Comments on this assessment closed 9 August 2021. The text and documents below remain available for reference only.
Comment on Listing Assessments
About the nomination and assessment
Each year on behalf of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment invites public nominations for items that merit listing as threatened under national environment law.
The ‘Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub of the Sydney Region’ ecological community was nominated for uplisting from nationally Endangered to Critically Endangered status in 2018 and was prioritised for assessment in 2019. The ecological community has been listed as Endangered under national environment law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), since 2000. Information on the currently listed ecological community can be found at: Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub of the Sydney Region
Please note that the ecological community named ‘Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub of the Sydney Basin Bioregion’ is also listed under New South Wales legislation, the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, as Critically Endangered.
The Threatened Species Scientific Committee’s assessment and advice to the Australian Government Minister for the Environment is due by 31 October 2021.
Proposed Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Distribution: Sydney region: coastal areas between Hawkesbury River and Stanwell Park.
Invitation to comment
The EPBC Act requires the Threatened Species Scientific Committee to undertake public consultation on nominations accepted for a full scientific assessment. The Committee particularly seeks comments on whether the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub of the Sydney Region is eligible for listing under the proposed conservation status, but also invites other relevant comments and information.
How can I get involved?
Read the consultation document
The draft scientific assessment, in the draft Conservation Advice, recommends that the ecological community may be eligible for listing as Critically Endangered, based on evidence that it has declined in extent by approximately 90-95%; it has had a very severe reduction in ecological integrity across its range due to transformation of the original sites and supporting soils, fragmentation of remaining patches, impacts of invasive species (weeds and feral animals), loss of native fauna (including soil engineers and pollinators), unsuitable fire regimes and, ongoing impacts of changing climate (particularly with relation to fire).
Draft Conservation Advice for the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub of the Sydney Region (PDF - 1.72 MB)
Draft Conservation Advice for the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub of the Sydney Region (DOCX - 953.52 KB)
Indicative map of distribution (PDF - 1.37 MB)
A Consultation Guide in plain language is also available to describe this ecological community is and what listing ecological communities under the EPBC Act means for people who may own or manage patches of the ecological community.
Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub of the Sydney Region - Consultation guide (PDF - 3.92 MB)
Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub of the Sydney Region - Consultation guide (DOCX - 8.5 MB)
Guidelines for Nominating and Assessing Threatened Ecological Communities
The Guidelines for Nominating and Assessing Ecological Communities explains the criteria and concepts by which an ecological community can be determined as threatened in a particular conservation category.
Send your comments
The Committee welcomes the views of Indigenous peoples, ecological experts, land managers, other stakeholders and other interested members of the public on the draft Conservation Advice for the ecological community.
We can accept responses until 5pm Monday 9 August 2021.
You are welcome to forward this request to advise interested people or groups in your networks about this opportunity for comment. We would greatly appreciate your help to get input from land managers and other agencies and groups involved with biodiversity conservation, land management, primary industries and planning.
Some questions to guide comments are included within the Draft Conservation Advice.
Please support your comments with information and data, preferably supported by published studies or observations. If some of that information is not published, indicate whether you would you be willing to be quoted as an expert or source (“personal communication”).
Please provide responses in writing either by email to: epbc.nominations@environment.gov.au
or by mail to:
The Director
Ecological Communities Section
Biodiversity Conservation Division
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
PO Box 858
Canberra ACT 2601
Privacy
Personal information that you provide will only be used for these purposes. Personal information may be disclosed to employees of Australian Government agencies assisting the Committee for the purposes outlined above. The Department will deal with personal information contained in, or provided in relation to, responses in accordance with its Privacy Policy.
Further, the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments have agreed to share threatened species assessment documentation (including comments) to ensure that all States and Territories have access to the same documentation when making a decision on the status of a potentially threatened species. This is also known as the ‘common assessment method’. As a result, any personal information that you have provided in connection with your comments may be shared between Commonwealth, State or Territory government entities to assist with their assessment processes.