100 Priority Species

IMPROVING THE TRAJECTORIES OF PRIORITY THREATENED SPECIES BY 2031

The priority species list includes plants and animals found across Australia in a range of environments, from the arid deserts to rainforests, forests to grasslands, and inland waters to the sea. All taxonomic groups listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act) are included. Recovery actions for many of the priority species will also benefit other threatened species that share their habitat.

Prioritising attention and effort on these selected species over the next 5 years will generate better outcomes for threatened and other species that share the same habitat or threats. It also helps focus efforts of the Australian Government and others to collaborate, combining efforts to achieve better outcomes.

Selecting priority species

The 100 priority species were selected using a multi-criteria decision analysis process, using scores against the Threatened Species Strategy’s 6 prioritisation principles. Over 1800 species listed under the EPBC Act as either Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable during the first quarter of 2021 were reviewed as part of this prioritisation process. Species were scored using national-scale data sets by independent ecologists and the Australian community was also invited to have a say on species important to them.

Prioritisation principles

• Risk of extinction Species under severe and imminent threat
• Multiple benefits Recovery action will benefit other species
• Feasibility and effectiveness Action can make a difference and is cost-effective
• Importance to people Culturally significant species
• Uniqueness Species without close relatives and not found anywhere else
• Representativeness Balance the overall list across taxa, land and seascapes, tenures and jurisdictions

Threatened Species Strategy - 100 priority species

common names scientific name

20 Birds

• Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus
• Black-eared Miner Manorina melanotis
• Carnaby’s Cockatoo Zanda latirostris
• Christmas Island Goshawk Accipiter hiogaster natalis
• Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis
• Golden-shouldered Parrot, Alwal Psephotus chrysopterygius
• Hooded Plover (eastern) Thinornis cucullatus cucullatus
• King Island Brown Thornbill Acanthiza pusilla magnirostris
• Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata
• Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis
• Norfolk Island Green Parrot Cyanoramphus cookii
• Orange-bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster
• Plains-wanderer Pedionomus torquatus
• Princess Parrot Polytelis alexandrae
• Red Goshawk Erythrotriorchis radiatus
• Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (SE) Calyptorhynchus banksii graptogyne
• Regent Honeyeater Anthochaera phrygia
• Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor
• Western Ground Parrot, Kyloring Pezoporus flaviventris
• White-throated Grasswren, Yirlinkirrkirr Amytornis woodwardi

 

20 Mammals

• Australian Sea-lion Neophoca cinerea
• Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillata
• Central Rock-rat, Antina Zyzomys pedunculatus
• Chuditch, Western Quoll Dasyurus geoffroii
• Eastern Quoll, Luaner Dasyurus viverrinus
• Gilbert’s Potoroo, Ngilkat Potorous gilbertii
• Greater Bilby Macrotis lagotis
• Kangaroo Island Echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus multiaculeatus
• Koala (Qld, NSW, ACT) Phascolarctos cinereus
• Leadbeater’s Possum Gymnobelideus leadbeateri
• Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys parvus
• New Holland Mouse, Pookila Pseudomys novaehollandiae
• Northern Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula arnhemensis
• Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, Yaminon Lasiorhinus krefftii
• Northern Hopping-mouse, Woorrentinta Notomys aquilo
• Northern Quoll Dasyurus hallucatus
• Numbat Myrmecobius fasciatus
• Quokka Setonix brachyurus
• Spectacled Flying-fox Pteropus conspicillatus
• Western Ringtail Possum Pseudocheirus occidentalis

9 Fish

• Freshwater Sawfish Pristis pristis
• Grey Nurse Shark (eastern) Carcharias taurus
• Maugean Skate Zearaja maugeana
• Murray Hardyhead Craterocephalus fluviatilis
• Red Handfish Thymichthys politus
• Redfin Blue-eye Scaturiginichthys vermeilipinnis
• Stocky Galaxias Galaxias tantangara
• Swan Galaxias Galaxias fontanus
• White’s Seahorse Hippocampus whitei

3 Frogs

• Growling Grass Frog, Southern Bell Frog Litoria raniformis
• Kroombit Tinker Frog Taudactylus pleione
• Southern Corroboree Frog Pseudophryne corroboree

9 Reptiles

• Arnhem Land Gorges Skink Bellatorias obiri
• Bellinger River Snapping Turtle Wollumbinia georgesi
• Collared Delma, Adorned Delma Delma torquata
• Great Desert Skink, Tjakura, Warrarna, Mulyamiji Liopholis kintorei
• Green Turtle Chelonia mydas
• Olive Ridley Turtle Lepidochelys olivacea
• Pygmy Blue-tongue Lizard Tiliqua adelaidensis
• Short-nosed Sea Snake Aipysurus apraefrontalis
• Yinnietharra Rock-dragon Ctenophorus yinnietharra

9 Invertebrates

• Ammonite Snail Ammoniropa vigens
• Cauliflower Soft Coral Dendronephthya australis
• Eltham Copper Butterfly Paralucia pyrodiscus lucida
• Giant Gippsland Earthworm Megascolides australis
• Lord Howe Island Phasmid Dryococelus australis
• Margaret River Burrowing Crayfish Engaewa pseudoreducta
• Mount Lidgbird Charopid Land Snail Pseudocharopa ledgbirdi
• Pink Underwing Moth Phyllodes imperialis smithersi
• Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Crayfish Astacopsis gouldi

30 Plants

• Adamson’s Blown-grass Lachnagrostis adamsonii
• Angle-stemmed Myrtle Gossia gonoclada
• Arckaringa Daisy Olearia arckaringensis
• Border Ranges Lined Fern Antrophyum austroqueenslandicum
• Bulberin Nut Macadamia jansenii
• Carrington Falls Pomaderris Pomaderris walshii
• Davies’ Waxflower Phebalium daviesii
• Eremophila subangustifolia
• Foote’s Grevillea Grevillea calliantha
• Forked Spyridium Spyridium furculentum
• Giant Andersonia Andersonia axilliflora
• Graveside Leek-orchid Prasophyllum taphanyx
• Imlay Mallee Eucalyptus imlayensis
• King Blue-grass Dichanthium queenslandicum
• Lax Leek Orchid Prasophyllum laxum
• Little Mountain Palm Lepidorrhachis mooreana
• MacDonnell Ranges Cycad Macrozamia macdonnellii
• Native Guava Rhodomyrtus psidioides
• Pimelea cremnophila
• Pimelea venosa
• Scaly-butt Mallee Eucalyptus leprophloia
• Small-flowered Snottygobble Persoonia micranthera
• Smooth Davidson’s Plum Davidsonia johnsonii
• Stiff Groundsel Senecio behrianus
• Stirling Range Dryandra Banksia montana
• Tangled Wattle Acacia volubilis
• Waddy, Waddi, Waddy-wood, Birdsville Wattle Acacia peuce
• Wollemi Pine Wollemia nobilis
• Wongan Eriostemon Philotheca wonganensis
• Woods Well Spyridium Spyridium fontis-woodii