The Western Australian Threatened Species Committee: lessons from invertebrates

Abstract

The Western Australian Threatened Species Scientific Committee was formed in 1997 following the disbanding of separate flora and fauna committees. Its role is to advise the Minister for the Environment on the listing of threatened and specially protected flora and fauna under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950, and to advise the Minister on the ranking of threatened flora and fauna according to internationally accepted (IUCN) guidelines. The current committee comprises nine members, two of whom are invertebrate biologists.Thirty-three invertebrate species are currently listed as "rare or likely to become extinct", and one is listed as "presumed extinct" (CALM 1998). A further five taxa are listed as "protected fauna" under the provisions of a close season notice (CALM 1994) which restricts collecting, except under licence. This paper reviews some of the procedures that are followed when considering organisms for listing. It focuses on those invertebrates that have been considered for listing and highlights trends in the procedures, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of the system.