2023-05-01
The ACT continues to face significant challenges to the conservation of its native animals with the threatened species listings of nine animals changed to vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.
Five new species have been added to the ACT Threatened Species list and four species have been updated aligning them with Commonwealth threatened species listings.
Aligning with the national listings, the Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon is now considered ‘critically endangered’ in the ACT and the Gang-gang Cockatoo, Mountain Skink, Southern Greater Glider, Koala and the Key’s Matchstick Grasshopper are ‘endangered’.
Another three species, including the Golden Sun Moth and Yellow-bellied Glider, have been assessed and are now listed as ‘vulnerable’ in the ACT Native Threatened Species List.
Minister for the Environment Rebecca Vassarotti said the ACT government is committed to protecting and conserving our native animals in the territory. The news has sparked renewed praise by the Minster for the groundwork of ACT conservation teams.
“Our environment is under threat like never before. This news largely reflects the significant loss of habitat for our native animals during the devastating 2020 bushfires,” Minister Vassarotti said.
“We are in the middle of an extinction crisis and we have a responsibility to protect our ecosystems and the native wildlife that we’re so lucky to have here in Canberra.
“The ACT Scientific Committee has prepared Conservation Advice to lead the work of early intervention for these species and help them in their fight for survival.
“We will continue the pivotal work we are undertaking in the ACT to ensure that we protect these threatened species before it is too late.”
The ACT Government will continue to work with other jurisdictions to monitor and take action to help our threatened native animals recover. Aligning the ACT’s threatened species list with the national listings will lead to stronger national collaboration to protect and conserve our plants and animals.
For full details of amendments made to the Threatened Species List, please visit the ACT Environment website.
Quotes attributable to Professor Arthur Georges, Chair of the ACT Scientific Committee
“These listings are incredibly important, because they bring the ACT onto the same page as the Australian Government and the states. This enables a coordinated effort to stem the declines in these threatened species.
“As important is the need for up-to-date listings of our valued native species in decline, some of which have the ACT as their last refuge; the Canberra Grassland Earless Dragon being an exemplary case.
“We have a special responsibility to stem and reverse the declines of our threatened species, and these listings place the species firmly on the government's agenda for formulating and implementing effective action on the ground to avoid further extinctions of our iconic flora and fauna.”