A threatened species licence, a class of biodiversity conservation licence under Part 2 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, may be required if an action is likely to result in:
- harm to an animal that is a threatened species or part of a threatened ecological community
- picking a plant that is a threatened species or part of a threatened ecological community
- damage to the habitat of a threatened species or threatened ecological community
- damage to a declared area of outstanding biodiversity value.
Applying for a threatened species licence
We recommend that threatened species licence applications are submitted electronically (rather than by post) to avoid delays in receipt and processing due to COVID-19.
Download the licence application form (PDF 206KB)
After submission of a Threatened species licence application (including application fee), the department will process the application. The possible outcomes are either:
- the department could grant a licence under Part 2 of the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, with or without conditions
- the department could refuse the application.
Some applications can take longer to process than others, due to the nature of the proposed actions. Under the Biodiversity Conservation Regulation, applications must be processed within 28 days after the date an application has been made. This may be extended to 56 days at the discretion of the Secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
Public register
Go to the threatened species licence public register to view information about all threatened species licences issued by the department.