Hi Marjorie,
There are several categories that describe the legal status of wildlife
populations in
Australia. The types of categories and their definitions vary slightly between
each
state, but I have extracted the Federal Government definitions from the
following
publication:
Garnett, S. (1992). The Action Plan for Australian Birds (RAOU and Australian
National
Parks and Wildlife Service, Melbourne).
Extinct: Taxa not definitely located in the wild during the past 50 years, or
species
that have not been found in recent surveys despite thorough searching.
Endangered: Taxa in danger of extinction and whose survival is unlikely if
causal
factors continue to operate. Included are taxa whose numbers have been reduced
to a
critical level or whose habitats have been so drastically reduced that they are
deemed
to be in immediate danger of extinction. Also included are taxa that may now be
extinct
but have definitely been seen in the wild during the past 50 years and have not
been
subject to thorough searching.
Vulnerable: Taxa believed likely to move into the ?Endangered? category in the
near
future if the causal factors continue to operate. Included are species of which
most or
all of the populations are decreasing because of over-exploitation, extensive
destruction of habitat or other environmental disturbance; species with
populations that
have been seriously depleted and whose ultimate security has not yet been
assured; and
taxa with populations that are still abundant but are under threat from severe
adverse
factors throughout their range. Also included are taxa with low or localised
populations
or dependent on limited habitat that would be vulnerable to new threatening
processes.
Rare: Taxa with small populations that are not at present ?Endangered? or
?Vulnerable?,
but are threatened. These taxa are usually localised within restricted
geographical
areas or habitats or are thinly scattered over a more extensive range.
Insufficiently Known: Species that are suspected of being ?Endangered?, ?Rare?
or
?Vulnerable? but whose true status cannot be determined without more
information.
Threatened: A collective term for taxa which are ?Endangered?, ?Vulnerable?,
?Rare? or
?Insufficiently Known?.
Hope this information helps.
Dr Stephen Ambrose
Research and Conservation Manager.
******************************************************
Birds Australia (Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union).
Australian Bird Research Centre,
415 Riversdale Road,
Hawthorn East,
VIC 3123.
Tel: (03) 9882 2622.
Fax: (03) 9882 2677.
Email: S.Ambrose <> (at work)
(at home)
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