Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities

Wetlands of international importance

The Ramsar Convention encourages the designation of sites containing representative, rare or unique wetlands or wetlands that are important for conserving biological diversity. Contracting parties must advise the Ramsar Secretariat if the ecological character of a Ramsar-listed wetland has changed as a result of human influences. The ecological character of a Ramsar wetland is a matter of national environmental significance protected under the EPBC Act.

At 30 June 2013 Australia had 65 Ramsar wetlands covering around 8.1 million hectares. The most recent addition was Piccaninnie Ponds Karst Wetlands in South Australia, which was listed in December 2012.The department is working with state and territory governments to finalise ecological character descriptions for Australia’s Ramsar sites according to the National Framework and Guidance for Describing the Ecological Character of Australia’s Ramsar Wetlands. Ecological character descriptions will help support the operation of the EPBC Act by:

• 
  providing the baseline description of the ecological character of Ramsar wetlands
  
• 
  making it easier to assess the likely impacts of proposed actions on the ecological character of Ramsar wetlands
  
• 
  guiding the development of management plans.
  

Threatened species, ecological communities and migratory species

The EPBC Act protects Australia’s native species and ecological communities by providing for:

• 
  the identification and listing of threatened species and ecological communities
  
• 
  the development of conservation advice and recovery plans for listed species and ecological communities
  
• 
  the recognition of key threatening processes and, where appropriate, reduction of the impacts of these processes through threat abatement plans
  
• 
  the issuing of permits for certain actions involving protected species.
  

Threatened fauna and flora may be listed in categories defined by the EPBC Act. Species listed as extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable are matters of national environmental significance.

Ecological communities are unique and naturally occurring groups of plants, animals and other organisms that interact in a unique habitat. Their structure, composition and distribution are determined by factors such as soil type, position in the landscape, climate, and water availability. Threatened ecological communities listed as critically endangered and endangered are matters of national environmental significance. Threatened ecological communities may also be listed as vulnerable.

Listed threatened species and ecological communities

The Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) advised the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities on amending and updating lists of threatened species, threatened ecological communities and key threatening processes. The TSSC also advised on the development or adoption of recovery and threat abatement plans.

The TSSC had three major meetings in 2012–13 and undertook a number of assessments of the conservation status of priority species, ecological communities and key threatening processes.

Assessment period commencing 1 October 2012

New nominations were received for 18 species, three key threatening processes and five ecological communities. Several nominations from previous years were also eligible for reconsideration for inclusion on the assessment list. In June 2012 the TSSC assessed the public nominations received and determined its proposed priority assessment list for consideration by the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. The finalised priority assessment list was published in September 2012.

Listing assessment outcomes

In 2012–13 the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities made listing decisions on the assessments for 78 species and six ecological communities. Seven species were from the Finalised Priority Assessment Lists and 71 were committee nominations which were assessed under arrangements to align state, territory and national lists. For species, as set out in Table 1, there were 13 new listings, 49 delistings and 14 transfers. In addition, two species were deemed ineligible for listing. Of the 14 transfers between categories, 12 species were uplisted and two species were downlisted.

