Conservation Assessments

Conservation Assessments
for Fire Affected Invertebrates

Many thousands of invertebrates had some of their known range impacted by the 2019-2020 fires in Australia, and for a large number of species their entire range, as we know it, was burnt. For some of these species the population loss that occurred is likely to have pushed them closer to extinction and they now may need our help to enable them to recover, to protect the places they live in, and to control the threats that are impacting them. 

Amongst the most at-risk species are those that belong to ancient lineages that have existed in Australia for millions of years, but whose fire-sensitive habitat is now in retreat and, in a future marked by increasing risk of more frequent and severe fires, is likely to offer them little security. For these species, and others at risk, recognising them as threatened under the Australian Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) is an important step in their protection and recovery.  

Image: a ‘skyhopper’, Kosciuscola sp., endemic to the Australian High Country
(image: Kate Umbers)