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Black-flanked Rock Wallaby (Petrogale lateralis)

The black-flanked rock-wallaby is a medium-sized macropod endemic to Western Australia. It occupies isolated rocky refuges in semi-arid to arid country and is sensitive to habitat loss, altered fire, introduced predators and loss of connectivity between colonies, so rocky outcrops and nearby foraging areas require careful assessment before clearing or construction.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

South Australia, National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972: Endangered.

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

Breeding is not restricted to a single month, and the supplied sources give no month-by-month pattern for P. l. lateralis. The seasonal guide below therefore marks year-round activity and identifies the period when clearing can affect animals, young and refuge use at any time.

Month-specific peaks were not provided for this subspecies. Confirm timing locally through recent records, cameras, fresh scats and consultation with land managers before clearing.

  • Breeding: Breeding can be continuous after maturity and varies with seasonal rainfall. Embryonic diapause may delay development.
  • Young: One young is reported, and young that have left the pouch but are not yet weaned may be left in a sheltered place while the female feeds.
  • Movement and foraging: Animals are mainly crepuscular and nocturnal and commonly forage within 400 m of a daytime refuge, although movements can be longer.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is year-round because breeding may be continuous, dependent young may be present and caves and crevices are used as daily refuges in every season. Construction activity at dusk and overnight can also disrupt feeding.

Identification

Look for a compact wallaby with a thick grey-brown coat, a dark face, cheek stripe and dark dorsal stripe. Identification is most reliable when the animal is seen close enough to assess the coat pattern, body size and rocky habitat, or when cameras record the animal at refuge entrances.

The coat is dark to pale grey-brown above, paler on the chest and dark brown on the belly. The face is dark and carries a white or sandy-brown cheek stripe. A dark brown to black stripe runs from between the ears to below the shoulders. The coat is thick and woolly around the rump, flanks and tail base, and the tail has a slight bush at the tip.

  • The hind feet are thick and padded, with granular soles that provide traction on steep rock. The claw of the fourth toe barely extends beyond the large toe pad, unlike in many other macropods.
  • The animal has a long tail used for balance while moving across rocks and may climb trees with sloping trunks.

Identification: Size and sex

Males are generally larger than females. In the available measurements, male head and body length is 475 to 521 mm, compared with 446 to 486 mm in females. Tail length overlaps substantially between sexes.

Male head and body: 475 to 521 mm

Female head and body: 446 to 486 mm

Male tail: 320 to 606 mm

Female tail: 320 to 597 mm

  • Do not identify sex from size alone, because the reported ranges overlap.
  • Body mass varies from 2.3 to 7.1 kg in the supplied measurements.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

The supplied sources do not provide a formal comparison with every rock-wallaby or other macropod likely to occur at a project site. Separate the species from other rock-wallabies using the dark dorsal stripe, dark face with a pale cheek stripe, body size, thick woolly coat and the location in the known Western Australian range.

  • Search the bases of cliffs, ledges, caves and crevices for oval scats, tracks, worn rock ledges and runways. The survey guidance notes that scats may lie between crevices or at the back of caves, and that frequently used ledges may be polished smooth.
  • Use remote cameras at refuge entrances, shelter sites and travel routes when direct observation is unlikely. Cameras have been used to detect rock-wallaby activity near refuge exits and known shelters.
  • Treat old scats, worn ledges, remains in caves and predator nests as evidence of former use rather than proof of a current colony. Confirm current activity with fresh signs, cameras or observations.
  • The supplied sources do not describe a diagnostic call, nest, slough or eyeshine pattern for this species.

Distribution: Range and strongholds

This subspecies is restricted to disjunct populations in Western Australia. The broader species occurs across Western Australia, northern South Australia and the southern Northern Territory, but those records include other subspecies and should not be used to assign P. l. lateralis to a project site.

P. l. lateralis is known from suitable rocky habitat in the Western Australian Wheatbelt, Cape Range, the Little Sandy Desert, and Barrow and Salisbury Islands. The 2023 population strategy identifies current populations at Kalbarri National Park, Cape Range, Calvert Range, Barrow Island, Salisbury Island and several Wheatbelt sites.

  • Known or reported strongholds include Kalbarri National Park, Cape Range, the Calvert Range, Barrow Island, Salisbury Island and isolated Wheatbelt outcrops.
  • The historical range was much larger, including parts of central and southern Western Australia and other offshore islands. Several colonies have become locally extinct since European settlement.

