This report was completed in draft format in July 2000, after almost two years of compiling data and information. Individual draft chapters were reviewed by many relevant experts (see Acknowledgements). The availability of the draft report was then widely advertised in the scientific literature and Environment Australia distributed copies upon request. A list of people and agencies that reviewed the draft report is given in the acknowledgements. In the meantime, largely due to administrative reorganisation in Environment Australia, the final production of the report lapsed for more than a year and a half. A contract for the incorporation of the comments and the updating of literature was finally let in mid May 2002 with a completion date of the 30th June, 2002. Given this short time frame, we have been selective in the new literature and information incorporated into the final report and, with limited time for literature searching, have undoubtedly overlooked some important contributions. Appendix 1 has not been updated since July 2000 - it contains details on museum collections and the degree to which these collections have been identified and databased, as well as details on the number of taxonomic specialists. While we have tried to ensure that the other information in the report is as up to date as possible, time constraints have not allowed these updates to be as comprehensive as we would have wished. Some matters with respect to the latest legislation, regulations and policy papers may have been overlooked or will have changed since the completion of this report and users should consult the relevant web pages of the various agencies and government departments for the latest information.

Winston Ponder and Pat Hutchings, 23 June 2002