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Arnhem Land Rock Rat (Zyzomys maini)

The Arnhem Land Rock Rat is a nocturnal, ground-dwelling rodent restricted to rocky sandstone country in western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. It uses monsoon rainforest patches, boulder fields, caves and crevices, so clearing, excavation, road construction, altered fire regimes and loss of connected rocky habitat can affect occupied sites and nearby subpopulations.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The species can breed throughout the year, but reproductive activity peaks from March to May. It is nocturnal in every season and is generally sedentary, with greater male movement during breeding.

Months are January to December. The supplied documents do not provide a precise dependent-young period or a measured seasonal clearing-risk schedule, so the risk pattern is based on year-round breeding, the March to May reproductive peak and the documented post-fire reduction in reproduction.

  • Breeding and births: Breeding occurs throughout the year, with a peak of pregnant and lactating females from March to May. The species may reproduce several times per year according to the taxonomic treatment.
  • Young dependent: Litters contain two or three young, or usually two in the taxonomic treatment. The supplied documents do not provide pouch duration, nest duration or weaning dates, so dependent young may occur in any month.
  • Movement: The species is generally sedentary, but males move more than females during breeding. There is no evidence in the supplied documents of seasonal migration.
  • Fire sensitivity: Reproductive output is reduced for at least a year after fire, and broad-scale hot fires are associated with declines. Fire risk is therefore relevant year round, particularly during the March to May breeding peak and the following period of dependent young.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing can remove shelter, food plants and connected habitat at any time because breeding occurs throughout the year. Risk is highest from March to June, when breeding activity peaks and dependent young may be present, although suitable habitat should be protected in every month.

Identification

The Arnhem Land Rock Rat is a thickset, large-bodied rock rat with large eyes, long whiskers and a usually thickened tail base. It is most likely to be encountered at night in wet, rocky vegetation or detected from feeding remains, camera images or trapping.

Adults have grey-brown fur above and pale fur on the belly and feet. The tail is about as long as the head and body, and may have longer hairs near the tip. Part or all of the tail may be missing because of caudal autotomy.

The species is ground-dwelling and nocturnal. Average body weight is about 94 g, but recorded weights range from 65 to 180 g. Head and body length is 115 to 170 mm and tail length is 110 to 150 mm.

Identification: Distinguishing it from the common rock rat

The main field identification issue is separation from the Common Rock Rat, Zyzomys argurus, where the species overlap. The Arnhem Land Rock Rat is larger, with an average weight of about 94 g compared with 36 g for the Common Rock Rat.

The Arnhem Land Rock Rat has a tail about the same length as its head and body, denser fur, more long hairs on the tail and a greyer rather than browner appearance. In areas of sympatry it favours wetter, more heavily vegetated terrain.

Arnhem Land Rock Rat tail: Average length about 146 mm.

Common Rock Rat tail: Average length about 108 mm.

Common Rock Rat average weight: About 36 g.

Identification: Field signs

Partially chewed seed husks beneath rock crevices, overhangs and boulders are a characteristic sign to search for during daylight inspections. The species collects larger hard-shelled seeds and carries them to rock crevices for consumption.

Predator scats, owl casts and remains in predatory bird or mammal nests and dens may provide evidence of presence, but species confirmation should be undertaken by an appropriately qualified person.

Tracks, scats, nests and burrows can be searched for as part of a general non-flying mammal survey, but the supplied species profile does not provide diagnostic measurements for these signs. Baited camera traps are suitable where direct observation is difficult, particularly in remote habitat.

  • Do not rely on a single chewed seed or an unverified photograph for a record.
  • Use daytime searches to inspect rock crevices, overhangs, boulder beds and adjacent dense leaf litter before clearing or ground disturbance.
  • Handle captured Zyzomys carefully because the group is susceptible to tail stripping.

Distribution: National range

The Arnhem Land Rock Rat is endemic to Australia and has a highly restricted distribution in the Northern Territory. Its known range is concentrated in the sandstone plateau and escarpment country of western Arnhem Land.

