Threatened species
The NSW Government helps to save threatened species by funding the statewide Saving our Species program.
What is a threatened species?
Plants and animals are assessed if they are at risk of extinction. If the risk is high they are listed in legislation and conservation actions are developed for their protection.
A species is considered threatened if:
- there is a reduction in its population size
- it has a restricted geographical distribution, or
- there are few mature individuals.
In NSW, around 1,000 species and ecological communities are known to be threatened and at risk of extinction.
The key threats to species are loss, degradation and fragmentation of habitat, invasive species and altered fire regimes. Other threats include unsustainable use and management of natural resources, changes to the aquatic environment and water flows, and climate change.
What the NSW Government is doing
Under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (The Act), Saving our Species is the NSW Government’s strategic management framework, outlining management actions to secure NSW’s threatened plants and animals in the wild for the next 100 years.
The Act also sets out the process for listing threatened plants and animals and establishes the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee, an independent committee of scientists appointed by the Minister for the Environment.
How you can help
Image
NSW Koala Strategy
Image
Videos
Related apps
Image
I Spy Koala sightings and survey app
The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) has launched a new app that allows members of the public, tourists, researchers, rangers and conservation groups to record details of koala sightings in the wild, to help improve the information available about where koalas are, nearby risks and how to conserve them.