Re: Help please

[Leanne Bowden <>]

Dear Marjorie,

Re: your message: 

> I wonder if someone can please enlighten me as to the distinction between 
> "endangered" and "threatened"? 
> I discovered the Bush Stone-curlew is "threatened", but it is very common 
> around Townsville

Following on from Stephen Ambrose's Federal definitions, following are
extracts of descriptions of "Division 2 - Classes of Wildlife", as
defined on pages 50-52 of the Queensland Nature Conservation Act 1992:
Presumed Extinct, Endangered, Vulnerable, Rare or Common.

Presumed Extinct
- if it has not been sighted in the wild for a period critical to its
life cycle despite thorough search.

Endangered
- in danger of extinction; 
-  survival in the wild is unlikely if threatening processes continue.

Taken to be in danger of extinction if:
a) its number has been reduced to a critical level or its habitat has
been so drastically reduced that it may be in immediate danger of
extinction; or
b) it has not been sighted in the wild for a period critical to its life
cycle although no thorough search has been made for it.

Vulnerable
- survival in the wild is vulnerable if threatening processes continue
Vulnerable if:
a)      its population is decreasing because of threatening processes; or
b)      its population has been seriously depleted and its protection is not
secured; or
c)      its population, while abundant, is at risk because of threatening
processes; or
d)      its population is -
        i)      low or localised; or
        ii)     dependent on limited habitat that is at risk because of 
threatening
processes.

Rare
- population is represented by:
a)      a relatively large population in a restricted range; or
b)      smaller populations thinly spread over a wider range

Common
-       common or abundant; and
-       likely to survive in the wild.

I will check further on Monday, but at this stage it appears that, for
Queensland, the Beach Thick-knee is cited as "vulnerable" in the Nature
Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation 1994 SL No. 474, but the Bush
Thick-knee is not mentioned.

For the State of Queensland, as per the Regulation, a bush thick-knee
may be considered as common, as a "common" bird is "a bird indigenous to
Australia, other than a presumed extinct, endangered, vulnerable or rare
bird".

Where did you read the definition of "threatened" for the Bush
Stone-Curlew?

Regards,
Leanne Bowden



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Leanne Bowden, Australia
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