Once a species, population or ecological community has been listed as threatened, several steps need to be taken to make sure it has a chance to recover:

• Priorities Action Statement
• Critical habitat
• Recovery plans
• Threat abatement plans
• Impact assessment

Community awareness, involvement and support are also crucial to the success of any recovery program.

Priorities Action Statement

The Priorities Action Statement (PAS) sets out strategies for the recovery of threatened species, populations and endangered ecological communities. It also creates strategies for the management of key threatening processes. The PAS establishes relative priorities for recovery and threat abatement strategies and reports on the performance and implementation of these strategies. The PAS sets out a clear timetable for recovery and threat abatement planning and achievement. Click here to read the PAS and its contents.

Critical habitat

I&I NSW will identify critical habitat - the areas of habitat (land and/or water) that are crucial to the survival of particular threatened species, populations and communities. This involves extensive consultation with the Fisheries Scientific Committee, government agencies, landholders and the wider community. Once these areas have been declared they're recorded on a register of critical habitat.

Critical habitat affects the development assessment process. If a proposed development will occur on critical habitat, a species impact statement has to be prepared.

Recovery plans

Once a species, population or ecological community has been listed as threatened, I&I NSW may prepare a recovery plan. These plans are designed to return the species, population or ecological community to a point where its survival in nature is assured. Recovery plans include background information on the biology, habitat and distribution as well as threats faced by the species. 

I&I NSW is required to exhibit draft recovery plans and seek public comment before the NSW Minister for Primary Industries approves the final plan.

Procedures for the production of a plan are specified in the Act and involve:

• public exhibition - when the community is invited to make submissions on the plan
• consideration of the submissions by I&I NSW
• approval of the final plan by the NSW Minister for Primary Industries.

 View draft and final recovery plans

Threat abatement plans

I&I NSW may prepare a threat abatement plan for each listed key threatening process. A threat abatement plan includes background information on the species and habitats affected by the Key Threatening Process and the work being done to manage the impacts. Threat abatement plans outline actions needed to eliminate or manage the key threatening process, and identifies the authorities responsible for carrying out those actions.

When preparing a threat abatement plan, I&I NSW consults extensively with scientific experts, government departments, land managers and members of the community. Once a draft plan has been drawn up, it's placed on public exhibition and the community is invited to make submissions. All submissions are considered before the plan is forwarded to the Minister for Primary Industries for approval.

Threat abatement plans must be reviewed periodically. Anyone can make a submission about a threat abatement plan at any time, and their submission will be considered in the review process.

Putting threat abatement plans into effect

I&I NSW leads the implementation of threat abatement plans to reduce threats to fish and marine vegetation. But often the cooperation of other public authorities is needed to manage these threats effectively. If other authorities agree to help, they will be identified in the threat abatement plan.

Threat abatement planning coordinates the work of I&I NSW, public authorities, other organisations and the community.

Threat abatement plans also influence other planning processes, and must be taken into account by public authorities when they make decisions. For example, local councils and other public authorities may need to consider a threat abatement plan when assessing development proposals.

View plans currently on public exhibition

Impact assessment

If a planned development or activity is likely to have any impact on a threatened species, a preliminary assessment of the potential impacts must be made (the 'Assessment of Significance' or '7 part test'). If the impacts are likely to be significant, or if critical habitat is affected, a species impact statement must be prepared. In these cases, the Director-General of I&I NSW must agree to the development approval and the Minister for Primary Industries may also need to be consulted.

The Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) sets out the development and impact assessment system in NSW. Part 3A of the EP&A Act covers major infrastructure and state significant development. The environmental assessment for this type of development is determined by the Director-General of the Department of Planning in consultation with other agencies, including I&I NSW. Please read the information on major project assessment on the Department of Planning website.

Part 4 of the EP&A Act covers development that requires consent, such as development approvals from local government. Part 5 deals with activities that require some form of approval other than development consent, such as a permit or licence from a government agency (the 'determining authority').

In either case, the consent and/or determining authority must consider if a planned development or activity is likely to have any impact on threatened species, populations or ecological communities, or their habitats. A preliminary assessment of the potential impacts must be made (section 5A of the EP&A Act sets out the factors which must be considered in making this decision, known as the 'Assessment of Significance' or '7 part test'). I&I NSW has developed a guide to assist in undertaking the assessment.

If the impacts are likely to be significant, or if critical habitat is affected, a species impact statement must be prepared. In these cases, the Director-General of I&I NSW must agree to the development approval and the Minister for Primary Industries may also need to be consulted.

If there is likely to be a significant impact, the consent or determining authority must seek the concurrence of the Director-General of I&I NSW (or in some cases consult with the Minister for Primary Industries), and the proponent must prepare a detailed Species Impact Statement (SIS). An SIS is mandatory if the development or activity will take place on declared critical habitat.

The minimum information which must be included in an SIS is defined in Part 7A of the Fisheries Management Act 1994. Before preparing the SIS, the proponent (the person proposing to carry out the activity) also has to ask the Director-General of I&I NSW for any Director's Requirements, which may specify any additional issues or information to be covered. In some cases, for example where the impacts will be negligible or trivial, the Director can modify or limit the information to be included in the SIS or even dispense with the requirement for an SIS.

Even when an activity does not require consent or approval (and therefore assessment) under the EP&A Act, a licence may still be required under the Fisheries Management Act 1994 if the activity is likely to harm an aquatic threatened species, population or ecological community or its critical habitat.

The EP&A Act also requires government planners to take into account threatened species before they make environmental plans and policies at a statewide, regional and local level.