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Threatened species listing criteria

The Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 establishes Schedules 1, 1A and 2 as the official list of threatened species, populations and ecological communities. These schedules contain several categories representing the level of threat a species, population or ecological community is facing.

Species presumed extinct

A species is eligible to be included in this category at a particular time if it has not been recorded in its known or expected habitat in NSW, despite targeted surveys, over a time-frame appropriate 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 NSW in the immediate future. An ecological community is eligible to be included in the critically endangered category if it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in NSW in the immediate future.

Endangered

A species is eligible to be included in the endangered category if

• it is facing a very high risk of extinction in NSW in the near future, as determined by the criteria prescribed in the regulations, and
• 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 NSW and it is of conservation value at the State or regional level for one or more of the following reasons

• it is disjunct or near the limit of its geographic range
• it is or is likely to be genetically, morphologically or ecologically distinct
• it is otherwise of significant conservation value

An ecological community is eligible to be included in the endangered category if

• it is facing a very high risk of extinction in NSW in the near future, as determined by the criteria prescribed in the regulations, and
• it 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

• it is facing a high risk of extinction in NSW in the medium-term future, as determined by the criteria prescribed in the regulations, and
• it 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

• it is facing a high risk of extinction in NSW in the medium-term future, as determined by the criteria prescribed in the regulations, and
• it 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

• it adversely affects threatened species, populations or ecological communities, or
• it could cause species, populations or ecological communities that are not threatened to become threatened