The species is known only from the Northern Territory. It occurs in the Top End, including Kakadu National Park and other localities in the sandstone massif of western Arnhem Land.

At a bioregional scale, records are associated with the western Arnhem Land sandstone plateau, escarpments, gorges and dissected sandstone country. The supplied documents do not provide a more detailed national bioregion list.

States and territories: Northern Territory only.

Known region: Kakadu National Park and other sandstone areas of western Arnhem Land.

Type locality: Djawamba Massif, 1 to 5 km east of Ja Ja Billabong, Northern Territory, at about 150 m elevation.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Kakadu National Park is a recognised stronghold, but the species is also present at other locations across the western Arnhem Land sandstone massif. Suitable habitat is patchy, and the species may be absent from apparently suitable rainforest patches.

Subpopulations are highly fragmented and have little genetic exchange between locations. The supplied documents do not provide a reliable total population estimate.

Estimated area of occupancy: About 2,000 km², according to the taxonomic treatment.

Population trend: Generally declining; long-term monitoring recorded declines of up to 83 per cent in some areas.

Population size: No reliable total population size is provided.

Habitat: Primary habitat

Habitat is defined by the combination of wet, structurally complex vegetation and rocky shelter. A rainforest patch alone is not sufficient, because occupied sites also require suitable rocks, crevices, food resources and connections with adjoining habitats.

The primary habitat is floristically rich monsoon rainforest with thick leaf litter, often where seepage occurs among boulders on steep slopes, below cliff lines and in boulder beds within gorges.

The species also occurs in wetter, heavily vegetated sandstone areas with scattered eucalypts. Associated habitats include sandstone heathland, hummock grassland and eucalypt woodland.

Habitat: Structural features

Important site features include large boulders, caves, rock overhangs, crevices, steep rocky slopes, dense leaf litter and a floristically diverse monsoon overstorey.

Food trees and perennial grasses are relevant habitat components. Some rainforest patches are unsuitable because they lack suitable food trees, rocky habitat or the adjoining habitat relationships needed by the species.

  • Map and retain rocky outcrops, boulder beds, caves, crevices and overhangs before site disturbance.
  • Inspect seepage areas, gorges, cliff bases and wet rainforest pockets even when they are small or isolated.
  • Treat adjacent heathland, hummock grassland and wetter eucalypt vegetation as potential supporting habitat rather than clearing them automatically.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The species is associated with monsoonal northern Australia and the sandstone plateau of the Top End. The supplied documents do not define a specific upper or lower elevation limit.

The type locality is at about 150 m elevation, but this should not be treated as a confirmed elevation range.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Arnhem Land Rock Rat is primarily a seed and fruit eater that forages on the ground in and around rocky, wet vegetation. It carries larger food items to secure rock crevices before eating them.

The diet consists mainly of seeds from rainforest trees and perennial grasses. Fruits and other vegetable matter are also eaten.

The species consumes larger fruits and seeds than the co-occurring Common Rock Rat and may cache or consume them at secure sites.

Foraging habitat: Foraging sites and signs

Foraging occurs on the ground in monsoon rainforest, dense leaf litter, wetter sandstone vegetation and adjacent hummock grassland or heathland. Large hard-shelled seeds are collected from the ground and carried to rock crevices for consumption.

Partially chewed seed husks beneath boulders, overhangs and crevices are the most specific feeding sign described in the supplied survey guidance.

  • Search beneath rocks, overhangs and boulders for partially chewed seed husks before earthworks.
  • Retain food-producing rainforest trees, perennial grass patches and connected rocky ground around known feeding sites.
  • Do not assume that a small rainforest patch is unoccupied solely because no animal is seen during daylight.

Foraging habitat: Foraging range

The supplied documents do not provide a measured daily foraging distance, home range or population density. The species is described as generally sedentary, although males move more than females during breeding periods.

Home range: No measured home-range estimate is provided.

