Recovery plans are considered an important policy instrument for threatened species recovery efforts. The effectiveness of recovery plans is influenced, among many other factors, by a system of multiple, interacting governing institutions. This report presents the results of the first institutional gap analysis for threatened species conservation, employing two native Australian species listed as ‘endangered’ under the EPBC Act (1999) as case studies; the bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) and the eastern bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus). These two species were selected because they have been subject to conservation management for more than 20 years, each exhibits some contrasting periods or locations of success and of lack of success, a range of agencies are involved in their management, they are affected by a complex mix of threatening factors, and they are managed by a diverse set of possible responses.