Categories of threatened species
The Threatend Species Conservation Act 1995 establishes Schedules 1, 1A and 2 as the official list of threatened species, populations and ecological communities. The Schedules contain a number of categories that represent the level of threat a species, population or ecological community is facing. These are:
Schedule 1
Part 1 - Endangered species
Part 2 - Endangered populations
Part 3 - Endangered ecological communities
Part 4 - Species presumed extinct
Schedule 1A
Part 1 - Critically endangered species
Part 2 - Critically endangered ecological communities
Schedule 2
Part 1 - Vulnerable species
Part 2 - Vulnerable ecological communities
Species Presumed Extinct
A species is eligible to be included in the species presumed extinct category at a particular time if it has not been recorded in its known or expected habitat in New South Wales, despite targeted surveys, over a time frame appropriate, in the opinion of the Scientific Committee, to its life cycle and form.
Critically Endangered
A species is eligible to be included in the critically endangered category if it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in New South Wales in the immediate future, as determined in accordance with criteria prescribed by the regulations.
An ecological community is eligible to be included in the critically endangered category if it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in New South Wales in the immediate future, as determined in accordance with criteria prescribed by the regulations.
Endangered
A species is eligible to be included in the endangered category if:
(a) it is facing a very high risk of extinction in New South Wales in the near future, as determined in accordance with criteria prescribed by the regulations, and
(b) is not eligible to be listed as a critically endangered species.
A population is eligible to be included in the endangered category if it is facing a high risk of becoming extinct in nature in New South Wales, as determined in accordance with prescribed criteria, and it is of conservation value at the State or regional level for one or more of the following reasons:
(a) it is disjunct or near the limit of its geographic range,
(b) it is or is likely to be genetically, morphologically or ecologically distinct,
(c) it is otherwise of significant conservation value.
An ecological community is eligible to be included in the endangered category if:
(a) it is facing a very high risk of extinction in New South Wales in the near future, as determined in accordance with criteria prescribed by the regulations, and
(b) is not eligible to be listed as a critically endangered ecological community.
Vulnerable
A species is eligible to be included in the vulnerable category at a particular time if:
(a) it is facing a high risk of extinction in New South Wales in the medium-term future, as determined in accordance with criteria prescribed by the regulations, and
(b) is not eligible to be listed as an endangered or critically endangered species.
An ecological community is eligible to be listed in the vulnerable category if:
(a) it is facing a high risk of extinction in New South Wales in the medium-term future, as determined in accordance with criteria prescribed by the regulations, and
(b) is not eligible to be listed as an endangered or critically endangered ecological community.
Key threatening processes
A threatening process is eligible to be listed as a key threatening process if, as determined in accordance with criteria prescribed by the regulations:
(a) it adversely affects threatened species, populations or ecological communities, or
(b) it could cause species, populations or ecological communities that are not threatened to become threatened.