Federal environmental laws need to strike the appropriate balance between responsible usage and preservation. The best way to do this is not by ‘locking it away’ and restricting access in the hope of preservation, but to actively manage our landscape to conserve and enhance biodiversity.