Threatened Species Strategy to protect Australia's biodiversity

Environment Minister Sussan Ley will launch new 10-year strategy (2021-2031) on Friday, along with an open grants round for projects worth $10 million. The strategy is made up of two five-year action plans with the grants round tied to the first action plan.

The May budget also earmarked money to address the more than 1800 threatened species in Australia including $18 million to protect marine species and $29.1 million to protect native species from invasive pests and weeds.

The new Threatened Species Strategy is, like the last, considered a key guiding document for biodiversity conservation at the national level.

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In March, 12 Australian species were declared extinct including the desert bettong, the Nullarbor barred bandicoot and the Capricorn rabbit-rat.

The new strategy expands on the priority species for conservation by adding reptiles, amphibians, freshwater species and marine species to the previously listed 20 birds, 20 mammals and 30 plants.

It also addresses the impact of a changing climate including by looking at sudden threats to species from an increase in natural disasters, such as the black summer bushfires, as well as strategies for 'assisted colonisation' for populations whose local environments are impacted by changing climate.

The strategy encourages better coordination of the management of feral pest animals and weeds and encourages new technologies that may assist threatened species such as drones and environmental DNA.

Environmental scientists, threatened species experts, environmental groups, landholders and Indigenous groups were involved in the development of the strategy.

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