General movement pattern: Generally sedentary; males may move more during breeding.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding can occur in any month, with the highest recorded activity in the early dry season. Rocky habitat with secure crevices and nearby food resources is likely to be important for reproduction, although the supplied documents do not describe a separate nest structure.

Breeding season: Throughout the year, with a peak of pregnant and lactating females from March to May.

Litter size: Two or three young in the survey guideline profile; usually two in the taxonomic treatment.

Gestation: Not stated in the supplied documents.

Age at maturity: About 5 to 6 months.

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied documents.

Female reproductive output: Most females reportedly breed once per year in the survey guideline profile.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

Breeding habitat is expected to be within the same rocky monsoon rainforest and wet sandstone habitat used for shelter and feeding. Suitable sites contain boulders, caves or crevices, dense leaf litter, a diverse overstorey and access to seeds and fruits.

The species profile does not identify a distinct nest, den or hollow size. Avoid removing boulders, filling crevices, stripping leaf litter or isolating rainforest patches during the breeding period.

  • Before clearing, inspect rocky shelter features and dense leaf litter in all suitable rainforest and wet sandstone vegetation.
  • Keep machinery, spoil, trenching and blasting away from boulder beds, cliff bases, caves and rock crevices wherever practicable.
  • Plan fire and vegetation works so that breeding habitat is not exposed to broad-scale hot fire, particularly where recent reproduction is suspected.

Sheltering habitat: Rock shelters

The Arnhem Land Rock Rat appears to shelter in rocky features rather than trees or constructed nests. Its shelter habitat is concentrated in boulder-rich, wet and densely vegetated sites.

Likely shelter features include caves, rock crevices, overhangs and spaces among large boulders. These occur particularly on steep slopes, below cliff lines and in boulder beds in gorges.

The species may carry food into rock crevices and use these secure locations for consumption. The supplied documents do not provide dimensions for occupied caves, crevices or boulders.

  • Inspect all rock overhangs, crevices, caves and boulder piles before excavation, blasting or rock removal.
  • Maintain dense leaf litter and wet vegetation around rocky shelters unless removal is authorised and impacts have been assessed.
  • Do not block or fill crevices with spoil, sediment, concrete washout or drainage infrastructure.

Sheltering habitat: Survey and handling considerations

Recommended detection methods for areas up to 5 hectares include daytime habitat searches, searches for chewed seed husks, predator scat or owl cast collection, Elliott A trapping, cage trapping combined with Elliott traps, and baited camera traps.

For general survey design, the threatened mammal guidelines recommend stratified sampling. For small sites, habitat searches may use transects spaced 50 to 100 m apart, with a suggested effort of two hours for every one hectare of stratified survey site within a 5 hectare area.

  • Use camera traps in remote or difficult rocky habitat where trapping is not appropriate.
  • If trapping is required, handle animals carefully because Zyzomys species are particularly susceptible to tail stripping.
  • Use experienced fauna personnel for capture, restraint, identification and release.

Threats: Fire

The species has a restricted and fragmented distribution, and populations are declining. The main documented threat is inappropriate fire, with clearing and construction able to remove or isolate the rocky rainforest habitat on which local subpopulations depend.

Increasing broad-scale hot fires on the Arnhem Land Plateau have been associated with substantial declines, including declines of up to 83 per cent in some monitored areas.

Fire can reduce rainforest food plants, perennial grasses, leaf litter and other cover. Reproductive output may remain reduced for at least a year after fire.

  • Avoid broad-scale hot burning in occupied or potentially occupied rocky rainforest and sandstone habitat.
  • Protect rainforest pockets, seepage areas, boulder beds and food plants from high-intensity fire.
  • Record recent fire history when assessing habitat condition and interpreting negative survey results.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

Clearing can remove monsoon rainforest patches, food trees, dense leaf litter and rocky shelter features. Fragmentation is a particular concern because subpopulations have little genetic exchange between locations.

