Keep Watch Review: Final Report

In 2017, The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) initiated a review of the Keep Watch management stream of the Saving our Species program (SoS), which currently includes 102 threatened species considered to meet the objective of <5% extinction risk over the next 100 years, in the absence of active management.

There were multiple reasons that a review of the Keep Watch management stream was warranted. Primarily, there was a clear need for revision of the eligibility criteria for allocating species to this SoS management stream. Outcomes from the review mean that species can now be objectively allocated to the Keep Watch management stream based on evidence-based quantitative and qualitative indices using revised criteria (Part 1 of this report). In addition, the review provides a detailed assessment, management recommendation and triggers for re-review for the 102 species currently allocated to the Keep Watch management stream (Part 2 of this report). Overall, the review intended to provide clarity around the role of the Keep Watch management stream in SoS.