Determining the management requirements of threatened plant species.

Determining a species’ legal status is essential for identifying those in real danger of becoming extinct in the wild due to very limited distributions and declining populations. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) criteria for determining the status of threatened species are being adopted in Australia and include details on distribution, abundance and evidence of population declines (IUCN 2001). These IUCN criteria are undoubtedly crucial for identifying species that are under threat of declining towards the point of extinction. However, identifying that a species has a limited distribution or is in decline, does not by itself provide land managers with the information needed to ensure appropriate management. Land managers are encouraged to direct extra efforts into ensuring populations of threatened species are maintained within their jurisdiction. They require information on the current and likely threats to the sustainability of populations, and the management actions required to address those threats. Although a species may have a smaller global distribution than another species, the latter may have more issues requiring management action to survive. For example, the rare forb Aponogeton queenslandicus, which grows within wetlands being smothered by aggressive weeds, dug up by feral pigs and threatened to be either drained or kept permanently flooded at various wetlands, requires more management actions than a species with a smaller distribution, which grows within an apparently healthy and protected habitat, such as the endangered rainforest ginger Costus potierae