Roads, access tracks, utility corridors, quarries, trenches and construction compounds can divide small habitat patches or damage boulder beds and crevices. The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific road mortality rate.

  • Avoid clearing rocky rainforest, seepage areas, boulder beds and wet sandstone vegetation.
  • Keep habitat patches connected through retained rocky and vegetated corridors where practicable.
  • Treat small habitat patches as potentially important because the species is patchily distributed and may occur at low detectability.

Threats: Predation and other pressures

Predation by feral cats is identified as a possible contributor to decline. The species may also be exposed to predation by native predators, as shown by the recommended use of predator scats, owl casts and remains for detection.

The supplied documents do not identify a confirmed disease, hydrology threshold or measured road-kill rate for this species. Hydrology changes remain relevant where they remove seepage, wet rainforest structure or food plants, but species-specific thresholds are not provided.

  • Manage feral cat access and avoid creating conditions that increase predator access to isolated habitat patches.
  • Prevent drainage, sedimentation and altered runoff from drying seepage areas or damaging wet rainforest vegetation.
  • Inspect spoil areas, temporary access routes and construction edges for rocky habitat that may otherwise be overlooked.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat searches and daytime sign searches

Survey for Arnhem Land rock rats before clearing where works may affect rocky sandstone habitat, monsoon rainforest or adjoining heathland and hummock grassland. Use several detection methods because the species is nocturnal, patchily distributed and may be absent from apparently suitable rainforest patches.

Search during the day for floristically rich monsoon rainforest with dense leaf litter, seepage, boulders, rock overhangs, caves and crevices on steep slopes, at cliff bases and in gorge boulder beds.

Also inspect adjacent sandstone heathland, hummock grassland and wetter, heavily vegetated sandstone areas with scattered eucalypts.

Search beneath rock crevices, overhangs and boulders for partially chewed seed husks, which are a useful sign of feeding activity.

Use aerial photographs, topographic maps, vegetation maps and current satellite imagery to plan the search, then ground-truth the mapped habitat.

Activity period: Nocturnal

Average body weight: 94 g

Key feeding sign: Partially chewed seed husks under rock crevices, overhangs and boulders

  • For a site of 5 hectares or less, search representative habitat in transects spaced 50 to 100 metres apart, or in quadrats where that gives better coverage.
  • Allow about 2 hours for every 1 hectare stratified survey site within a 5 hectare study area, combining the habitat search with the search for signs.
  • Record the location, extent and condition of rainforest patches, seepage areas, boulder fields, caves, crevices, overhangs, dense leaf litter and seed caches.

Survey methodology: 2. Camera trapping and predator remains

Place baited camera traps in suitable habitat, particularly at remote sites or where access is difficult.

Target rock crevices, overhangs, boulder beds, rainforest edges, seed handling sites and other locations where the animal is likely to pass or feed.

Collect predator scats, owl casts and remains from predatory bird nests, mammal nests and dens where this can be done safely and lawfully.

Recommended application: Suitable habitat, especially remote locations

Potentially overlapping species: Common rock rat, Zyzomys argurus

  • Use cameras as a supplementary detection method rather than relying on a single camera location or a single night.
  • Record camera locations, dates, operating periods, bait used, habitat type and any identifiable images.
  • Have suspected remains or images checked by a suitably experienced mammal ecologist, particularly where the common rock rat may also occur.

Survey methodology: 3. Elliott A and cage trapping

Use Elliott A traps in suitable habitat where direct confirmation is required, following the survey guideline method and effort for small ground-dwelling mammals.

A combination of cage traps and Elliott A traps can also be used.

Plan trapping within a stratified design that samples the habitat types likely to support the species, rather than placing traps uniformly across unsuitable ground.

