Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00157:body:0:p10
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2019L00157
Segment Type: other
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Character Range: 27842–30979

species or ecological communities not yet listed to become eligible for listing under the EPBC Act (in any category other than conservation dependent).
           3.        Inform and engage the community by promoting information about Phytophthora, its impacts on biodiversity and actions to mitigate these impacts.
           4.        Encourage research on Phytophthora species and options to manage infestations and protect biodiversity assets.

         Under each objective is a set of actions to help achieve the goal of the Plan. The priorities for actions are relative over the life of the Plan. Time frames listed for the actions are:
•       short term, one to three years
•       medium term, three to five years
•       long term, more than five years
•       ongoing.

Objective 1: Identify and prioritise for protection biodiversity assets that are, or may be, impacted by Phytophthora

         There is a need to develop a list of national priority biodiversity assets for protection from Phytophthora. The background document (DoEE, 2018a) includes discussion of state-based approaches to the assessment of risks from Phytophthora.

         EPBC Act listed threatened species and ecological communities at risk from Phytophthora appear in appendices A, B and C in this document. Although understanding of plant species susceptibility and impacts on dependent wildlife is still developing, these lists provide a starting point for prioritisation.

         Threatened species and communities are also listed under state and territory legislation. Australian Government and state/territory lists do not necessarily align, creating the potential for inconsistency in priorities. Current work to align these lists at state and national levels will lead to greater efficiencies. Under the common assessment method, a species will be assessed by only one jurisdiction: either the Australian Government or a state or territory where the species occurs. The outcome of that assessment can then be adopted by relevant jurisdictions to update their Single Operational List. A current list of threatened species and communities is available on the Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT) (DoEE, 2018b).

         Risk assessment methodologies should be the basis for governments in setting management priorities and allocating resources. The risk assessment process extends beyond susceptible plant species and ecological communities that are currently listed as threatened under the EPBC Act. It also covers those that are at risk of becoming listed due to factors such as proximity to infested areas, and extends to habitat-dependent wildlife and plant species that may be impacted by Phytophthora dieback.

           Project Dieback in Western Australia brought together key partner organisations to develop a State Phytophthora dieback Management and Investment Framework in 2014 (Project Dieback, 2014). As part of the framework an indicative top 100 priority protection areas were identified to assist in prioritising investment and management.

           This framework can be applied nationally, with the value of