The Declared Rare and Priority Flora List is the system by which
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...
's
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
...
are given a priority. Developed by the
Government of Western Australia
The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...
's
Department of Environment and Conservation, it was used extensively within the department, including the
Western Australian Herbarium. The herbarium's journal, ''
Nuytsia
''Nuytsia floribunda'' is a hemiparasitic tree found in Western Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and, more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree. The display of intensely bright flowers during th ...
'', which has published over a quarter of the state's conservation taxa, requires a conservation status to be included in all publications of new Western Australian taxa that appear to be rare or endangered.
The system defines six levels of priority taxa:
;X
: Threatened (Declared Rare Flora) – Presumed Extinct Taxa: These are taxa that are thought to be extinct, either because they have not been collected for over 50 years despite thorough searching, or because all known wild populations have been destroyed. They have been declared as such in accordance with the
Wildlife Conservation Act 1950
The ''Wildlife Conservation Act 1950'' is an act of the Western Australian Parliament that provides the statute relating to conservation and legal protection of flora and fauna. Text was copied from this source, which is available under Attri ...
, and are therefore afforded legislative protection under that act.
;T
: Threatened (Declared Rare Flora) – Extant Taxa: These are taxa that have been thoroughly surveyed, and determined to be rare, in danger of extinction, or otherwise in need of special protection. They have been declared rare in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Act 1950, and are therefore afforded legislative protection under that act. The code for this category was previously 'R'.
;P1
: Priority One – Poorly Known Taxa: These are taxa that are known from only a few (generally less than five) populations, all of which are under immediate threat. They are candidates for declaration as rare flora, but are in need of further survey.
;P2
: Priority Two – Poorly Known Taxa: These are taxa that are known from only a few (generally less than five) populations, some of which are not thought to be under immediate threat. They are candidates for declaration as rare flora, but are in need of further survey.
;P3
: Priority Three – Poorly Known Taxa: That are taxa that are known from several populations, some of which are not thought to be under immediate threat. They are candidates for declaration as rare flora, but are in need of further survey.
;P4
: Priority Four – Rare Taxa: These are taxa that have been adequately surveyed, and are rare but not known to be under threat.
See also
*
Conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms (for instance, a species) indicates whether the group still exists and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing conservation ...
*
Wildlife Conservation Act 1950
The ''Wildlife Conservation Act 1950'' is an act of the Western Australian Parliament that provides the statute relating to conservation and legal protection of flora and fauna. Text was copied from this source, which is available under Attri ...
, state legislation
*
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...
, federal legislation
*
ROTAP (Rare or Threatened Australian Plants) coding system
References
*"Nuytsia – WA's Journal of Systematic Botany". Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
*"Nuytsia – WA's Journal of Systematic Botany - Editorial Guidelines". Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Western Australia.
*{{cite web, title=Western Australian Flora Conservation Codes , url=https://www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/images/documents/plants-animals/threatened-species/Listings/Conservation%20code%20definitions.pdf , publisher=
Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is the Government of Western Australia, Western Australian government department responsible for managing lands and waters described in the ''Conservation and Land Management A ...
, Government of Western Australia, date=21 January 2019
External links
Threatened plants– Government of Western Australia
Nature conservation in Western Australia
Biota by conservation status
Botany in Australia