Distribution: Population status

Populations are scattered and isolated. The 2023 strategy states that 14 sites were occupied in 2012 and 11 remained occupied in 2022. The reasons for loss of three populations were unclear but were considered likely to involve several threats.

Occupied sites in 2012: 14

Occupied sites in 2022: 11

Current trend: Declining range and fragmented populations; a precise population trend is not available in the supplied sources.

  • The fragmented distribution increases exposure to local extinction, loss of genetic diversity and reduced movement between colonies.
  • The supplied sources do not provide a single current population estimate for P. l. lateralis. They report a decline in range and local extinction of several colonies rather than a reliable total abundance.

Distribution: Project interpretation

A project in Western Australia that contains rocky outcrops, caves, scree slopes or nearby grassed feeding areas should be assessed for this subspecies, particularly in or near the listed strongholds. Distribution maps are indicative and may withhold sensitive records, so a desktop search should be followed by targeted field checks.

  • Check recent records, local knowledge and land manager information before clearing.
  • Treat apparently isolated outcrops as potentially important because the subspecies uses small, separated colonies and may be difficult to detect.

Habitat: Habitat types

Black-flanked rock-wallabies use patchy rocky habitat in semi-arid to arid Western Australia. Suitable sites combine steep rock or cliffs for shelter with nearby grass, herbs and low vegetation for feeding.

Recorded habitat includes granite outcrops, sandstone cliffs, scree slopes, ranges with hummock grassland, coastal limestone cliffs, caves and low shrub communities. The subspecies is also associated with isolated rocky outcrops in the Wheatbelt and rocky country in Cape Range and the Little Sandy Desert.

  • Map and inspect cliffs, boulder piles, scree, granite domes, sandstone ranges, limestone cliffs, caves and crevices.
  • Include the open ground and vegetation surrounding rocky refuges in the habitat assessment, not only the rock face itself.

Habitat: Structure and climate

The species is associated with semi-arid to arid conditions and is recorded where permanent water may be absent. It relies on rocky refuges and nocturnal activity to reduce heat and water stress.

  • Retain caves, crevices, ledges, boulder fields and escape routes between refuges and feeding areas.
  • The supplied sources do not give a reliable elevation range for P. l. lateralis. Do not infer absence from elevation alone.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding sites

The black-flanked rock-wallaby is a central place forager. It leaves a daytime refuge to feed in nearby open vegetation and returns to the refuge between feeding trips.

The diet includes grasses, herbs, leaves and fruits. The species feeds at night in open areas of grass and may use hummock grassland, low shrubs and vegetation around rocky outcrops.

  • Assess grassed patches, herb-rich areas, low shrubs and fruiting plants within reach of rocky refuges.
  • Avoid clearing or heavily disturbing feeding areas around occupied outcrops, even where no permanent water is present.
  • Record grazing by sheep, goats, rabbits and other herbivores because it can reduce food resources and degrade habitat.

Foraging habitat: Foraging range

Most studies cited in the population strategy indicate that Petrogale species forage within 400 m of a daytime refuge, although reported home ranges vary from a few hectares to 160 hectares. One female rock-wallaby travelled 8 km across agricultural land to establish a new colony, showing that occasional longer movements can occur.

Typical foraging distance reported for Petrogale species: Often within 400 m of the daytime refuge

Reported home range: A few hectares to 160 hectares

Longest movement cited: 8 km across agricultural land by one female rock-wallaby

  • Use a 400 m assessment area around known or suspected refuges as an initial working zone for foraging habitat, then refine it with local tracking, cameras and site conditions.
  • Do not treat the 400 m distance as a hard boundary, because movements and home ranges vary between sites.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding information for this subspecies is limited. Rock-wallabies can breed continuously, with timing influenced by seasonal rainfall, and females use sheltered rocky habitat for pouch young and recently emerged young.

Breeding can continue throughout the year after maturity, but reproductive activity varies with seasonal rainfall. The species has embryonic diapause, in which a developing embryo becomes dormant until conditions support continued development.

Breeding season: Potentially continuous after maturity, with timing varying with seasonal rainfall.

Litter size: One young is reported in the supplied species account.