Guideline survey area basis: Up to 5 hectares

Species risk during trapping: Tail stripping in Zyzomys

  • Obtain the required animal ethics, scientific licence and state or territory approvals before trapping.
  • Check traps frequently and protect captured animals from heat, rain, predators and other stressors.
  • Handle Zyzomys species carefully because they are particularly susceptible to tail stripping when trapped.
  • Identify captured animals promptly and release them at the capture location unless an approved relocation or veterinary response is required.
  • Do not treat the absence of captures as proof that the species is absent from suitable habitat, because the species is highly patchy and may be absent from individual rainforest patches.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a stratified survey design and replicate survey effort across each relevant habitat type where the project area is larger than 5 hectares.
  • Complete the recommended daytime habitat and sign search effort of about 2 hours per hectare within each stratified 5 hectare survey area, using 50 to 100 metre transect spacing or representative quadrats.
  • Combine habitat searches with searches for seed husks, predator remains and other signs, and add camera trapping or approved trapping where confirmation is needed.
  • Schedule field work to include the species' nocturnal activity period when using cameras or trapping, and take account of the March to May peak in pregnancy and lactation.
  • Document survey dates, weather, personnel, methods, effort, trap or camera locations, habitat condition, fire history where known, records and reasons for any departures from the guideline.
  • Submit confirmed records, including negative survey results where required by the approval, to the relevant Northern Territory wildlife database and provide records to the project regulator or approval authority.
  • Obtain expert advice before relying on hair tubes, because the guideline does not identify Arnhem Land rock rat hair as suitable for identification from a hair sample.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Treat rocky sandstone habitat and associated rainforest patches as potential Arnhem Land rock rat habitat until a suitably designed assessment demonstrates otherwise. The species is restricted to western Arnhem Land sandstone country, has fragmented sub-populations and has declined in some areas by as much as 83 per cent.

Avoid clearing floristically rich monsoon rainforest with dense leaf litter, seepage, boulders, caves, crevices and rock overhangs.

Avoid disturbance to adjacent sandstone heathland, hummock grassland and wetter heavily vegetated sandstone areas that may provide secondary habitat or movement routes.

Retain connected habitat between rainforest patches, boulder beds, gorges, cliff bases and adjoining vegetation wherever practicable.

Keep machinery, spoil, drainage works and access tracks out of rock crevices, boulder fields, seed cache sites and dense leaf litter.

  • Use existing cleared areas and previously disturbed access routes where practicable.
  • Minimise the project footprint and retain the largest practicable unbroken habitat patches.
  • Do not assume that a rainforest patch is unoccupied because no animal is seen during a brief inspection.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Check the species against the current EPBC Act list and refer the action if it may have a significant impact on this nationally listed vulnerable species.

Confirm Northern Territory permits, scientific licences, animal ethics approvals and wildlife handling requirements before surveys, trapping, capture or relocation.

Prepare a fauna management plan that maps habitat, sets out survey effort, defines exclusion areas, identifies authorised fauna handlers and specifies stop-work triggers.

Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains available before each work area is disturbed and so that fauna can move away from active work areas.

EPBC Act status: Vulnerable

Northern Territory status: Vulnerable

Known distribution: Kakadu National Park and other locations in the sandstone massif of western Arnhem Land

  • Use the most current approval conditions and species information if they differ from the older guideline material.
  • Plan additional ecological supervision for work near caves, crevices, boulder beds, seepage areas and rainforest edges.
  • Avoid broad-scale hot fire and unnecessary burning in or near occupied habitat, particularly where fire could remove food plants or dense cover.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete the pre-clearance survey before machinery enters potential habitat, using the species-specific searches and any additional approved detection methods required by the fauna management plan.
  • Mark rainforest patches, dense leaf litter, seepage areas, caves, crevices, overhangs, boulders, gorge habitat, seed husk concentrations and retained movement routes on project plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing or other visible controls where they can protect a mapped habitat feature without blocking movement between retained habitat patches.
  • Brief the clearing crew and fauna spotter catcher on the species' appearance, nocturnal behaviour, habitat, seed husk signs, tail injury risk and the stop-work procedure.
  • Confirm the location of the nearest authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian before clearing starts.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Keep a fauna spotter catcher and the environmental officer involved throughout clearing in potential habitat. Use staged, supervised work and stop when habitat features or an animal require assessment.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, habitat markers, access routes and retained habitat at the start of each workday.
  • Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the work boundary, no-go areas, fauna contact procedure and emergency contacts.
  • Require the fauna spotter catcher to inspect the immediate work area before machinery starts and to remain able to communicate directly with the operator.
  • Clear progressively in small sections so the spotter catcher can inspect exposed ground, rocks, leaf litter and crevices before the next section is disturbed.
  • Keep machinery out of retained boulder fields, caves, crevices, seepage areas and rainforest patches unless the approved work method specifically allows entry.
  • Stop machinery immediately when the spotter catcher signals, when an animal is seen, or when a previously unrecorded habitat feature is exposed.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature handling