Table 1: Species listing assessment outcomes 2012–13

Species	Status
Listings
Idiosoma nigrum Pomaderris pilifera subsp. talpicutica	Listed as vulnerable
Grevillea corrugata	Listed as endangered
Brachychiton sp. Ormeau (L.H.Bird 435851) Caladenia lodgeana Corybas sulcatus Galium antarcticum Leioproctus douglasiellus Lysiosepalum abollatum Muelleranthus crenulatus Tetratheca nephelioides	Listed as critically endangered
Transferred species: uplistings
Banksia anatona Banksia aurantia Brachionichthys hirsutus Pezoporus wallicus flaviventris Pseudophryne corroboree	Transferred from endangered to critically endangered
Banksia serratuloides subsp. Perissa Pseudophryne pengilleyi Thymichthys politus	Transferred from vulnerable to critically endangered
Dichanthium queenslandicum Eucalyptus alligatrix subsp. limaensis Homoranthus decumbens Rostratula australis	Transferred from vulnerable to endangered
Transferred species: downlistings
Eucalyptus beardiana Hypocalymma longifolium	Transferred from endangered to vulnerable
Ineligible for listing
Cheilinus undulatus Sargassum amaliae
Listed as conservation dependent
Centrophorus harrissoni Centrophorus zeehaani
Delistings
Acacia guymeri Acacia ramiflora Acacia solenota Acacia wardellii Brachychiton vitifolius Calamus warburgii Centotheca philippinensis Commersonia argentea Croton magneticus Delma labialis Dendrobium superbiens Dioclea hexandra Drosera fimbriata Eremophila tetraptera Eucalyptus cerasiformis Eucalyptus olivacea Brooker & Hopper ms. Grastidium tozerense Grevillea venusta Hemigenia viscid Hodgkinsonia frutescens Huperzia phlegmarioides Jedda multicaulis Lasjia claudiensis Laxmannia jamesii Leucopogon cuspidatus Macrozamia crassifolia Macrozamia fearnsidei Marsdenia coronata Mesua sp. Boonjee (A.K. Irvine 1218) Meziella trifida Paradelma orientalis Philotheca acrolopha Pomatocalpa marsupiale Sminthopsis griseoventer boullangerensis Sowerbaea subtilis Spathoglottis plicata Stawellia dimorphantha Stemona angusta Stylidium merrallii Sympterichthys sp. Trichoglottis australiensis Trigonostemon inopinatus Tylophora williamsii Wodyetia bifurcata Xanthostemon youngii	Deleting from vulnerable
Orthrosanthus muelleri Synemon gratiosa	Deleting from endangered
Hydatella leptogyne	Deleting from critically endangered
Calothamnus accedens	Extinct from critically endangered

The Australian Government has partnership agreements with the states and territories to share information and align threatened species lists. Through these agreements, species that are endemic to a particular state or territory are first assessed in the relevant jurisdiction before national assessment by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee for their eligibility for listing under the EPBC Act. Listing advice for 84 species assessed through these partnership agreements were provided to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities in 2012–13. At
30 June 2013 the Minister made 71 listing decisions for these species.

There were six threatened ecological community listings in 2012–13, including the first marine ecological community:

• 
  Giant Kelp Marine Forests of South East Australia
  
• 
  Lowland Grassy Woodland in the South East Corner Bioregion
  
• 
  Natural Grasslands of the Murray Valley Plains
  
• 
  Monsoon vine thickets on the coastal sand dunes of Dampier Peninsula Scott River Ironstone Association
  
• 
  Western Sydney Dry Rainforest and Moist Woodland on Shale.
  

Assessments for six other ecological communities were also completed in 2012–13, with listing decisions to be made by the minister in 2013–14. At the time of listing, extensive information is published in Conservation Advice on the distribution of the ecological community and its key diagnostic characteristics, condition, relationship to state vegetation classifications, threats and priority conservation actions.

The department continued to identify ecological communities of high priority for potential listing as matters of national environmental significance under the EPBC Act.

Part of the prioritisation process focuses on endemic ecological communities listed by states and territories in the endangered and critically endangered categories that are likely to benefit most from additional protection under the EPBC Act. In 2012–13, two assessments were completed on state-endemic ecological communities (one in Western Australia and one in South Australia).

Managing threatened species and ecological communities

The listing of species and ecological communities triggers the protection mechanisms of the EPBC Act. This makes them a priority for funding and management to assist with their recovery and conservation, such as through the Caring for our Country initiative. For example, several listed woodlands and native grasslands are key targets under the Environmental Stewardship Program under Caring for our Country, which provides funds and information to support landholders in protecting threatened native vegetation on their properties.

