Abstract for presentation at Biodiversity Extinction Crisis Conference - A Pacific Response

Traditional approaches to biodiversity recovery in Australia, have focussed on the individual species. The biodiversity management community is increasingly required to address the management of hundreds of threatened species, populations and communities. Prioritising resources across the community,land tenure, sites, species and threats is a complicated task.

We describe an innovative approach to combining spatial, expert, Indigenous and non-Indigenous community knowledge to create an integrated landscape approach to biodiversity conservation and recovery. Biodiversity Management Plans for Lord Howe Island and the Border Ranges Rainforest Hotspot(NSW and Qld)are showcased. Both plans consider over 200 threatened and priority species and communities with their biodiversity context. The aim is to deliver management priorities in a holistic and cost-effective manner, whilst considering the specific requirements of threatened and priority entities.

We describe approaches used to encourage significant community engagement, with a particular focus on the Indigenous community. Techniques for dealing with biodiversity, threats and management in a spatial context are discussed. The focus is on a threats based, tiered (landscape to site specific) approach to threats and management.

The plans have been prepared collaboratively with Australian, State, Local Government, non-government and community partners. We believe the Biodiversity Management Plan approach provides an integrated and efficient approach to prioritising the delivery of biodiversity management actions and threatened species recovery across all tenures. Consultation throughout the plans preparation has ensured a broad range of input from and community ownership of the final plans.