Indicator assessment
CONDITION
TREND
DATA QUALITY
In 2023, there were eight critically endangered, 21 endangered, 28 vulnerable and one regionally conservation dependent species in the ACT. During the reporting period (2019–20 to 2022–23), six additional species were listed as threatened, three species were given a higher threat status and only one species was given a lower threat status. There are three ecological communities classed as threatened and two key threatening processes listed in the ACT with the Unnatural Fragmentation of Habitats listed in December 2019. While changes in listings do not necessarily represent a decline, it is clear that the future of some species and communities in the ACT is threatened without management intervention.
CONDITION
Environmental condition is healthy across the ACT, OR pressure likely to have negligible impact on environmental condition/human health.
Environmental condition is neither positive or negative and may be variable across the ACT, OR pressure likely to have limited impact on environmental condition/human health.
Environmental condition is under significant stress, OR pressure likely to have significant impact on environmental condition/ human health.
Data is insufficient to make an assessment of status and trends.
TREND
DATA QUALITY
Adequate high-quality evidence and high level of consensus.
Limited evidence or limited consensus.
Evidence and consensus too low to make an assessment.
Assessments of status, trends and data quality are not appropriate for the indicator.
Threatened species
For information on this indicator see Background: Biodiversity.
In 2023, 58 species of fauna and flora (terrestrial and aquatic) were listed as threatened under the Nature Conservation Act 2014 (Figure 1). Birds, mammals and flora accounted for the majority of threatened species in the ACT. Threatened species include:
- eight critically endangered species, including the Yellow-spotted Bell Frog (Litoria castanea) which is locally extinct
- 21 endangered species, including the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillate) and Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) which are locally extinct in the wild
- 28 vulnerable species, including the Green and Golden Bell Frog (Litoria aurea), Southern Bell Frog (Litoria raniformis) and New Holland Mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae) which are all locally extinct in the wild, and
- one species, the Eastern Bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), which is regionally conservation dependent and locally extinct in the wild.
Figure 1: Number of species listed as threatened under the Nature Conservation Act 2014, 2023.
Data sourced from: Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate.
Notes: Critically endangered: a species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future; Endangered: a species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future; Vulnerable: a species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future; Regionally conservation dependent: either a species of fish and/or the subject of a plan of management that if ended may result in the species becoming threatened.
All local extinctions of amphibian species occurred decades ago and are among the most threatened group of animals in Australia and globally.
Some of the ACT’s threatened fauna species lack wild populations, only occurring in managed sanctuaries. These include the Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus), New Holland Mouse (Pseudomys novaehollandiae), Eastern Bettong (Bettongia gaimardi), Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus obesulus), Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale penicillate) and Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). This is mostly the result of predation by invasive species, as well as the impacts of large fires, climate change and habitat loss.
Over the reporting period (2019-20 to 2022-23), the following changes were made to the ACT’s Threatened Species List:
There were six newly listed species over the reporting period (2019–20 to 2022–23), these are the:
- Gang-gang Cockatoo (Callocephalon fimbriatum) listed as Endangered
- Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper (Keyacris scurra) listed as Endangered
- Mountain Skink (Liopholis montana) listed as Endangered
- White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) listed as Vulnerable
- Yellow-bellied Glider (South-eastern) (Petaurus australis australis) listed as Vulnerable, and
- Pilotbird (Pycnoptilus floccosus) listed as Vulnerable
Three species were given an increased threat status over the reporting period (2019–20 to 2022–23), these are:
- Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis lineata) transferred from Endangered to Critically Endangered — noting that this species was previously listed as the Grassland Earless Dragon (Tympanocryptis pinguicolla). The change in status was due to a taxonomic change resulting in a significantly smaller distribution and an accelerated trajectory of severe decline, severely fragmented subpopulations, decreased habitat, low number of subpopulations and a very high rate of ongoing decline in the number of mature individuals with less than 50 mature individuals estimated in each of the two main populations.