Gestation or reproductive interval: Approximately 30 days for gestation and oestrus in the general Petrogale account.

Age at maturity: Between 1 and 2 years.

Embryonic diapause: Present.

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied sources.

  • Retain quiet caves, crevices and ledges connected to feeding areas during all seasons because breeding may occur year-round.
  • Avoid assuming that a site is free of dependent young outside a particular breeding season.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding habitat is expected to centre on secure rock refuges, caves and crevices close to feeding areas. Young that have left the pouch but are not yet weaned may be left in a sheltered place while the female feeds.

  • Inspect refuge entrances, cave floors, deep crevices and sheltered ledges for fresh scats, tracks and camera records before works.
  • Protect access routes between refuges and feeding areas because females may make repeated trips between them.

Sheltering habitat: Refuge features

Rocky refuges are central to the species' daily activity and survival. They provide protection from heat, water loss and predators, and are used as return points during nocturnal foraging.

The species shelters in caves, crevices, cliffs, rock piles and ledges. Suitable habitat includes granite outcrops, sandstone cliffs, scree slopes and coastal limestone cliffs.

  • Retain all accessible caves, deep crevices, boulder piles, ledges and shaded rock overhangs within an occupied or suspected colony.
  • Inspect the back of caves, spaces between rock crevices and worn ledges for scats and signs of repeated use.
  • Maintain connected escape routes across the rock face and between the refuge and nearby feeding areas.

Sheltering habitat: Heat and predator avoidance

The wallabies are inactive during the hottest part of the day and shelter in caves to reduce water loss. Their foraging range can contract when introduced predators are present, leaving animals confined more closely to rocky refuge habitat.

  • Do not block cave entrances, fill crevices, remove boulders or place infrastructure across narrow rock runs.
  • Control vibration, lighting, noise and repeated human access near active refuges where practicable, particularly from dusk through the night.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main project risks are removal of rocky refuges, loss of nearby feeding habitat, altered fire, predator access and further isolation of small colonies. The evidence for disease and hydrology change is limited in the supplied sources.

Clearing rocky outcrops, caves, scree, grassland or low shrub feeding areas can remove habitat directly. Roads, pads, pipelines and other infrastructure can divide a colony's refuge and feeding areas, increase disturbance and restrict movement.

  • Survey all rocky habitat and adjacent vegetation before finalising the disturbance footprint.
  • Keep infrastructure away from caves, crevices, ledges, boulder piles and known travel routes wherever practicable.
  • Do not assume that a small isolated outcrop has low value, because colonies are naturally separated and may be small.

Threats: Fire and grazing

Large or inappropriate fires can remove food plants and degrade habitat around refuges. The recovery advice recommends patch burning to reduce the likelihood of large fires around the Edgar and Erskine Ranges, and fire management is also identified for other populations.

  • Avoid broad, high-intensity burns around occupied outcrops and retain a mosaic of vegetation ages where consistent with the approved fire plan.
  • Manage grazing and other introduced herbivores because sheep, goats and rabbits can degrade habitat and reduce food resources.

Threats: Predators

European red foxes have caused severe declines in other subspecies and local extinction at some sites. Feral cats can kill juvenile and subadult rock-wallabies and reduce recruitment. Wild dogs and dingoes are plausible predators, although their impact on P. l. lateralis is less well documented.

  • Assess fox, feral cat, wild dog and dingo activity before works and include predator control where it forms part of an approved management programme.
  • Secure food waste, carcasses and other attractants around construction areas so they do not increase predator activity near refuges.
  • Use cameras and predator signs to distinguish current predator use from historical records.

Threats: Other project risks

The supplied sources do not identify a disease as a major threat to P. l. lateralis. They also do not demonstrate a specific hydrology threat, but water diversion, drainage works and altered runoff could affect vegetation around rocky refuges and should be assessed site by site.

  • Prevent sediment, pollutants and altered drainage from reaching food plants or refuge entrances.
  • Manage vehicle access and night lighting near occupied outcrops because disturbance can reduce feeding time and restrict movements.
  • Maintain connectivity between refuges and feeding areas across road and construction corridors, using fauna passages or other measures where site assessment shows a need.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop review and habitat inspection

Survey the proposed disturbance area and nearby rocky habitat before works begin. Black-flanked rock-wallabies use caves, crevices, rock ledges and other rocky refuges, and may forage within about 400 metres of a daytime refuge.

