Report snapshot: Threatened species and ecological communities

15 August 2024
Environment

About this report

Over 1,100 native animals, plants and ecological communities are listed as threatened in New South Wales. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) delivers programs and activities aiming to reduce the risk of extinction for threatened species and ecological communities.

This audit assessed whether DCCEEW has effectively delivered outcomes to support threatened species and ecological communities across New South Wales including delivery of the statutory Biodiversity Conservation Program (Saving our Species).

Findings

DCCEEW uses a risk-based approach to guide and deliver a range of programs aiming to improve the outcomes for threatened species and ecological communities.

However, DCCEEW has not effectively determined departmental priorities, coordinated programs to align efforts, or reported on the overall outcomes it is delivering for threatened species and ecological communities.

Further, DCCEEW does not capture sufficient data to monitor species that it is not actively managing, creating a risk that it cannot readily identify or respond to further decline.

Under the Saving our Species program, DCCEEW is delivering conservation actions for less than one-third of all threatened species and ecological communities. This number has reduced over time, in line with reduced program funding.

Gaps in core program planning and risk management frameworks create program delivery risks.

Recommendations

The report made several recommendations to DCCEEW, focusing on: 

  • strengthening Saving our Species program compliance, governance, planning and risk management frameworks
  • developing a long-term framework to coordinate and align efforts across DCCEEW for the delivery of threatened species outcomes
  • expanding activities to improve coordination with other parts of government delivering activities that impact on outcomes for threatened species.
Fast facts
  • 1,113 species and ecological communities listed as threatened in March 2024
  • 15 DCCEEW programs or functions related to threatened species
  • 31% of all threatened species and ecological communities managed under Saving our Species in 2022–23
  • 80% of declared Assets of Intergenerational Significance overlap with Saving our Species priority sites
  • 19% reduction in the number of species under Saving our Species management since 2019
  • 64% of Saving our Species priority sites located on national parks

Further information

Please contact Claudia Migotto, Acting Deputy Auditor-General on 9275 7347 or by email.

Threatened species and ecological communities