Threatened species & ecological communities

Nominating a species, ecological community or key threatening process under the EPBC Act

Any person may nominate a native species, ecological community or threatening process for listing under any of the categories specified in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Nomination and listing process

An overview of the nomination and listing process is provided in the nomination process flowchart.

An invitation to nominate is extended by the Minister each year ahead of a new assessment cycle. Nominations submitted within the advertised invitation period and that satisfy the EPBC Regulations are forwarded to the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, who prepare a Proposed Priority Assessment List of nominations for consideration by the Minister.

The Minister considers the Proposed Priority Assessment List (PPAL) developed by the Committee and may make changes. The finalised priority assessment list (FPAL) is published on this website and nominators will be notified of the outcome.

Nominations included in the FPAL are assessed by the Committee within the timeframe set by the Minister. The Committee will invite public and expert comment on these nominations during the assessment period.

The Committee's advice is forwarded to the Minister, who decides whether the species, ecological community or key threatening process is eligible for listing under the EPBC Act.

For a comprehensive understanding of the provisions relating to nominations and listing, please refer directly to the EPBC Act and Regulations.

Making a nomination

Nominations are now invited for the assessment period starting 1 October 2012, for any species, ecological communities or key threatening processes to be considered for listing under national environment law.

The Minister has established a conservation theme for this assessment period:

Nominations consistent with this conservation theme are encouraged, but nominations outside the theme will also be considered.

Nominations for this assessment period close at 5pm on Thursday, 22 March 2012.

Before submitting a nomination

Before you submit a nomination for a species, ecological community or key threatening process, please check to see if it is already listed on a current EPBC Act list:

Current EPBC Act lists

You may also like to check whether the species, ecological community or key threatening process has been unsuccessfully nominated in the past or removed from an EPBC Act list:

Unsuccessful nominations

Removed from the EPBC Act lists

To assist you in preparing your nomination, it is recommended that you read recent listing and conservation advice developed by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee. Recovery plans for threatened species and ecological communities may also be a useful information source.

EPBC Regulations checklist

To be eligible for consideration by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, nominations must contain all information required by Division 7.2 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000  (the Regulations).

A checklist has been provided to assist nominators in identifying information that is required. Nominators are not required to complete the checklist. It is simply provided as a tool so that nominators may ensure their nomination contains the required information and can be considered for assessment.

If the required information is not available because of a lack of scientific data or analysis, it is a requirement of the Regulations that the nomination includes an explicit statement that the data are not available for that question.

Nomination forms and guidelines

These forms cover the requirements of the EPBC Regulations. Please use the following nomination forms and guidelines to prepare your nomination:

Threatened species

For listing or changing the conservation status of a native species under the EPBC Act.

For delisting a native species under the EPBC Act.

Threatened ecological communities

For listing or changing the conservation status of an ecological community under the EPBC Act.

For an example of a nomination which provides the type and quality of information required to enable consideration for assessment. (Please note that this example uses an older version of the nominations form.)

Key threatening processes

For listing a key threatening process under the EPBC Act.

Submitting your nomination

Completed nominations may be lodged either electronically (preferred) or in hard copy. Where possible, hard copy submissions should be accompanied by an electronic copy on CD.

Electronically

epbc.nominations@environment.gov.au

Mail

Director, Species Listing Section
Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601

For further information, contact the Director of the Species Listing Section:

Public notices

Open for public comment under the EPBC Act:

EPBC Act lists

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Last updated: Tuesday, 20-Dec-2011 15:28:47 EST