Rare, endangered, vulnerable: what does it all mean?

A quick guide to the relevant state and federal legislation on biodiversity conservation

Queensland

The Nature Conservation Act 1992 provides for the conservation of Queensland's native plants and animals. It covers protected areas such as national parks, the protection of the state's biodiversity and the contributions of communities in conservation.

The Act categorises native plants and animals according to their conservation status.

Extinct in the wild applies to those wildlife for which 'there have been thorough searches conducted … and the wildlife has not been seen in the wild over a period that is appropriate for the life cycle or form of the wildlife'.

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Endangered applies to those wildlife for which 'there have not been thorough searches conducted … and the wildlife has not been seen in the wild over a period that is appropriate for the life cycle or form of the wildlife;

or the habitat or distribution of the wildlife has been reduced to an extent that the wildlife may be in danger of extinction;

or the population size of the wildlife has declined, or is likely to decline, to an extent that the wildlife may be in danger of extinction;

or the survival of the wildlife in the wild is unlikely if a threatening process continues'.

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Vulnerable applies to those wildlife for which 'the population size or distribution … has declined, or is likely to decline, to an extent that the wildlife may become endangered because of a threatening process;

or the population size of the wildlife has been seriously depleted and the protection of the wildlife is not secured;

or the population of the wildlife is low or localised; and dependent on habitat that has been, or is likely to be, adversely affected, in terms of quantity or quality, by a threatening process'.

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Rare applies to those wildlife for which 'the population of the wildlife is represented by either a relatively large population in a restricted range; or relatively small populations thinly spread over a wide range;

or the survival of the wildlife in the wild is affected to an extent that the wildlife is in danger of becoming vulnerable.'

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Near threatened applies to those wildlife for which 'the population size or distribution of the wildlife is small and may become smaller;

or the population size of the wildlife has declined, or is likely to decline, at a rate higher than the usual rate for population changes for the wildlife;

or the survival of the wildlife in the wild is affected to an extent that the wildlife is in danger of becoming vulnerable.'

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Least concern applies to those wildlife that 'are common or abundant and is likely to survive in the wild.'

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The Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 2006 lists species belonging to each of these categories.

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Commonwealth

The Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (EPBC Act) covers matters of national environmental importance, including world heritage areas, migratory species and threatened species and ecological communities. It also extends to those actions that might affect areas under Commonwealth control.

The EPBC Act also categorises wildlife according to its conservation status. Some of the categories differ from those of Queensland's Nature Conservation Act.


Species are considered extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last member of the species has died.

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A species classified as extinct in the wild is 'known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalised population well outside its past range;
or has not been recorded in its known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate seasons, anywhere in its past range, despite exhaustive surveys over a time frame appropriate to its life cycle and form.'
This category is similar to that in Queensland's Nature Conservation Act.

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Critically endangered species are those that 'are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.'

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Endangered species are those that are 'not critically endangered; and are facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.'

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A vulnerable species is 'not critically endangered or endangered; and is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future.'

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Conservation dependent species are either those species that are 'the focus of a specific conservation program, the cessation of which would result in the species becoming vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered' or are marine fish or invertebrates that are under a management plan.

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Lists of animals species in each of the categories are available here. Plant species are listed here.
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Species may be listed under one act but not the other or may be listed in both but under different categories.