Species and habitat
Key Messages
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Queensland’s native plants (flora) and animals (fauna) are unique and valuable elements of our state’s rich biodiversity. Conserving native biodiversity in Queensland not only ensures its protection for future generations, but helps maintain healthy ecosystems, clean water and clean air.
Some species of flora and fauna are at risk of extinction due to threatening processes including the clearing of habitat. These ‘threatened’ flora and fauna are declared under Queensland’s Nature Conservation Act 1992. Some species are already considered to be ‘extinct in the wild’. Other threatened species are categorised as ‘endangered’ or ‘vulnerable’, depending on the degree of risk they face from threatening processes which impact their population size, health and habitat.
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Understanding the distribution of threatened species habitat prior to land clearing allows us to examine trends in habitat loss within bio-regions and across the state, and to determine the proportion of pre-clearing threatened species habitat that is remnant vegetation. This enables us to determine the adequacy of our current reserve system for protecting threatened species habitat. It also helps us prioritise new areas for protection or restoration, and to direct survey and monitoring efforts.
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Monitoring the changes in threatened species numbers gives us a guide to how well we are managing their recovery. While the total numbers don’t give details of the change of individual species’ listing categories, we do get an overview of whether species, over time, are still experiencing pressures that put them at risk of extinction.
Fauna
State
- Threatened fauna species numbers
The total number of fauna species listed as threatened (‘vulnerable’, ‘endangered’ or ‘presumed extinct’) in Queensland increased to 228 between 2007 and 2019. Notably, 1 species has been listed as ‘presumed extinct’ since 2017.
- Density of threatened fauna species habitat
Almost one-quarter of threatened fauna pre-clear habitat has been cleared across Queensland, with 8% of remaining habitat protected within a national park.
- Threatened fauna species habitat
Threatened fauna habitat loss is ongoing in Queensland.
Pressure
- Major threats to fauna species
Sixty-eight major threats have previously been identified that impact on Queensland threatened fauna. The threats affecting the most species are ‘inappropriate fire regimes’, ‘clearing of vegetation’, ‘introduced predators’ and ‘inappropriate grazing regimes’. The impacts associated with climate change has also been identified as a major factor in fauna species persistence in Queensland.
- Land clearing impact on threatened fauna habitat
While the clearing of threatened fauna pre-clear habitat within woody vegetation has slowed, it remains 3 times higher than in 2009–2010.
Resources
| Modelled Potential Habitat | The Modelled Potential Habitat is a database for selected threatened and priority species in Queensland, based on environmental factors. |
| Wildnet | The Wildnet database contains records of wildlife sightings and listings of plants (including fungi and protists), mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, freshwater fish, sharks and rays, butterflies and other priority invertebrates in Queensland. Wildnet also contains information on species’ national and state conservation status. The wildlife lists are based on collated species lists and wildlife records from Queensland Government departments and external organisations. |
Flora
State
- Threatened flora species numbers
The number of flora species listed as threatened (‘vulnerable’, ‘endangered’ or ‘presumed extinct’) in Queensland increased by 277 between 2007 and 2019. There has been no change in the total number of flora species listed as ‘presumed extinct’ since 2017.
- Density of threatened flora species habitat
Almost one-third of threatened flora pre-clear habitat has been cleared across Queensland, with 10% of remaining habitat protected within a national park.
- Threatened flora species habitat
Threatened flora habitat loss is ongoing in Queensland.
Pressure
- Major threats to flora species
Thirty-four major threats have been previously identified that impact on Queensland threatened flora. The threats affecting the most species are ‘inappropriate fire regimes’, 'weeds' and ‘clearing of vegetation’. The impacts associated with climate change has also been identified as a major factor in the risk of extinction of flora species in Queensland.
- Land clearing impact on threatened flora habitat
While the clearing the threatened flora pre-clear habitat within woody vegetation has slowed, it remains 3 times higher than in 2009–2010.
Resources
| Modelled Potential Habitat | The Modelled Potential Habitat is a database for selected threatened and priority species in Queensland, based on environmental factors. |
| Wildnet | The Wildnet database contains records of wildlife sightings and listings of plants (including fungi and protists), mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, freshwater fish, sharks and rays, butterflies and other priority invertebrates in Queensland. Wildnet also contains information on species’ national and state conservation status. The wildlife lists are based on collated species lists and wildlife records from Queensland Government departments and external organisations. |
| CORVEG | CORVEG is a database containing flora sightings and study site descriptions. It contains data on physical and vegetation features, structural and floristic attributes, and descriptions of landscape, soil and geologic features. The CORVEG study locations are primarily used for ground-truthing and validating of Regional Ecosystems mapping, and describing and classifying vegetation mapping units. |