Trends and biases in the listing and recovery planning for threatened species: an Australian case study

AbstractMany countries rely on formal legislation to protect and plan for the recovery of threatened species. Even though the listing procedures in threatened species legislation are designed to be consistent for all species there is usually a bias in implementing the laws towards charismatic fauna and flora, which leads to uneven allocation of conservation efforts. However, the extent of bias in national threatened species lists is often unknown. Australia is a good example: the list of threatened species under the Environmental Protection and Biological Conservation Act has not been reviewed since 2000, when it was first introduced. We assessed how well this Act represents threatened species across taxonomic groups and threat status, and whether biases exist in the types of species with recovery plans. We found that birds, amphibians and mammals have high levels of threatened species (12–24%) but < 6% of all reptiles and plants and < 0.01% of invertebrates and fish are considered threatened. Similar taxonomic biases are present in the types of species with recovery plans. Although there have been recent improvements in the representation of threatened species with recovery plans across taxonomic groups, there are still major gaps between the predicted and listed numbers of threatened species. Because of biases in the listing and recovery planning processes many threatened species may receive little attention regardless of their potential for recovery: a lost opportunity to achieve the greatest conservation impact possible. The Environmental Protection and Biological Conservation Act in Australia needs reform to rectify these biases.

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What Role Do Threatened Species Lists Play in New Zealand Conservation?

Pacific Conservation Biology ◽

10.1071/pc080244 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 244 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joanne Ocock

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

New Zealand ◽

Threatened Species ◽

Limited Resources ◽

Conservation Priorities ◽

Species List ◽

Threat Status ◽

Species Lists ◽

Edge List ◽

Effective Conservation

Threatened species' lists have been consistently reviewed as easily misused, inappropriately applied, counterproductive, and reflecting changes in knowledge more often than changes in threat status (Burgman, 2002; de Grammont and Cuaron, 2006; Possingham et al., 2002; Seminoff and Shanker, 2008). However, with limited resources to deal with endangered species, effective conservation decision-making needs a means of determining where priorities lie. The EDGE list of the world's most ?Evolutionary Distinct? and ?Globally Endangered? amphibians ranks New Zealand's endemic Archey's Frog Leiopelma archeyi at the top of its list (www.edgeofexistence.org/ amphibians/top_100.php). What role should this ranking or any other threatened species list play in determining conservation priorities in New Zealand?

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Justification for continued conservation efforts following the delisting of a threatened species: a case study of the woylie, Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi (Marsupialia:Potoroidae)

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr09129 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 183 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Christine Groom

Keyword(s):

Threatened Species ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Population Decline ◽

Population Monitoring ◽

Rapid Decline ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Bettongia Penicillata ◽

Species Lists ◽

Iucn Criteria

Context. There are few cases where a species has been removed from a list of threatened species as a result of conservation efforts. One such example is the woylie (also known as the brush-tailed bettong), Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi, which was removed from state (Western Australian), national (Australian) and international lists in 1996, following the successful implementation of the species’ recovery plan. Since downgrading of its conservation status, the woylie has been considered conservation dependent. Conservation efforts continued in the form of toxic baiting to control the species’ principal predator, monitoring to identify trends in distribution and abundance, and translocation to help restore ecosystem function and further secure the conservation status of the species. Recent observations of a decline in abundance of the species have prompted a review of its conservation status. Aims. To assess the conservation status of the woylie in 2006 against IUCN criteria and to investigate the value of continued conservation efforts following the delisting of the species. Methods. Monitoring data were collated and parameters required to assess the conservation status of the woylie against IUCN criteria were investigated. The various processes associated with conserving the species, such as translocation and monitoring, were also assessed. Key results. The species underwent a rapid decline between 2001 and 2006, reducing the population by ~75% to an estimated 10 000 individuals. The decline has not been consistent across occurrences and of particular concern are the declines observed at Perup/Lake Muir, Dryandra and Batalling, which were previously considered amongst the largest and most stable occurrences. In 2006, the species qualified for listing as Endangered using IUCN criteria. The resources allocated to translocation and monitoring the delisted woylie have ultimately resulted in managers being in a much better position to understand and act when an unforeseeable population decline occurred. Conclusion. Conservation efforts and population monitoring of delisted species must continue at a level where changes in distribution or abundance, which are significant enough to support relisting, can be detected. Implications. Threatened species lists should not be the primary consideration in allocation of resources to conservation efforts.

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Mapping Indigenous land management for threatened species conservation: An Australian case-study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0173876 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. e0173876 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Anna R. Renwick ◽

Catherine J. Robinson ◽

Stephen T. Garnett ◽

Ian Leiper ◽

Hugh P. Possingham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Management ◽

Threatened Species ◽

Species Conservation ◽

Indigenous Land Management ◽

Australian Case ◽

Indigenous Land

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Spatially explicit climate change projections for the recovery planning of threatened species: The Bicknell's Thrush (Catharus Bicknelli) as a case study

Global Ecology and Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00530 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

pp. e00530 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Philippe Cadieux ◽

Yan Boulanger ◽

Dominic Cyr ◽

Anthony R. Taylor ◽

David T. Price ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Threatened Species ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

Climate Change Projections ◽

Recovery Planning ◽

Catharus Bicknelli ◽

Bicknell's Thrush

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Conservation physiology can inform threat assessment and recovery planning processes for threatened species

Endangered Species Research ◽

10.3354/esr00831 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 507-513 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

K Birnie-Gauvin ◽

S Walton ◽

CAD Palme ◽

BA Manouchehri ◽

S Venne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Threatened Species ◽

Threat Assessment ◽

Conservation Physiology ◽

Recovery Planning ◽

Planning Processes

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Analysing capabilities and resources used to incorporate fruit and vegetables into the family diet: findings from an Australian case study

Critical Dietetics ◽

10.32920/cd.v2i1.774 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 13

Author(s):

Samantha B Meyer

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Fruit And Vegetables ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Organizational Skills ◽

Australian Case ◽

Low Income Families ◽

Conducting Research

Research attributes low fruit and vegetable consumption to problems of access, availability and affordability. We conducted, for the first time, a case study with three families designed and analysed using the sustainable Livelihoods Framework. The benefit of such an approach is that we moved away from identified barriers and towards identifying the capabilities and resources low-income families use to incorporate fruit and vegetables into their diets. Mitigating cost and access, we provided families with a box of fresh fruit and vegetables free of charge for up to 10 weeks and observed and recorded how/if the contents were used. Results identify the importance of social networking, organizational skills, knowledge of health benefits, and social structures. This paper demonstrates an effective methodology for understanding the capabilities of, rather than barriers to, low-income families increasing fruit and vegetable intake. Additionally, we provide a ‘how to’ and ‘lessons from the field’ for researchers interested in conducting research of this nature.

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