Threatened Species Monitoring

Why is ecological monitoring required in NSW?

1. Legal and regulatory compliance
   Under NSW and Commonwealth legislation—such as the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW) and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)—developers, land managers, and consent authorities have a legal obligation to avoid, minimise, and offset impacts on threatened species and ecological communities. Ongoing monitoring is often a condition of development consent, a requirement of Biodiversity Development Assessment Reports (BDARs), or part of biodiversity offset strategies. It ensures that management actions are effective and that biodiversity values are not being unintentionally degraded over time.
2. Adaptive management
   Monitoring provides the scientific basis for adaptive management—a process where ecological data is used to adjust management strategies based on actual outcomes. For example, if monitoring reveals a decline in a threatened species population or poor nest box usage, management practices (e.g. habitat restoration or predator control) can be revised to improve effectiveness.
3. Demonstrating environmental performance
   For infrastructure projects, developments, or public land management, monitoring shows regulators, stakeholders, and the public that biodiversity commitments are being met. This builds transparency and accountability, particularly in areas with high conservation value or community interest.
4. Supporting conservation and recovery
   Monitoring of threatened ecological communities helps track ecosystem health, assess the success of weed control or fire management, and ensure key attributes of the community are retained. Similarly, threatened species monitoring helps identify critical breeding sites, seasonal movements, or population trends—essential for long-term species recovery planning. Nest box monitoring, commonly required when natural hollow-bearing trees are lost due to clearing, helps determine whether artificial habitat is being used effectively and whether additional interventions are needed.

What is Threatened Species Monitoring?

Threatened species monitoring in New South Wales (NSW) is the process of systematically surveying and tracking the presence, abundance, and condition of species listed as threatened under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW) or the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth). These species may be endangered, vulnerable, or critically endangered, and require targeted efforts to monitor their populations and habitat.

Threatened species monitoring involves:

• Identifying which threatened species may occur in an area 
• Surveying for those species using appropriate methods (e.g. trapping, call playback, camera traps, spotlighting, scat analysis) 
• Assessing habitat quality, breeding activity, and population trends 
• Recording threats or disturbances, such as feral animals, habitat loss, or disease 
• Documenting changes over time to determine if populations are stable, increasing, or declining 

It is a science-based method to understand how species are responding to environmental conditions or human impacts.

Why Do You Need Threatened Species Monitoring in NSW?

You may need to carry out threatened species monitoring for several key reasons:

1. Conservation and recovery
   • Long-term monitoring supports broader species recovery efforts, contributing valuable data to government conservation programs and recovery plans.
2. Legal and planning requirements
   • If your project is located in or near habitat for threatened species, you may be legally required to monitor their presence and health.
   • Required under:
     • Development approvals (DA conditions)
     • Biodiversity Development Assessment Reports (BDARs)
     • Conservation agreements
     • Offset management plans
     • EPBC Act referrals (for nationally listed species)
3. Impact mitigation and adaptive management
   • Monitoring allows you to measure the effectiveness of mitigation strategies (e.g. fencing, habitat enhancement, predator control).
   • If a species is declining despite actions, monitoring triggers a review and adaptation of the management plan.
4. Biodiversity offset compliance
   • If your project uses biodiversity offsets, ongoing monitoring is required to demonstrate the offset site is supporting the relevant threatened species over time.
5. Early detection of threats
   • Monitoring can identify new or emerging threats, like invasive predators, habitat degradation, or diseases—allowing for early intervention.

Common Threatened Species Monitoring Methods

Depending on the species, monitoring may involve: