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NatureMapr Data Management and Privacy Policy update

Posted by AaronClausen

 25 Apr 2024

Hi everyone,

We've updated our Data Management and Privacy Policy to include the fact that NatureMapr may provide a secure data feed to approved ecological consultant firms.

Why are we making this change?

One of the primary services provided by many ecological consultant firms are environmental impact assessment reports.

Ensuring these reports contain up to the minute, high quality biodiversity information is of critical importance in ensuring these reports present a complete and accurate picture of the surveyed area.

Going forward, NatureMapr seeks to establish partnerships with professional ecological consultant firms who recognise the importance of including high quality, expert verified biodiversity records in their environmental impact assessment reports.

This move supports and builds upon our mission to empower anybody to report plant or animal information anywhere in Australia and ensure the information gets to the people that need to know about it.

The specific changes are:

Disclosure to approved ecological consultants

We may periodically provide a secure feed of all sighting information to approved ecological consultants under a data usage agreeent.

This will include any records that you report using this service. Approved ecological consultants may use this information to assist with biological surveys, retain important species records, ensure critically endangered specimens are adequately protected and to help inform important development decisions which may potentially threaten particular species of flora or fauna.

4 comments

KMcCue wrote:
   26 Apr 2024
Does approved mean they pay for the privilege?
intouch wrote:
   26 Apr 2024
What is an "approved" ecological consultant? Even the CSIRO is under questioning about its report about emission levels for I think the Beetaloo gas fracking. How do we monitor how they use the information they are able to use?
AaronClausen wrote:
   26 Apr 2024
@KMcCue yes exactly, it will be a paid service provided to ecological consultants who sign a Data Usage Agreement with NatureMapr which basically says they are permitted to use NatureMapr data for inclusion/input into environmental assessment reports only. I.e. Consultants are not permitted to on share the data to other third parties and/or use it for any other purposes.

NatureMapr needs revenue in order to become sustainable and ecological consultants need accurate information. Providing that information is used responsibly within the bounds of a NatureMapr Data Usage Agreement, it's a win win because it means that records submitted by the general public will have another direct pathway to decision makers.
AaronClausen wrote:
   26 Apr 2024
Hi @intouch - "approved" means that they agree to NatureMapr's Data Usage Agreement for the responsible use of the data in environmental impact assessment reports only and that we are comfortable that their practices and procedures align to our values and mission.

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