A Synthesis of Threats Impacting Australian Threatened Ecological Communities

Abstract

Aim

Effective strategies to mitigate threats are crucial to ensure the persistence of biodiversity. In contrast to the decades of research on threatened species in Australia, threatened ecological communities (TECs) have historically received less attention. In particular, there is no synthesis of the threats impacting ecological communities, limiting our ability to coordinate and prioritise management towards recovery. In this study, we aimed to: (1) compile and summarise the threats to Australian TECs to identify the most prevalent causes of decline and (2) identify common management strategies for TEC recovery.

Location

Australia.

Methods

We conducted a content analysis to extract and categorise data on threats for 103 TECs to develop the first national threats database along with a standardised classification scheme. We summarised the broad and specific threats impacting TECs and translated recovery needs of TECs into threat abatement strategies.

Results

Most Australian TECs are threatened by multiple and diverse threats (an average of 14.4 threats per TEC). These spanned 49 threats (e.g., nutrient loads), categorised into eight broad-level threats (e.g., pollution). The most prevalent broad-level threats are ‘Invasive species and disease’ and ‘Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation’, each impacting at least 98% of TECs. Almost all TECs would benefit from threat mitigation strategies such as habitat restoration, invasive weed management and ecological fire regime management.

Main Conclusions

Overall, the threats database we developed can be used to inform conservation planning and effective threat abatement strategies tailored to the recovery of TECs at local, regional and national scales. It will also facilitate integrated analyses of threats and conservation actions between TECs and threatened species to increase management efficiencies.