Treat boulders, rock overhangs, caves, crevices, dense leaf litter and partially chewed seed husks as potential habitat indicators.

Do not move rocks, collapse crevices, burn leaf litter or remove rainforest vegetation until the fauna spotter catcher and environmental officer have assessed the feature.

Retain habitat features in place wherever practicable, including boulder beds, rock shelters, dense leaf litter and food plants.

If an approved design requires removal of a rock or other feature, inspect it before movement, use hand methods where practicable and search the surrounding retained habitat for animals.

  • Do not fill or block caves and crevices with spoil, sediment, concrete, packaging or other construction material.
  • Prevent sediment, runoff, lighting and vibration from affecting retained seepage areas, rainforest patches and boulder habitat.
  • Do not use hollow-bearing tree procedures as a substitute for rock habitat assessment, because this species is ground-dwelling and is associated mainly with rocks, crevices, boulders and dense vegetation.

During habitat disturbance: Animal response and stop-work triggers

  • Stop work and establish a quiet exclusion area if an Arnhem Land rock rat is found, trapped, injured or suspected from a fresh sign at the active clearing face.
  • Allow only an appropriately authorised and experienced fauna handler to capture, handle, identify or relocate the animal.
  • Avoid handling unless it is needed to prevent immediate harm, complete an approved survey, or provide veterinary care.
  • Handle the animal carefully and never lift it by the tail, because Zyzomys species are susceptible to tail stripping when trapped.
  • Release a healthy animal only into nearby retained habitat under the approved fauna management plan, unless the relevant authority directs another outcome.
  • Take an injured animal to an authorised veterinarian or wildlife carer and record the transfer.
  • Resume work only after the fauna spotter catcher and environmental officer have inspected the area, applied the approved control and documented the decision.
  • Stop work if exclusion fencing fails, mapped habitat is entered without approval, an animal cannot be safely removed from the work area, or a new cave, crevice, boulder bed or rainforest patch is exposed.

During habitat disturbance: Records and incident reporting

  • Record every sighting, capture, sign, injury, relocation, mortality, habitat feature disturbance, stop-work event and non-compliance.
  • For each record, note the date, time, coordinates, habitat, work activity, animal condition, photographs, personnel, action taken and final outcome.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and the relevant approval authority within the timeframe set by the approval or fauna management plan.
  • Submit verified records to the relevant Northern Territory wildlife database and retain the field data with the project environmental records.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that no animals remain in the disturbed footprint, that retained habitat is still functional and that construction controls have not created new barriers or fire risk.

  • Inspect the cleared footprint, retained habitat edge, access tracks, spoil areas and drainage controls after each clearing stage.
  • Search exposed rocks, leaf litter, crevices and boulder edges for live animals, carcasses, fresh seed husks and other signs.
  • Repair exclusion fencing and replace damaged habitat markers before the next work stage.
  • Remove construction waste, excess spoil and sediment from retained caves, crevices, boulder beds and rainforest edges.
  • Complete a final fauna inspection before demobilisation and record the result.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and controls

Monitor retained habitat and rehabilitation areas using repeat daytime sign searches, baited camera traps or other methods approved by the project ecologist and regulator.