- Southern Greater Glider (Petauroides volans) and Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) transferred from Vulnerable to Endangered. The change in status was due to the population declines of these species at the national level exceeding 50% over a 20-year period and the population decline and habitat destruction following the 2019–20 bushfires.
Only one species was given a lower threat status, the Golden Sun Moth (Synemon plana) transferred from Endangered to Vulnerable. The change in status was due to improved knowledge of the species distribution and habitat which has led to an increased estimate of range and population size.
In addition to the ACT listed threatened species, the following species have special protection status in the ACT through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999:
- Hoary Sunray (Leucochrysum albicans tricolor), nationally endangered
- Murray Cod (Maccullochella Peelii), nationally endangered
- Purple Copper Butterfly (Paralucia spinifera)
- Brandy Mary’s Leek Orchid (Prasophyllum innubum)
- Diamond Firetail (Stagonopleura guttata)
- Southern Whiteface (Aphelocephala leucopsis)
- Dwarf Violet (Viola improcera), and
- Riek’s Crayfish (Euastacus rieki).
A full list of threatened species and their main threats are shown in Table 1.
Threatened ecological communities
An ecological community is defined as a naturally occurring group of native plants, animals and other organisms that are interacting in a unique habitat. Under the Nature Conservation Act 2014, an ecological community may be listed as collapsed, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or provisional.
In 2023, there were three ecological communities listed in the ACT:
- Natural Temperate Grassland — Critically Endangered
- Yellow Box / Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland — Critically Endangered
- High Country Bogs and Associated Fens — Endangered
Natural Temperate Grassland and Yellow Box / Blakely’s Gum Grassy Woodland were given an increased threat status over the reporting period (2019–20 to 2022–23), transferred from Endangered to Critically Endangered. This change reflects the increasing threat and ongoing pressures for these at risk communities.
Key threatening processes
Under the Nature Conservation Act 2014, a process (for example, land clearing and habitat modification) may be listed as a key threatening process if it has the potential to threaten the survival of a species or ecological community in the ACT. This listing is a formal recognition of a conservation threat and requires an Action Plan to be prepared to address the threatening process.
There are two key threatening processes listed in the ACT:
- The Loss of Mature Native Trees (including hollow-bearing trees) — the significant loss of mature trees is adversely affecting species such as the Superb Parrot (Polytelis swainsonii), the Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus), the Glossy Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus lathami) and the Little Eagle (Hieraaetus morphnoides). These species are listed as vulnerable in the ACT.
- The Unnatural Fragmentation of Habitats which was listed in December 2019 — the listing reflects the substantial fragmentation of habitat, particularly in urban development areas and agricultural landscapes. Fragmentation significantly increases the likelihood of extinction of flora and fauna through the loss of ecological connectivity and disruption to biological processes.
Data gaps
- Information on biodiversity is often lacking due to the difficulties and resources required in undertaking comprehensive and extensive monitoring. It is currently not possible to accurately measure the distribution and abundance of all species in the ACT, and not all areas of the ACT can be surveyed and monitored. This means that the knowledge required to answer key biodiversity status and management questions, such as the ability to track changes in species distribution and abundance, is lacking. Consequently, data on conservation status is limited and the current number of threatened species is likely to be vastly under-reported.
- Not all species occurring in the ACT are known, let alone counted. For example, knowledge is poor on the status of invertebrates (including the total number of invertebrate species), mainly due to the lack of dedicated research and monitoring.
- Although pressures that have an immediate or visible effect on biodiversity are well recognised — such as invasive flora and fauna species, diseases, climate change and land development — incremental pressures over long periods of time are not as well understood. This means that management can be limited to addressing the known impacts on biodiversity, rather than the prevention of impacts.
- The accessibility of available data is reduced by the disparate nature of biodiversity datasets which are collected across a range of government and community groups.
- It is also difficult to determine biodiversity trends over time because of methodology changes. Whilst this can mean improved data quality, it is often unclear whether biodiversity changes are due to actual changes or increased accuracy.
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