Recent changes to the Australian Government’s national threatened species list have affected 22 species that live in the Northern Territory.

Department of Land Resource Management Species Conservation Director Simon Ward said the changes to the national list over the last 12 months altered the conservation status of 22 Northern Territory species.

“The changes revealed that the conservation status had sadly worsened for one plant species, one land snail species, 13 bird species and six species of mammals,” Dr Ward said.

“The 22nd change was to take the Southern Marsupial Mole off the national threatened species list because surveys have shown it to be more numerous than previously thought.

“The changes were made after the annual national call for nominations of threatened species, threatened ecological communities and key threatened processes took place in March last year.

“Species are assessed by an expert committee against a number of criteria that consider population size, locations where species are found, the number of individuals and any trends or changes to these characteristics.

“Keeping up to date lists of threatened species is an important part of the strategy of the Australian Government and all state and territory governments to protect threatened species.

“It is important to remember that the conservation status of species within the Northern Territory may differ to their status in other states or at the national level.

“The Department of Land Resource Management will be reviewing the conservation status of the 22 species, as well as many others within the Northern Territory, later this year.

“The Northern Territory has a huge environmental range that is rich in native plants and animals. Some parts of the Territory, such as rocky ranges or wetlands, are very important for wildlife as they have an unusual richness of species, or particular groups of endemic or threatened species.

“The community can help keep our native plants and animals safe by not disturbing shorebirds, not walking off hiking tracks or driving off roads in national parks, controlling our pet dogs and cats, careful management of fire and generally respecting our natural environment,” Dr Ward said.

The updated list of threatened species in the Northern Territory can be found at https://nt.gov.au/environment/animals/threatened-animals and https://nt.gov.au/environment/native-plants/threatened-plants. 

Media contact: Jordan Raymond-Monro, 8999 4726