6

The extent and adequacy of

monitoring for Australian threatened

reptile species

John C.Z. Woinarski

Summary

The extent and adequacy of monitoring for Australia’s 69 threatened reptile species
is highly variable, with this variation related significantly to taxonomic/ecological
grouping (with most adequate monitoring for marine turtles), conservation status
(with least monitoring for species listed as threatened by the IUCN but not listed
under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999), and the
existence of a recovery plan. No evidence of monitoring activity was found for 26
threatened reptile species, and very limited monitoring for most other species.
Monitoring programs for threatened reptile species are mostly conducted by state
agencies and by university researchers, although monitoring by the latter mostly
involves relatively brief assessments of impacts of particular threats. In a vicious
circle, the limited extent of monitoring for Australian reptile species may be a
factor that has contributed to the small proportion of reptile species that are listed