A Threatened Species is a plant or animal that has been assessed to determine their risk of extinction. A plant or animal can be considered if:
- There is a reduction in its population size
- It has a restricted geographical distribution, or
- There are few mature individuals
In NSW, a threatened species is a plant or animal species that is listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 or the NSW Fisheries Management Act 1994.
Some species may also be listed nationally by the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act).
Under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, a species may be listed as:
- Critically endangered, or
The Southern Highlands is home to 50 threatened or endangered native plant species and 53 threatened or endangered native animal species.
Locally the threats impacting threatened species include: predation and competition from pest species, land clearing, water pollution and habitat removal (e.g. hollow bearing trees).
An ecological community is a naturally occurring group of native plants, animals and other organisms living in a unique habitat. A healthy ecological community is vital for their survival.
Some ecological communities are threatened and at risk of extinction. This includes: Southern Highlands Shale Woodlands and Robertson Tall Open Forest.
More information can be found here
These profiles have been developed to help build awareness about Threatened Species found in the Wingecarribee Shire.
The are a variety of proactive and positive actions you can undertake to support native species throughout the Southern Highlands. Working with the Saving our Species scientists, Wingecarribee Council is supporting threatened species research in the Southern Highlands. Projects include: