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Study finds half the remaining habitat of Australia's most at-risk species is unprotected

Australia needs to urgently prioritize state and national conservation policies, according to a new study, with the findings warning that more than 220 critically endangered species are at risk of being lost due to their small distributions coupled with uneven protections.

The study "Half of the habitat for Australia's highly imperilled narrow-range species is outside protected areas" has been published in Biological Conservation.

In the first known study of its kind, the team, led by Griffith University, assessed how much of each species' habitat in Australia was outside protected areas and considered to have agricultural capability, potentially elevating the risk of conversion.

They identified critically endangered species with narrow ranges of more than 20,000 sqm, and were distributed in fewer than six separate, distinct patches.

The authors urge around 85,000 sqm of habitat (which equates to about 1% of Australia) for these species must receive protection and management if the nation was going to meet its commitment to halt new extinctions.

"Globally, we know species with small distributions face disproportionate extinction risk, with the impacts of land-use change more likely to have catastrophic consequences," said Dr. Michelle Ward, from Griffith's School of Environment and Science.

"Identifying, protecting and managing sites where such species occur is essential for minimizing their extinction risk.

"Yet across Australia, efforts to protect and manage such species' habitats have hitherto been insufficient."

Key findings:

• About half of the 85,000 sqm habitat was outside the protected area estate, including the entire distribution of 39 species

• About 55% of habitat outside of protected areas had at least some agricultural capability, elevating the area's risk of being lost to agriculture

• Most of the at-risk critically endangered species were plants (228 species), followed by reptiles (20 species), frogs (14 species), other animals (invertebrates other than freshwater crayfish; 14 species), freshwater crayfish (11 species), freshwater fish (10 species), birds (five species), mammals (three species).

Jody Gunn, CEO of the Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA), which is the peak body for private land conservation, said, "It's so important to have a clear picture of exactly which species are teetering on the edge—those with very small ranges, or restricted to a single area of private land.

"This research reinforces what we see on the ground every day: that the future of many species depends on what happens on private land. Conservation doesn't stop at the fence line of national parks.

"We know that land managers care deeply about the plants and animals that their land provides a home for. There are thousands of landholders across Australia, already giving nature a helping hand. What we need is the policy and investment to turn that willingness into long-term outcomes."

Dr. Ward echoed that protecting and managing the habitats of these narrow-range species should be a high priority in local, state and national conservation policy.

"Our case study serves as a template for the identification of important habitat for threatened species and could be applied in other regions of the world," she said.