Frequently Asked
Questions
Advisory List for Threatened Vertebrate
Fauna 2013
General list information
What is the list?

The Advisory List for Threatened Vertebrate Fauna provides important information relating to the conservation
status of key vertebrate fauna in Victoria.

The Advisory List for Threatened Vertebrate Fauna is maintained by DSE and is based on technical information
and advice obtained from a range of scientific experts. The Advisory Lists are reviewed periodically.

The Advisory List for Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria is not the same as the Threatened List established under the
Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (FFG Act). There are no direct legal requirements or
consequences that flow from inclusion of a species in advisory lists, although they are afforded some protection
through Victoria’s Native Vegetation Management Framework. Also, some of the species in these advisory lists
are also listed as threatened under the FFG Act.
What is the list used for?

The information in the list may be of use in a range of planning processes, such as the preparation of National
Park Management Plans, local government planning schemes, regional catchment strategies and in setting
priorities for actions to conserve biodiversity.

Together with the range of programs and other resources available, lists of this type serve to increase community
awareness of threatened species and may encourage community members to become involved in activities to
protect threatened species, thereby reducing the risk of their conservation status worsening.
How was the list developed and reviewed?

The review of the Advisory List primarily involved seeking expert opinion from specialists on various groups. The
formal conservation status assessments were then undertaken by DSE using International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) Red List categories and criteria.

For species that occur widely outside Victoria, the guidelines for applying the IUCN criteria at a regional level were
used.
More information on the IUCN categories and criteria can be found at www.iucnredlist.org
Is there an Advisory List for threatened plants and invertebrates?

Yes, DSE maintains Advisory Lists for threatened plants and invertebrate fauna. They can be found on the DSE
website, along with the vertebrate fauna list.
Frequently Asked Questions - Advisory List for Vertebrate Fauna 2013
The update
Some species on the previous Advisory List are not on the 2013 list, why?

To inform the 2013 Vertebrate Fauna Advisory List species on the 2007 List were reassessed against the IUCN
Red List categories and criteria using the most recent scientific information available. Species that were listed
on previous versions of the Advisory List and are not found on the 2013 version no longer meet the criteria for
listing.
For example:

Population numbers have stabilised and are no longer showing decline.

Research has found the species to be more common and widely distributed than
originally thought.

New information suggests that what were initially thought to be multiple species are
now found to be part of the one species.
There are new species on the list, why?

Victorian vertebrate fauna have been assessed against the IUCN Red List categories and criteria using the
most up to date scientific information available. Species that are new to the list have met the criteria for listing
according to the panel of experts.
For example:

Population numbers are declining rapidly and the species in only found in a small number of
localised areas.

New information suggests that what was initially thought to be one species is now found to
be multiple species.
Some items have undergone nomenclature (name) changes, why?

Some species have undergone a nomenclature (name) change. Nomenclature changes are linked to new
scientific information being discovered about that species.
For example:

The species is no longer considered part of the genus it was originally thought to be.
Published by the Victorian Government
Department of Sustainability and Environment Melbourne, March 2013.
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