Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287:reg:3:p65
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2025L00287
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 65/276)
Character Range: 248905–251990

example is the arrival of avian malaria to Hawaii via the accidental introduction of a new species of mosquito. This event caused the extirpation of almost the entire endemic bird fauna below 600 m altitude and was probably the main cause of the total extinction of several bird species (Hay 1986). The range of many surviving species was severely reduced and fragmented, markedly increasing their ongoing risk of extinction (Hay 1986).
Psittacine circoviral disease is already present on Norfolk Island (see Section 2.1). The introduction of such diseases can be disastrous and can be difficult to eliminate due to persistence in feral populations of exotic species, which are likely to have greater resistance to them (Hill 2002).
Globally, all wild bird species are believed to be at risk of impacts from high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI). As of November 2024, the highly pathogenic strain of avian flu (H5N1) has impacted wild bird and mammal populations across the globe, apart from Australia and the South Pacific. While H5N1 has not yet been recorded on Norfolk Island, the bird fauna are considered particularly vulnerable, due to their isolation, the presence of endemic species found nowhere else, and the high risk of disease transmission associated with group-nesting seabirds.
In addition to these diseases, there is also significant risk of introducing dangerous plant pathogens on both legally and illegally imported plant material, including seeds, fruit, vegetables, whole plants, plant parts and potting mixes.

2.2         Risk assessment

       2.2.1            Assessment of risks
An assessment of the risks associated with the pressures outlined in Section 2.1 informed the identification and prioritisation of conservation actions in this plan.
Risks were assessed in relation to the following pressures:
 1.         loss and fragmentation of native vegetation through past land clearing
 2.         loss and fragmentation of native vegetation through current or future land clearing
 3.         degradation of native vegetation through past grazing or loss of nutrients
 4.         degradation of native vegetation through current or future grazing
 5.         lack of available nest sites
 6.         predation by rodents
 7.         predation by cats
 8.         predation or damage by chickens
 9.         predation by swamphens
10.      predation by Argentine ant
11.      competition from/change of habitat because of weed invasion
12.      infection by pathogens already present
13.      impacts of potential new invasive species including pathogens
14.      changes to vegetation, increased fire risk and/or direct physiological stress as a result of climatic changes
15.      problems caused by small populations, including lack of genetic diversity.
To obtain a risk rating, likelihood of exposure to the pressure and the consequence were estimated using a risk matrix (Table 19).
In this assessment, each threatened species was considered individually. A small number of additional species were included—the Norfolk Island stag beetle (listed