Environment Minister Peter Garrett yesterday announced that the devil had been upgraded from vulnerable to endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

However, the devil is not yet considered to be critically endangered.

Mr Garrett said that changing the devil's category would give it greater protection under national environmental laws.

"My decision to uplist the Tasmanian devil is based on advice from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, which lists the Devil Facial Tumour Disease as the major threat to the devil," Mr Garrett said.

"This disease has led to the decline of about 70 per cent of the Tasmanian devil population since the disease was first reported in 1996."

Last August, Mr Garrett said the devil was one of 27 animals, plants and important habitat areas to be assessed as a priority for their conservation status.

The devil was listed as endangered on the United Nation's Red List in 2008 and moved from vulnerable to endangered on the State Government's Threatened Species Protection Act in May 2008.

The Federal Government had already committed $10million over five years to the Save The Tasmanian Devil program.

Other species to be listed as endangered under the federal Act include blue and southern right whales, various species of quolls, Tasmanian wedge- tailed eagles, swift parrots, leatherback turtles.

In total, 131 species are listed as endangered in Australia, while 35 species are critically endangered.