Major contributors to the Increase in the number of threatened species since 2011 have been an increased understanding of the status of threatened birds and mammals, and improvements in the efficiency of listing processes.

Interactions between pressures such as changed fire regimes, invasive species and changing land use have contributed to significant population declines in Australian mammals and birds, and, presumably, in other animal and plant groups.

Although there are excellent examples of successful local eradication efforts and management to reduce the impact of invasive species, assessing overall management effectiveness is difficult because monitoring is often missing, incomplete or only at a local scale. Reporting of management outcomes is often very limited.

Damage from feral buffalo, camels, cattle, donkeys, goats, horses and pigs is a key pressure on native ecosystems. Introduced herbivores transform ecosystems, thus reducing the resilience of native systems, opening pathways for weed invasion and increasing fire risks.

Urban and peri-urban areas continue to directly encroach into surrounding natural ecosystems and may also cause indirect impacts by acting as a source of invasive species. Native wildlife in urban areas can be viewed as a benefit by residents, but can also be a source of conflict as humans and wildlife come into contact.

The majority of Australia's invertebrates and fungi are yet to be described - many have small, restricted distributions and specific ecological requirements that make them sensitive to ecological change. Subterranean invertebrates are particularly threatened by mining activities. Better understanding of the number and variety of subterranean fauna species, and the ecosystems they reside in is an ongoing part of mining operations, as part of both environmental impact assessments and threat abatement actions.

Australia has been a world leader in the translocation of threatened species for conservation, which will continue to play a key role in management in the future. Translocation of threatened species is increasing and its overall long-term costs and benefits need to be well understood, particularly given the growing need to use translocation to meet environmental conditions of approval of development applications. The past 5 years have seen an increase in effort to trial ‘future proofing’ of wild populations of threatened species in new areas.

The increasing area of Australia under Indigenous management is enabling traditional practices to form the basis of new forms of contemporary, collaborative environmental and resource management. The rapid expansion of Indigenous ranger programs, combined with increased respect of Indigenous cultural rights, obligations, knowledge and resource management practices, provides new opportunities for better understanding and management of biodiversity.

Citizen-science efforts are becoming increasingly important in contributing data that improve our understanding of the state and trends of biodiversity in Australia. The Atlas of Living Australia has improved access to knowledge about the distribution of biodiversity.