Conservation advice for all new listings of species and ecological communities was prepared and published on the department’s website. Conservation advice provides guidance on immediate recovery and threat abatement activities that can be undertaken to ensure the conservation of newly listed species or ecological communities. The Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities approved conservation advice for 27 newly listed threatened species and six newly listed threatened ecological communities. To help inform the community about threatened species, 134 new or updated species profiles were published on the Species Profiles and Threats (SPRAT) database.

Recovery plans

The EPBC Act provides for the making or adopting of recovery plans and conservation advice for listed threatened species and ecological communities. Recovery plans set out the research and management actions needed to stop the decline and support the recovery of listed threatened species or threatened ecological communities.

The department, together with state and territory government environment agencies, made substantial investment in the recovery of threatened species and ecological communities by developing and implementing recovery plans. Twenty-six recovery plans covering 41 species and three ecological communities were approved by the minister or his delegate. Substantial progress was made on a further 81 recovery plans currently in preparation. The Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) continues to work with the department on national monitoring and reporting on significant species and ecological communities.

Key threatening processes

The EPBC Act provides for the listing of key threatening processes. A threatening process is one that threatens or may threaten the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community. The TSSC advises the minister in the listing of key threatening processes and whether a threat abatement plan or other actions are needed to abate key threatening processes.

One key threatening process—novel biota and their impact on biodiversity—was added to the list during 2012–13.

A project reviewing departmental threat prioritisation and abatement processes which involved significant consultation with experts was completed in 2012. Recommendations from this review are being implemented where feasible.

Threat abatement plans

The Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities approved the Threat Abatement Plan to Reduce the Impacts on Northern Australia’s Biodiversity by the Five Listed Grasses in December 2012. The five listed grasses are introduced gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus), para grass (Urochloa mutica), olive hymenachne (Hymenachne amplexicaulis), mission grass (Cenchrus polystachios syn.) and annual mission grass (C. Pedicallatus syn. P. Pedicellatum).

A revised draft Threat Abatement Plan for Disease in Natural Ecosystems Caused By Phytophthora cinnamomi was released for public comment from 20 February 2013 until 20 May 2013.

The key threatening processes and threat abatement plans listed under the EPBC Act are at Appendix D.

Migratory species

The Memorandum of Understanding on the conservation of migratory sharks (Sharks MoU) came into effect in March 2010. On 4 February 2011 Australia became the 14th signatory to this agreement.

The global Sharks MoU is the first of its kind for sharks and aims to conserve migratory sharks throughout the world. It currently covers seven shark species: white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), whale shark (Rhincodon typus), basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), porbeagle (Lamna nasus), shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), longfin mako (Isurus paucus) and the northern hemisphere populations of spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias). All these species except for the spiny dogfish inhabit Australian waters.

The first signatory state meeting for the Sharks MoU was held in Bonn, Germany, in September 2012.

The work of an intergovernmental joint dugong taskforce with the Queensland Government was completed in December 2011. The taskforce assessed the effectiveness of dugong conservation and management activity in Queensland and provided recommendations for improvements.

The task force focused on:

• 
  better coordination and enhancing existing programs for dugong conservation
  
• 
  enhancing compliance and enforcement
  
• 
  improving community engagement
  
• 
  consolidating current scientific knowledge and identifying future key research priorities.
  

A major outcome of the work of the dugong taskforce was the commitment by the Australian Government of $5 million to support sustainable dugong management and community led compliance work by Indigenous communities in Queensland.

The Sixth Meeting of Partners of the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership was held in Palembang, Indonesia, from 19 to 22 March 2012. Three new partners —Mongolia, New Zealand and Rio Tinto—were welcomed, bringing the total partners to 27. Rio Tinto is the first partner from the international business sector. An important focus of the meeting was the work of Dr Richard Fuller from the University of Queensland. Dr Fuller is leading an Australian Research Council collaborative grant program, partly funded by the department, which aims to assess factors impacting on the status of Australia’s migratory shorebird populations.