Assessing and categorising threatened species

A species or an ecological community is threatened if it's at risk of becoming extinct. The Nature Conservation Act 2014 explains how to identify and protect threatened plants, animals and environments in Australia.

Common Assessment Method

The Common Assessment Method (CAM) is a standard way to assess and categorise threatened species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).

Each state and territory have its own list of threatened species. Sometimes, a species can have the same status in different areas. This may mean that, after a national assessment, some threatened species in the ACT may be listed with the same status as those in other parts of Australia.

ACT threatened species

The Nature Conservation Threatened Native Species List lists the ACT's threatened species. They can be assessed, listed and categorised nationally as:

• extinct
• extinct in the wild
• critically endangered
• endangered
• vulnerable
• conservation dependent.

A native species in the ACT may be listed in one of the regional categories if it doesn’t meet the national listing criteria of:

• regionally threatened
• regionally conservation dependent
• provisional.

ACT threatened ecological communities

An ecological community in the ACT may be listed in one of these categories:

• Collapsed
• Critically Endangered
• Endangered
• Vulnerable
• Provisional

Key threatening processes

Under the Nature Conservation Act 2014, there are recognised key threatening processes that meet the criterion of adversely affecting two or more threatened native species.

Loss of mature native trees and lack of recruitment

The loss of mature native trees [PDF 6.3 MB], particularly hollow-bearing trees, is a key threatening process. These mature trees are essential habitats for various wildlife, including mammals, reptiles, and birds, which use the hollows for nesting and shelter. The formation of hollows is a slow process, often taking over 120 years in eucalypt trees. Urbanisation and land clearing in the ACT region have led to a significant decline in these trees, intensifying competition for nesting sites. Species like the Superb parrot face challenges in survival due to the lack of hollow-bearing trees and need stronger protections to thrive.

Unnatural Fragmentation of Habitats

Unnatural Fragmentation of Habitat means breaking up natural areas in a way that harms plants and animals, making them more likely to die out than they would naturally. This problem affects different types of plants and animals, as well as entire ecosystems, in both land and water environments. It is seen in suburbs, rural areas, and nature reserves, and leads to a loss of connections between habitats.

There is evidence that this problem is happening in the ACT and surrounding areas, especially in places where there is development and farming. A Conservation Advice is provided with the goal of stopping further fragmentation and, when possible, improving connections between habitat areas in the Australian Capital Territory.

Nominations

The ACT Scientific Committee advises the Minister for the Environment and Heritage on threatened species and ecological threats in the ACT.

Any person or organisation may make a nomination to the ACT Scientific Committee requesting that the Committee assess a species, ecological community or threatening process for listing. The criteria for listing threatened species and ecological communities are based on the re based on the equivalent International Union for Conservation Nature (IUCN) criteria and are published in these instruments:

• Threatened Native Species Eligibility Criteria
• Threatened Ecological Communities Eligibility Criteria
• Key Threatening Processes Eligibility Criteria

For more information about making a nomination, contact the ACT Scientific Committee.

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