About listing assessments
In order to determine if a species or ecological community is eligible for listing as threatened in one of the categories under the EPBC Act, a rigorous scientific assessment of the species or ecological community's threat status is undertaken. These assessments are undertaken by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (the Committee) to determine if the item is eligible for listing against a set of criteria as set out in the guidelines for nominating and assessing threatened species and ecological communities.
At the completion of the assessment the Committee provides its advice to the Minister for decision. The Committee provides this advice in the form of a 'conservation advice' which outlines the eligibility for listing and immediate conservation priorities.
As part of the agreement on a common assessment method for threatened species, states and territories may undertake an assessment using the same criteria and provide this to the Committee. The Committee can then provide its advice to the Minister based on this assessment. By following a common approach, the assessment of threatened species under the EPBC Act will be more streamlined and consistent with other Australian jurisdictions, without compromising the high standard and scientific rigor of assessments.
More information
- Comment on nominations
- Extensions to EPBC Act nomination timeframes
- Threatened Species Scientific Committee
- Common assessment method
- Guidelines for assessing the conservation status of native species
- Threatened ecological community nomination form and guidelines
For further information contact the Species Listing or Ecological Communities Sections: epbcnominations@environment.gov.au.