An official plan to protect the nation's animals and plants has been denounced by critics as a "global embarrassment" as a federal government adviser warns that future generations of Australians may never know a world rich in nature.

It comes amid figures showing 134 species have been classed as threatened in the seven years since Australia's last plan to protect biodiversity was released, including the Cape York rock wallaby, the Australian fairy tern and the blue star sun orchid.

The ever-growing list points to a disastrous failure by successive state and federal governments to reverse the crisis in species loss.

Australia has one of the world's worst extinction records and a national State of the Environment report last year declared biodiversity – which includes plant and animal species, habitats and ecological communities – was worsening.