East Gippsland occupies only 5% of the state of Victoria yet its forests contain 273 rare and threatened plant species and 43 rare and endangered animals. This includes Rough Eyebright, a plant which is threatened nationally, all six owl species that are threatened in Victoria, Tiger Quolls which are at risk of becoming endangered, the Long-footed Potoroo which is in danger of extinction and the Orbost Spiny Crayfish of which only 15 recorded specimens have been found since 1956. The area is unique and served as a refuge for plant species during the last ice age. There are some remnant patches of these Gondwanan forests still surviving on the Errinundra Plateau and there are also many plant species that are at the limit of their southern or eastern range in Australia and are therefore vital for the maintenance of evolutionary processes. Much of this forest is threatened and in water catchments that are not protected in National Parks, with some of these areas bordering National Parks.

The terms Endangered, Vulnerable and Rare are sometimes used interchangeably.

The definitions listed below are those of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and here they are used in the context of Victoria.

1. Insufficiently known
2. Rare
3. Vulnerable
4. Endangered
5. Extinct

Insufficiently Known

Species suspected to be, but not known definately, to be included in the later categories.

Rare

Species with small populations, but are not listed as endangered or vulnerable.

Vulnerable

Flora and fauna listed as vulnerable are believed likely to become endangered if the causes of species or habitat decline continue unchecked.

Endangered

An animal or plant listed as endangered is considered to be in danger of extinction. Survival is unlikely if the factors causing the decline continue. Listed under this category are flora and fauna whose numbers have been reduced to a critical level, or where known habitats have been reduced.

Extinct

Species that are known to have existed in Victoria since European settlement, but have not been recorded in the wild during the past 50 years.

Table: Species listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 (soon to appear here).

Table: Commonwealth Endangered Species Protection Act 1992 (ESP Act)