Review occurrence records, previous surveys, aerial imagery and local knowledge before selecting survey sites.

Inspect all rocky habitat, including cliffs, scree, granite outcrops, caves, crevices, ledges and worn runs between refuge sites and feeding areas.

Include historic signs in the assessment, because scats, worn ledges, remains and predator casts can persist after a local population has disappeared.

Typical habitat: Rock piles, cliffs, rocky hills, granite outcrops, sandstone cliffs, scree slopes, caves, crevices and coastal limestone cliffs.

Typical body size: Head and body length 446 to 521 mm; tail length 320 to 606 mm; weight 2.3 to 7.1 kg.

  • Consult local Aboriginal communities, land managers and people with local knowledge when searching for historical and current sites.
  • Map each refuge, access route, sign location, camera location and area proposed for clearing.
  • Treat suitable rocky habitat within about 400 metres of a known refuge as potential foraging habitat unless field evidence shows otherwise.

Survey methodology: 2. Daytime searches for signs

Search systematically for fresh scats, tracks, worn rock ledges, feeding signs, hair, remains and shelter use around rock refuges, ledges, cave entrances and runs.

Inspect all suitable rocky habitat, including mid-level ledges, holes and the backs of caves, rather than searching only accessible ground.

Record whether signs are fresh, weathered or historic, and do not treat old signs alone as proof of current occupancy.

Detection signs: Scats, tracks, worn rock ledges, remains in caves, predator nests or casts, and signs between rock crevices.

  • Use at least two experienced investigators where terrain is rugged or climbing and remote access are required.
  • Record search tracks, search time, habitat searched, weather conditions, signs found and areas that could not be safely inspected.
  • Use appropriate rock-climbing, working-at-heights and site safety procedures where ledges or cliffs must be accessed.

Survey methodology: 3. Dawn, dusk and spotlight observations

Undertake observations at dawn or dusk when animals may bask or leave refuges to feed.

Use spotlighting on foot through suitable rocky habitat and open feeding areas, while keeping noise and approach distance low.

Do not conduct basking observations in hot weather or summer conditions where this could increase heat stress or reduce detection reliability.

Activity pattern: Crepuscular and nocturnal, with animals sheltering during the hottest part of the day.

  • Record the start and finish time, weather, observer effort, route, refuge sites watched and every wallaby observation.
  • Use ground observation in preference to helicopter detection of animals, because aircraft may frighten wallabies and cause falls or injuries.
  • Use a helicopter only for reconnaissance of potential survey sites where authorised and where it does not expose animals to avoidable risk.

Survey methodology: 4. Camera traps and targeted monitoring

Place infrared camera traps at refuge entrances, shelter sites, worn runs, known feeding areas and other locations identified by fresh signs.

Use cameras to confirm current presence, identify activity periods and document use of retained habitat before and during works.

Where baiting is proposed, obtain the required approvals and use a method that does not increase disease, predator or human interaction risks.

  • Record camera model, location, deployment and retrieval dates, trigger settings, bait or lure used, habitat and independent detection events.
  • Use repeated camera monitoring where a single deployment cannot establish presence or absence with reasonable confidence.
  • Do not infer absence from a short deployment or from a site that was not searched for signs.

Survey methodology: 5. Trapping and handling surveys

Do not set a trap-night target from the supplied documents, because they do not provide a species-specific trapping effort for black-flanked rock-wallabies.

Use trapping only where it is necessary, approved under the relevant state or territory authority, and designed and supervised by an appropriately authorised fauna ecologist.

Prefer non-invasive searches, spotlighting and cameras for construction assessments unless a regulator-approved plan requires capture for identification, health assessment or translocation.

  • Prepare a capture, handling, welfare and release protocol before any trapping begins.
  • Provide shade, shelter, frequent checks and immediate release procedures suited to a nocturnal rock-wallaby in hot, rocky country.
  • Stop trapping if heat, injury, repeated escape attempts or other welfare risks arise.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Survey all suitable rocky habitat and all known or potential refuge sites within the proposed disturbance area and the connected area used for access, spoil, laydown and drainage.
  • Repeat surveys when signs are historic, conditions were unsuitable, access was incomplete, or construction timing has changed substantially.
  • Report the survey dates, observers, methods, effort, weather, search coverage, detection results, photographs, coordinates, limitations and confidence in the conclusion.
  • Submit verified records and negative survey results, where requested, to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and the project records system.
  • Provide records of any nationally listed occurrence to the Australian Government through the project approval and reporting pathway.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid disturbance to rocky refuges and the habitat used to reach feeding areas. Confirm the taxonomic identity of the animals and the legal requirements before finalising the construction footprint, because the western Kimberley subspecies is separately listed from Petrogale lateralis lateralis.

