Threatened species Flashcards
What are the 3 levels of listing for threatened species?
- International: International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
2.National – Australia: Environment Protection and
- Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
State – Queensland: Nature Conservation Act
communicate with people, consistency
legal
working in consulting
What are the redlist categories
Critically endangered (CR)
Endangered (SN)/ threatened in US
Vulnerable (VU)
What’s the difference between extinct and extinct in the wild?
There are no populations in the wild but may be populations in captivity
What is the environment protection and biodiversity concervsation act 1999?
Australian Government’s central piece
of environmental legislation.
Provides a legal framework to protect
and manage nationally and
internationally important flora, fauna,
ecological communities and heritage
places — defined in the Act as matters
of national environmental significance (anything migrates)
Subspecies are given equal weight to
species under the EPBC Act.
What is the nature conservation act?
Queensland’s state legislation
governing threatened species
Protected areas
National parks (yes, state managed!)
State forests & timber reserves
Indigenous joint management areas
Special wildlife reserves
Nature reserves
What is the criteria for
- Change in number - rate of change, if rapid, can be devastating - reduction in population size
- geographic range - how much do they have, if small range, and one specific area at higher risk.
- population size at a threshold and declining
- population size at a lower threshold
- Quantitative analysis showing probability of extinction in the wild meets certain criteria
Could you think of a reason it could be useful to have a different species with a different listing status in a different area?
the species may be common in one state and not in the other
How many species in Australia are extinct?
One of the worst records for
extinctions globally 90 spp
– 39 mammals
– 22 birds
– 4 frogs
– 1 reptile
– 1 invertebrate (probably more)
3 vertebrates since 2009
What are the frog that have gone extinct?
Southern gastric-brooding frog (Rheobatrachus silus), last seen in 1981
Northern gastric-brooding frog (Rheobatrachus vitellinus) 1985
Sharp-snouted day frog (Taudactylus acutirostris) 1997
Southern day frog (Taudactylus diurnus) 1979
What was the causes for extinction in Gastric brooding Frog?
Logging of the catchment, pigs, weeds, altered flow & water quality could have all impacted the species
Two of the first extinctions in Australia caused by the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis)[Bd] —> the main cause
of extinction and decline in Australian frogs
rainforest creeks
- Both species lived in rainforest creeks 350-1,400 m ASL
- Females swallow embryos, which develop in her stomach
- Young fully developed when regurgitated; could be up to 25!
What is an example of birds that is extinct? and what are the causes of extinction?
Extinct: Paradise parrot (Psephotus pulcherrimus)
Aus only mainland bird extinction
Formerly occurred in central and southern QLD
Already concerned for its decline, surveys in 1918-1927 found few.
Last recorded in 1927
Required termite mounds for breeding – were destroyed for flooring & tennis courts
Habitat cleared for agriculture, fire regimes interrupted, habitat grazed, drought
What reptile is extinct?
Christmas Island Forest Skink (Emoia nativitatis)
What are the primary causes of decline of australias terrestrial mammals?
introduced predators
What are two examples of extinct mammals in australian
Christmas island Pipistrelle and Bramble cay melomys
Why are Christmas island pipistrelles extinct?
- Endemic to Christmas Island (Australian territory)
- Surveys from 1994 – 2005 showed steep decline, disappearing from parts of the island
Actual threats unknown, but
believed to be invasive species: - Yellow crazy ants
- Common wolf snake
- Black rats
- Feral cats
- Giant centipedes
Habitat loss
The last individual was recorded on 26th August 2009
Despite numerous warnings, Aust Govt did not take sufficient action until too late
Why is the Bramble cay melomys extinct?
Occurred on 1 small (4 ha) coral cay in torres strait: Bramble Cay/ Maizab Kaur
Max elevation 3 m - small patch of island for the animal
Last detected in 2004
Searches 2011 & 2014 = 0
Phosphatic rock eroded 1.3 m/yr
Vegetation 1.1 ha 0.065 ha
Evidence of inundation events
vegetation decrease, not sufficient action was taken, climate change
what taxonomic group most represented on this list?
red-finned blue eye
What are the most imperilled birds?
- King island brown thornbill
lost 67% of habitat is cleared
they presumed extinct - surveyed in 2019
- orange bellied parrot - the most threats including agriculture, wind turbines, genetic introgression, human intrusion
Why are sugar gliders a problems for orange-bellied parrots?
Eating the eggs, babies and adult parrots
breed in old trees - sugar gliders may have been introduced to tasmania.
females incubate the eggs and SG eats the females - more males now than females. competitive breeding
How many species have declined from north and eastern australia?
1 extinct - paradise parrot
4 endangered finches and parrots
Night parrot
golden shouldered parrot
gouldian finish
crimson finch
star finch
3 vulnerable pigeons - squatter partridge
southern black throated finch
What is the status of the southern black throated finch? and what is impacting their population?
southern black throated finch - endangered
habitat overlapped with thermal coal mines and affected by solar farms - habitats are clearing and no funding for implementation.
would have occured NSW, declared extinct but still in north queensland.
habitat degradation and fragmentation - habitat loss continuum. Fire, farming, weeds, water points - less grains for the finch to consume.
What is one of Australias most imperilled frogs?
- Armoured mist frog (Litoria lorica)
Believed to have gone extinct during chytridiomycosis outbreaks 1980s &1990s.
2008 surveys of high-elevation dry sclerophyll forest discovered a previously unknown population of L. lorica & Waterfall frog (Litoria nannotis).
Critically endangered frogs are all high elevation chytridsusceptible
- Kroombit Tops in central QLD has 2 CR frogs:
Kroombit Tinker Frog (Taudactylus pleione)
<150 individuals remain & declining
Associated with Piccabeen Palm rainforest & boulder screes
Very little is known about their breeding
Kroombit Treefrog (Litoria kroombitensis)
Rainforest & wet sclerophyll, stream-breeding
Both have tiny distributions – vulnerable to wildfire, pigs, disease
Why does QLD have the most threatened frogs
we have a higher diversity/ species of frog (greater population)
What is two examples of the most imperilled reptile in QLD?
- Nangur Spiny Skink (Nangura spinosa)
Only occurs in 2 locations – west of Gympie
Population estimated to be 183, most at one site
Occurs in pine plantations & semi-evergreen vine thicket
Endangered Ecological Community (EPBC Act)
Condamine earless dragon (Tympanocryptis condaminensis)
Endangered
Very restricted distribution
Almost entirely on cropping land
Threatened by agricultural
intensification
grasslands - lowest barrier for development or for crops (completely cleared)
How are threats categorised?
- Timing (past, ongoing, future)
- Scope (proportion of the total population affected)
- severity
timing option
- only in the past unlikely to return
- in the past but now suspended and likely to return
- ongoing
- only in the future
- unknown
Scope
- affects the whole population
- affect majority of the population
- affect the minority of the population
- unknown
Severity
- rapid declines, how badly is it occurs
Why do you want to know relative impact of different threats
we know which ones to concentrate on -
address things sooner.
What are causes for the habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and degradation?
urban developments
agriculture - habitat clearing (mostly this)
What are the threats for animals in australia?
- habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation
- invasive species and diseases
- fire
- climate change
