Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 1167

❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice from Hon Sophie McNeill regarding the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction's (DBCA) threatened species recovery plan targets, funding, and prioritisation. The Minister declined to answer due to the extensive nature of the request.

AnsweredQoN 1167Legislative Council

Asked

11 December 2025

Member

Hon Sophie McNeill

Portfolio

the Environment

QuestionView source ↗

(1) why has the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction (DBCA) maintained a target of only 70% of WA threatened species having Recovery Plans, rather than committing to 100%? (2) in relation to (1), What barriers prevent an increase in this target, and what would be required to overcome them? (3) what is the process for prioritising species for recovery plans for the other 30% of listed Threatened Species? (4) how much annual funding is allocated to the implementation of Recovery Plans? (5) can you provide a breakdown of the activities undertaken to implement the recovery plans and the expenditure, including funding directed toward: (a) habitat restoration; (b) threat mitigation (e.g., feral species control, protection of critical habitat); (c) monitoring and evaluation; and (d) research? (6) what percentage of Recovery Plans have undergone a review in the past 10 years? (7) are requirements for Recovery Plan reviews being met? (8) do you have an indication of priority species where you are prioritising the review of Recovery Plans? (9) how many species have had population declines despite having a Recovery Plan in place? (10) in relation to (9), which ones? (11) in relation to (9), what does DBCA consider to be the reasons for these declines despite having a Recovery Plan, and how are Plans adjusted in response to this? (12) which species and ecological communities are being prioritised by DBCA for management? (13) in relation to (12), how are these decisions made, and how is transparency ensured in these decisions? (14) in relation to (12), are there any species or ecological communities considered ‘too difficult’ or ‘too expensive’ to manage under current settings? (15) how does DBCA prioritise funding across different WA listings of threatened and priority fauna? (16) what are the species identified in P1-P4 of DBCA’s Priority fauna and what funding is allocated to each species? (17) what are the funding splits across Class of species and also across DBCA regions? (18) how much funding would you estimate is required to fund and implement Recovery Plans for 100% of WA’s threatened species and ecological communities? (19) in relation to (18), has DBCA modelled different funding scenarios (e.g., minimum viable funding, optimal funding)? (20) if yes to (18), could this modelling be made publicly available to inform investment planning and community expectations? (21) Carnaby's Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) Recovery Plan was last updated in 2013: what plans (if any) are underway to update this recovery plan? (22) in relation to (21), what funding? (23) (in relation to (21), what scope?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

24 February 2026

Responded by

Minister for the Environment

Response time

5 days

An answer to these questions cannot be provided without breaching Standing Order 106. The information sought is extensive and would require an unreasonable diversion of departmental resources. If the Honourable Member reframes the question into a more concise question, I will endeavour to provide a response consistent with the Legislative Council Standing Orders.

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