Celebrating Western Australia's Biodiversity

September every year has been nominated (by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts) to celebrate and promote the importance of protecting, conserving and improving biodiversity - so why not visit the NMDC to discover Western Australia's marine and freshwater biodiversity for yourself?

National Threatened Species Day

As part of Biodiversity Month, September 7 each year has been nominated as National Threatened Species Day to encourage the community to help conserve Australia's native fauna and flora.

Unfortunately, there are a number of species in Australia which are listed as threatened, which means that without special protection they may become extinct.

All native fauna and flora are protected by law, however they can be protected in many different ways. Protection can apply to:

• their biology - for example: sex, size, weight and reproductive cycle,
• the area of land or waters from which they are taken, and
• the period of time during which they are caught (e.g. fish).

However, some fauna and flora are totally protected which means a person must not take, have in their possession, sell or purchase, consign or bring into the State or into WA waters that particular species. Animals can be totally protected for a variety of reasons. They could be:

1. Rare or likely to become extinct because:
• They have a low level of abundance (are found in low amounts),
• They are slow growing and have low reproduction rates,
• Their habitat may have become depleted,
• May be at threat of exploitation (by over harvesting),
• They are potentially under threat by being illegally collected and/or killed.
2. A migratory species travelling between different countries.

Sawfish are considered to be a threatened species and are therefore totally protected by law. In WA there are four sawfish species - the freshwater, dwarf, narrow and green sawfish which are mainly found in the Kimberley and Pilbara. Unfortunately, sawfish life cycles, including their slow rates of growth and low numbers of offspring, mean their stocks are easily threatened. They are also vulnerable because they can be easily affected by changes to water quality, habitat availability, and are at risk of being unintentionally caught by fishers as bycatch.

The Department of Fisheries produces a series of Fact Sheets on a variety of animals which can be downloaded from our website.

If you would like to learn more about sawfish click here.

By becoming more aware of Australia's native fauna and flora you too can help to protect our biodiversity and perhaps save a threatened species. Simple things like caring for an animal's habitat and recycling your rubbish are two simple ways you can make a difference!