IMPROVING THE CONDITION OF PRIORITY PLACES BY 2031
Under the Threatened Species Strategy, the Action Plan 2021-2026 helps focus the efforts of the Australian Government and partners on the recovery of threatened species and ecological communities at 20 priority places.
On 12 February 2022, the first 6 of 20 priority places under the plan were announced.
- Bruny Island, Tasmania
- Christmas Island, Indian Ocean
- French Island, Victoria
- Kangaroo Island, South Australia
- Norfolk Island, Tasman Sea
- Raine Island, Queensland
These six islands have strong community support and continue actions implemented under the first Strategy. They build on existing partnerships, including efforts to establish feral predator-free island safe havens.
The final 14 priority places will be announced in the coming months.
About priority places
Priority places is a new approach that recognizes that some threatened species share the same habitat, and that place-based action can support protection and recovery of more than one species. The Strategy’s objective is to improve condition of priority places by 2031, benefiting both threatened and non-threatened species and ecological communities
Prioritising attention and effort on these selected places over the next 5 years will generate better outcomes for threatened and other species that share the same habitat or threats. It also provides the opportunity for others to collaborate with the Australian Government on these activities to leverage our combined capacity and achieve better outcomes.
While the priority list will help in targeting Australian Government investments, this does not mean other places or species will not be eligible to receive support, including from programs and research.
Selection of priority places
Priority places have been selected with reference to the Strategy’s 6 prioritisation principles.
- Risk of extinction Places important to species under severe and imminent threat
- Multiple benefits Places with important habitat to many threatened species and ecological communities
- Feasibility and effectiveness Action to improve condition can make a difference and is cost-effective
- Importance to people Culturally significant places or places that contain multiple culturally significant species
- Uniqueness Places with unique habitat not found anywhere else
- Representativeness Balance the overall list across different land and seascapes, tenures and jurisdictions
The final list will include a range of places across Australia, extending into our marine environment. Most places will have high densities of threatened species and threatened ecological communities, others will have significant cultural values for the Indigenous groups that manage them, and others will be places where targeted action on particular threats will benefit multiple threatened species.