Use the same mapped search areas and recording methods where possible so that results can be compared between pre-clearance and post-construction surveys.

Give particular attention to habitat affected by fire, drainage change, edge exposure, weed invasion, feral predator activity or loss of food plants.

Known fire-related concern: Reproductive output can be reduced for at least a year after fire

Recorded decline: As much as 83 per cent in some monitored areas

  • Set monitoring duration, locations and trigger levels in the fauna management plan rather than ending monitoring when construction finishes.
  • Maintain fencing, sediment controls, drainage controls and no-go markers until the environmental officer confirms that they are no longer needed.
  • Investigate any new record, repeated seed husk sign, camera detection, injury or mortality and adjust works or controls where required.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and offsets

  • Provide the regulator and approval authority with the required clearing, fauna incident, monitoring and rehabilitation reports.
  • Report confirmed records, deaths, injuries and unexpected impacts to the relevant Northern Territory wildlife authority in accordance with permit and approval conditions.
  • Apply any approved offset, compensatory habitat or conservation measure required under the EPBC Act, Northern Territory approvals or project conditions.
  • Do not use an offset as a reason to clear avoidable occupied or suitable habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild habitat structure

Rehabilitation should rebuild the rocky, vegetated habitat used for shelter, feeding and movement. Protecting existing habitat is preferable to recreating it after clearing because the species uses patchy habitat and may require long-established rainforest, rock features and food plants.

Reinstate locally appropriate boulders, stable rock piles, crevices and overhangs where they can be placed safely and consistently with the approved rehabilitation design.

Replace natural leaf litter and woody debris where it has been removed, using clean local material that is free of weeds, pathogens and construction contaminants.

Re-establish dense, floristically diverse monsoon rainforest vegetation in suitable seepage areas, gorge habitat and rocky slopes.

Restore adjoining sandstone heathland, hummock grassland and wetter eucalypt or sandstone vegetation where those communities were disturbed.

Recorded diet: Seeds of rainforest trees and perennial grasses, together with other vegetable matter

Shelter features: Rock crevices, caves, overhangs and boulders

  • Use locally appropriate native plant species, including food plants that produce seeds and fruits used by the species, selected with advice from a Northern Territory ecologist or Traditional Owner ranger group.
  • Do not introduce non-local seed, weeds or plant material that could alter the existing sandstone or rainforest community.
  • Do not install nest boxes as a substitute for the species' known rock shelters unless an expert and the approval authority identify a specific need.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and predators

Fire response: Reproductive output is reduced for at least a year following fire

Potential threat: Frequent and extensive fires, with possible predation by feral cats

  • Prepare a fire management approach that avoids broad-scale hot fire in retained and rehabilitated habitat.
  • Protect fire-sensitive rainforest patches, dense leaf litter, food plants and boulder shelters from unnecessary burning.
  • Control weeds before they dominate rainforest edges, seepage areas, heathland or hummock grassland.
  • Manage feral cat and other predator risks where required by the approval, site plan and Northern Territory conservation advice.
  • Prevent construction lighting, waste and food sources from attracting predators to retained habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Inspect rehabilitation after wet-season rainfall and after major fire events for erosion, weed spread, sediment movement, loss of boulders and failure of revegetation.
  • Repeat daytime searches for partially chewed seed husks and other signs beneath rocks, overhangs and boulders.
  • Use baited camera traps in retained and rehabilitated habitat where the project ecologist considers them suitable for detecting use.
  • Measure success against the approved rehabilitation plan, including survival of native plants, re-establishment of dense leaf litter, retention of rock shelters, weed control and maintenance of habitat connectivity.
  • Treat detection of the species, or repeated fresh feeding signs, as evidence of habitat use and maintain protection and fire controls.
  • Investigate a failure to detect the species in context, because the animal is highly patchy and may be absent from suitable-looking habitat.

Sources