Prioritisation is essential in threatened species management because it helps us focus on what will make the biggest difference.
With many species and pressures competing for attention, it’s easy for effort to become scattered. A clear and shared understanding of priorities:
cuts through complexity
highlights where action is most needed and most likely to succeed
turns broad conservation goals into practical steps
enhances cross-sector coordination
provides confidence in decision-making
helps us all move from good intentions to real, on ground impact
That is why NRE Tas is developing a new prioritisation framework that will support the new Threatened Species Strategy in guiding the conservation of Tasmania’s threatened plants and animals.
This framework will identify:
priority threats putting species at risk
priority threatened species most in need of attention
The following sections describe the key elements of the prioritisation framework. The typology of threats - a comprehensive, structured list of all known pressures on threatened species – that the prioritisation framework will draw on, as well as the two primary outputs of the prioritisation framework: a priority threats list and a priority species list.
Importantly, the framework is designed to be flexible and adaptable - prioritisation will be an ongoing, iterative process that evolves as new information emerges or circumstances change.
The 'priority lists' are expected to be released alongside the new Threatened Species Strategy to support its implementation.
Typology of threats
The typology of threats helps turn confusion into clarity, and clarity into better conservation outcomes.
Right now, threats impacting Tasmanian species are often described in different ways, creating confusion and making it harder to assess impacts or guide responses. A ‘typology of threats’ for Tasmanian native plants and animals fixes that:
The Draft Typology of Threats has been developed by NRE Tas. It is a current list of all known pressures affecting Tasmania’s threatened species that can be updated overtime to include new and emerging threats. Currently, it sorts fifty-nine specific threats into clear categories so everyone can use the same language, reducing inconsistencies and confusion. This structure makes it easier to compare threats, assess their impact and see patterns to help guide evidence-based decisions.
The typology of threats underpins the prioritisation framework – directly informing the priority threats list and influencing the priority species list.
Priority threats
Focusing on priority threats allows us to address the drivers of decline that affect not just individual species but whole ecosystems.
The fifty-nine 'specific' threats identified in the typology of threats will be assessed based on five prioritisation criteria (see below). This assessment will determine which threats require the most immediate management attention - forming the list of priority threats.
This approach mirrors national commitments to reducing the impact of key threatening processes - such as invasive species and habitat loss - to improve outcomes for many species at once and ensuring conservation actions are proactive and effective.
Threats prioritisation criteria:
Timing: The timing of threats can be historic, present, future or unknown. Threats that are 'present' are generally of higher concern.
Extent: Threats can occur over a small, moderate or large proportion of a species range. Threats covering a greater proportion of a species range are generally of higher concern.
Consequence: The impact (i.e. consequence) of threats can be minor, moderate, major or catastrophic. Threats with a greater impact on species are of higher concern.
Trend: Threats do not always stay the same over time. They can increase and decrease. Threats that are increasing over time are generally of higher concern.
Confidence of understanding: Some threats to species are well studied, others are less well known, for example only speculated or based on out-dated information. Threats that are well known score more highly under this prioritisation framework.
Priority species
Identifying priority species helps us target the specific needs and threats faced by species most at risk.
Using a clear, evidence based prioritisation framework, we can pinpoint species urgently needing on-ground recovery. This will form the list of priority species, which will initially be based on the six species prioritisation criteria below. Applying this framework ensures Tasmania’s conservation investment is strategic, impactful and grounded in science.
Some species will be a priority for population data collection rather than on-ground action. These “poorly known" species will generally lack current information around estimates of the abundance of the species, the number of locations that the species occurs in, threats that are impacting the species and/or the species population trend.
Species prioritisation criteria:
Endemicity: Only Tasmanian endemic, ‘near endemic’ and migratory species are included in the prioritisation framework.
Abundance: The total number of mature individuals in the wild. High priority species will typically have fewer individuals, with very high priority species likely to have fewer than 250 mature individuals left in the wild.
Number of locations: The number of geographically distinct locations the species is known to occur within. High priority species will typically occur in fewer locations, with very high priority species likely to occur in just one location.
Decline: The population trajectory of the species. High priority species are likely to be experiencing a downward trajectory in abundance, range or health (outside ‘natural’ fluctuations), with very high priority species likely to be experiencing a severe decline (e.g. more than 50% in 3 generations).
Threat concern: This is based on the assessment of threats (see ‘Priority threats’) known to impact the species.
Keystone status: The species is known to be a keystone species. Loss of the species would have significant detrimental impacts to associated ecosystems.