  • Redesign the footprint to retain caves, crevices, cliffs, rock piles, ledges, worn runs and nearby feeding areas.
  • Retain connected habitat around refuges and avoid isolating a refuge from the open areas used for feeding.
  • Use the approximately 400 metre foraging distance from a refuge as a planning screen, not as a substitute for site-specific assessment or a statutory buffer.
  • Keep lighting, noise, vibration, dust, vehicle movement and night work away from known refuges wherever practicable.
  • Do not remove rocks, fill crevices, block cave entrances or place spoil, compounds, drains or fences across wallaby runs.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

National status: Petrogale lateralis lateralis is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act; Petrogale lateralis kimberleyensis was transferred to Endangered effective 24 June 2021.

State status recorded in the supplied material: Western Australia lists both relevant taxa as Endangered.

  • Check whether the affected animal is Petrogale lateralis lateralis, Petrogale lateralis kimberleyensis or another rock-wallaby taxon before seeking approvals.
  • Check EPBC Act requirements because the relevant black-flanked and West Kimberley rock-wallaby taxa are listed as endangered nationally.
  • Check state or territory threatened species legislation, clearing controls, wildlife permits, scientific licences, animal ethics requirements and translocation approvals before survey or handling.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies no-go areas, refuge protection, survey triggers, spotter catcher duties, emergency contacts, handling limits and release sites.
  • Stage clearing so that retained refuges and escape routes remain available, and schedule noisy or ground-disturbing work outside the main activity period where practicable.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection immediately before works, with particular attention to caves, crevices, rock ledges, worn runs, fresh scats and animals sheltering in refuges.
  • Mark no-go refuges, retained rocks, escape routes and the outer limit of approved disturbance on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing only where it will not block access to refuges, feeding areas or safe escape routes, and inspect it for trapped or injured animals.
  • Brief all operators on the species, photographs, refuge locations, stop-work triggers and the requirement to follow the fauna management plan.
  • Confirm a nearby retained release area with suitable refuge, food resources and no active machinery before any animal is moved.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery coordination

The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to stop work and must remain integrated with the machinery crew. Clearing should proceed slowly from checked areas towards retained habitat, with refuge access maintained until the area is confirmed clear.

  • Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering current work areas, refuge locations, exclusion zones, weather, escape routes and the spotter catcher’s stop-work authority.
  • Inspect the work area each day before machinery enters it, including rocks, crevices, cave entrances, ledges, spoil piles and any newly exposed shelter.
  • Keep machinery outside marked exclusion zones and use a staged, low-speed approach so the spotter catcher can inspect each section before disturbance.
  • Stop machinery immediately when the spotter catcher signals, when an animal enters the work area, or when a previously unknown refuge or fresh sign is found.
  • Do not allow workers to chase, corner, feed, touch or photograph an animal at close range.

During habitat disturbance: Animals, refuges and habitat features

  • Allow an uninjured wallaby to move into nearby retained rocky habitat without pursuit where a safe route is available.
  • Do not handle a wallaby unless the person is authorised, trained and acting under the fauna management plan and relevant permit.
  • If capture is required, use the least stressful approved method, minimise restraint time and keep the animal shaded and quiet.
  • Move an animal only to nearby suitable retained habitat approved by the ecologist and regulator, and do not move it across roads, cleared land or unfamiliar country unless an approved translocation plan permits this.
  • Treat caves, crevices, rock piles, ledges and worn runs as active habitat until inspected and cleared by the fauna spotter catcher.
  • Do not remove or relocate rocks, logs or other shelter features without approval from the fauna ecologist, because the species depends on rocky refuges and nearby food resources.
  • If an injured, heat-stressed or orphaned animal is found, place it in the approved quiet holding container and contact the nominated wildlife carer, veterinarian or wildlife authority immediately.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work and establish an exclusion zone if a wallaby is seen, captured, injured or killed, or if fresh occupation signs are found in the active work area.
  • Stop work if machinery exposes a cave, crevice, ledge or other potential refuge that was not assessed during pre-clearance.
  • Stop work if fencing, lighting, dust, vibration, fire or spoil is blocking access to a retained refuge or escape route.
  • Record the date, time, location, species or taxon, condition, photographs, action taken, handler, release location, permit details and outcome for every encounter.
  • Report injury, death, unauthorised handling, refuge damage and any breach of the fauna management plan to the project environmental officer and relevant authority as required.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Clearance is not complete when machinery leaves the site. Confirm that retained refuges remain usable, that no animals are trapped in the work area and that controls continue during construction and operation.

