ACT Sensitive Species List

The ACT Government recognises that, for some taxa, the release of precise location data can increase risks to the conservation of individuals or populations. Unrestricted public access to sensitive ecological data can expose species to threats such as poaching, disturbance, collection, and cumulative visitation, as outlined in the ACT Sensitive Species and Ecological Data Guideline (2023).

To reduce the likelihood of deliberate or unintentional negative impacts, the Minister, the Conservator of Flora and Fauna, or the Threatened Species Scientific Committee may withhold precise location information from publication where disclosure is considered likely to threaten the survival of a native species or ecological community, in accordance with section 363 of the Nature Conservation Act 2014.

Species and ecological datasets are assessed against a structured risk assessment matrix that evaluates both: (1) the likelihood that location data could be misused, and (2) the consequences of either misuse or withholding data. This includes balancing the risk of adverse impacts arising from misuse of precise coordinates with the potentially avoidable impacts that occur when important ecological information is unavailable for planning, management, or conservation purposes.

Following assessment, taxa are assigned to one of two categories: Sensitive or Extreme. These sensitivity categories inform the level of spatial obfuscation or generalisation required before data can be released publicly. Sensitive species records must be obfuscated at a resolution appropriate to their assessed sensitivity level, while extreme sensitivity records may require substantial generalisation or withholding of location data entirely.

The ACT Sensitive Species guidelines generalises “extreme” sensitivity records to approximately 10 km resolution (0.1° or 10,000 m), while “sensitive” records are generalised to approximately 1 km resolution (0.01° or 1,000 m), ensuring that the level of obfuscation matches the level of risk. When generalising sensitive species locations, the key principle is to reduce spatial precision while preserving accuracy. Locations should be aggregated into coarser, true spatial units—such as grid cells or polygons—rather than being randomly shifted. Randomisation is discouraged because it introduces false coordinates and undermines data reliability, whereas generalisation retains the integrity of the original data at a broader scale. Simply buffering or masking a point without altering its coordinates is also insufficient, as the original location can sometimes be reverse engineered (e.g. from the buffer geometry or repeated observations). 
Refer to https://www.rasd.org.au/ for more information.

Full-resolution (unobfuscated) locations may be accessed by approved users under a restricted-access arrangement. Researchers, land managers, or other legitimate users may request access by contacting the Office of Nature Conservation, subject to the purpose test and data custodian approval. Requests are granted only where use of the data is consistent with ACT Government conservation objectives and appropriate confidentiality protections are in place.

This Sensitive Species List provides an ACT-wide framework for safeguarding ecological values while still enabling responsible data sharing to support conservation, planning, community knowledge, and environmental decision‑making.

Tags: fauna, flora, nature-conservation-act, species, taxonomy, threatened-species
Organization: ACT Government Open Data