Over 110 threatened ecological communities (TECs) are listed under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act). TECs can be likened to an ecosystem or a series of ecosystems, and listing represents an effective national approach to ‘whole of system’, landscape-scale, connected, and multi-species conservation. Listed entities become a Matter of National Environmental Significance, which may trigger referral of proposed developments. A listed TEC also complements and guides other protective measures, such as reserves, management plans, and community restoration projects, and often leverages restoration funding.
Based on a scientific assessment against six regulated ‘Criteria’, listing is overseen by an independent Threatened Species Scientific Committee. Along with a description and guidance on priority protection/recovery actions, the listing assessment is captured by a Conservation Advice.
This presentation focuses on the challenge of demonstrating assessment of Criterion 4—a decline in ecological integrity, for complex coastal/marine systems being assessed as threatened. Examples are briefly discussed from some successful listings: coastal saltmarsh, salt-wedge estuaries, the River Murray, and Posidonia seagrass. These highlight the need to embrace a ‘multiple-lines-of-evidence’ approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative information—each ‘line’ adds rigour to the conclusion regarding conservation status, and connectivity is a typically a strong feature.