  • Inspect the cleared footprint, access tracks, trenches, stockpiles, temporary fencing and drainage structures for trapped, injured or displaced wallabies.
  • Recheck retained caves, crevices, ledges and rock piles for disturbance, blocked entrances, vibration damage, dust deposition and fresh signs.
  • Remove or modify temporary barriers that prevent movement between retained refuges and feeding areas, unless they are required for an approved protection zone.
  • Close trenches and pits promptly, or provide escape ramps and inspect them at the frequency specified in the fauna management plan.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and control maintenance

  • Continue camera, sign and spotlight monitoring at retained refuges where the project has removed nearby habitat, changed access or introduced night lighting.
  • Monitor for changes in refuge use, fresh scats, worn runs, predator activity, fire damage and barriers to movement.
  • Maintain exclusion fencing, signs, low-speed zones and access controls until the environmental officer confirms that the risk has ended.
  • Review monitoring results after each construction stage and change the work method if animals avoid refuges or use disturbed areas.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and offsets

  • Prepare a completion report describing the area cleared, habitat retained, encounters, injuries or deaths, releases, incidents, monitoring results and outstanding risks.
  • Update the relevant state or territory wildlife database with verified records and submit EPBC approval reports where an approval or condition requires this.
  • Implement approved offsets, habitat protection or conservation payments where residual impacts cannot be avoided and an approval requires them.
  • Keep all permit, survey, handling, release and incident records with the project environmental records.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore refuge and feeding habitat

Rehabilitation should restore rocky refuge function and nearby feeding habitat, not just ground cover. Use local ecological advice for plant selection and fire planning because the supplied documents identify habitat condition, food resources, predators and fire as management issues but do not provide a universal planting list.

Recorded diet: Grasses, herbs, leaves and fruits.

Refuge function: Animals return to a central rocky refuge for protection from predators and thermal extremes.

  • Reinstate stable rocks, scree, ledges and crevice structures where their removal was authorised and safe to reverse.
  • Keep cave and crevice entrances open and retain a range of sheltered refuge spaces rather than creating a single artificial shelter.
  • Re-establish locally occurring native grasses, herbs, leaves and fruiting plants that match the surrounding rocky habitat and the species’ known diet.
  • Control weeds and prevent grazing or other introduced herbivore impacts that reduce food resources around retained refuges.
  • Do not install nest boxes as a default measure, because this rock-wallaby uses caves, crevices and rocky refuges rather than tree hollows.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, predators and competing herbivores

  • Develop a site-specific fire plan that reduces the chance of a large wildfire crossing occupied rocky habitat.
  • Use a patch burn approach only where it is supported by local fire ecology, approvals and advice from the land manager and species specialists.
  • Maintain predator monitoring and apply approved fox and feral cat control where the responsible authority identifies a need.
  • Manage grazing and other disturbance by goats, rabbits, cattle, donkeys, camels or sheep where these animals reduce food resources or damage habitat.
  • Do not use baiting or predator control without checking impacts on wallabies, dingoes, domestic animals and other native fauna.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Set baseline camera, sign and refuge-use monitoring before rehabilitation begins.
  • Monitor restored areas for fresh scats, tracks, worn runs, camera detections, refuge use, food plant establishment, weed cover, predator activity and fire damage.
  • Compare results with retained reference habitat and continue monitoring for the period required by the approval or rehabilitation plan.
  • Treat success as continued or increasing use of retained and restored refuges, functioning movement routes, established native food plants and no avoidable animal deaths.
  • Use monitoring results to adjust planting, erosion control, fire management, predator control and access restrictions.

Sources