Forty-nine species of flora and fauna have been added to the federal government's threatened-species list - and conservationists are welcoming it.

The animals and plants were added to the list under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act on Thursday.

They included the swift parrot, the three-toed snake-tooth skink, the broad-toothed rat, the ghost bat and several species of orchids and albatross.

Forty-nine species of flora and fauna have been added to the federal government's threatened-species list. Above is one recent addition to the list, the Gibson's Albatross

Conservationists have welcomed the move because when a species is added to the list, such as the yellow footed rock wallaby (above), it is given extra protection under Australian law

The ghost bat, also known as the false vampire bat, is an endangered species found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and some parts of Queensland

Conservationists have welcomed the announcement, saying that the species will now be given extra protection under Australian law.

Professor Corey Bradshaw, Sir Hubert Wilkins chair of climate change at the University of Adelaide, said the growing list is a win for conservation.

'In a lot of ways it's encouraging to see the list growing. The [Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation] Act lists probably only a tiny fraction of the species that are truly in conservation peril simply because of a lack of information,' he told ABCNews

The swift parrot is a highly endangered species - there are thought to be fewer than 2000 breeding individuals remaining in the wild

The additions to the list, such as the three-toed snake-tooth skink (above), have been welcomed by some conservationists as an 'encouraging start'

However other campaigners say that, despite the list, the government is still not doing enough to save endangered species like the great knot (above)

But Australian Foundation campaigner Jess Abrahams said that government policy is causing the destruction of their habitat.

'There's this incredible hypocrisy,' he told the Guardian, adding that the 49 species were added without notice from environmental minister Greg Hunt.

'The government wants to make a difference on endangered species, but it's not prepared to spend any money, it's not prepared to use the law or make new laws to protect them – it won't even acknowledge that more species are being added to the list each day.

'The fundamental reason that species are threatened is because their habitat is destroyed, and that's the thing that we can most easily, most directly do something about.'

FORTY-NINE SPECIES ADDED TO THE THREATENED SPECIES LIST Carpentarian Grasswren Swamp Antechinus (mainland) Atriplex yeelirrie Brush-tailed Bettong, Woylie Hinged Dragon Orchid Red Knot, Knot Great Knot Copper Beard Orchid Greater Sand Plover, Large Sand Plover Lesser Sand Plover, Mongolian Plover Short-spiked Midge-orchid Firth's Midge-orchid Antelope Orchid Dark-stemmed Antler Orchid, Mangrove Orchid Dendrobium nindii (an orchid) Didymoglossum exiguum Amsterdam Albatross Antipodean Albatross Gibson's Albatross Tristan Albatross Southern Royal Albatross Northern Royal Albatross Camden Woollybutt, Paddys River Box Beaked Minnow, Flat-headed Galaxias, Flat-headed Jollytail, Flat-headed Minnow Mountain Angelica, Broad-leafed Carrot Port Lincoln Speedwell Source: Australian Government Species Profile and Threats Database Kelleria Swift Parrot Bar-tailed Godwit, Western Alaskan Bar-tailed Godwit Bar-tailed Godwit (menzbieri), Northern Siberian Bar-tailed Godwit Ghost Bat Broad-toothed Rat, Tooarrana Eltham Copper Butterfly Greater Glider Mount Claro Rock Wallaby, Sharman's Rock Wallaby) Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (central-western Queensland) Norfolk Island Robin Native Moth Orchid Middle Filmy Fern Prostanthera spathulata Enigmatic Greenhood Two-bristle Greenhood Three-toed Snake-tooth Skink Stylidium ensatum (a triggerplant) Thalassarche impavida (Campbell Albatross, Campbell Black-browed Albatross) Salvin's Albatross Blue Star Sun-orchid Myrtle Elbow Orchid Condamine Earless Dragon Advertisement



