Black-naped Snake (Neelaps bimaculatus)

Conservation status

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

Breeding season

The Black-naped Snake is poorly known, and no species-specific breeding calendar has been established for Australia. As a fossorial snake, it is generally more detectable and active in warmer weather, with local variation between South Australia and Western Australia.

Breeding mode: Not recorded.

Clutch or litter size: Not recorded.

Incubation or gestation: Not recorded.

Young and dependence period: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Breeding places: Not recorded. The species is fossorial, so retain suitable soil, litter, logs and surface cover during site works.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Activity can shift between years and regions with temperature, rainfall, soil conditions, fire history and local habitat, so use pre-clearing searches and fauna handling procedures throughout the year.

• Breeding activity, timing not established: Do not treat the even monthly pattern as evidence of year round breeding, because the breeding season has not been established.
• Warm weather surface activity: Warm conditions are a sensible general period for targeted searches because the species is fossorial and was recorded during surveys in November and April.
• Fossorial movement and detectability: Movement above ground may increase during suitable warm or wet conditions, but local weather and soil conditions should guide survey timing.
• Highest clearing risk: Because breeding timing is unknown, manage all months as potential risk, with extra care during warmer periods when snakes and any breeding places or young may be more detectable.

Identification: Appearance and size

The Black-naped Snake is a poorly documented, fossorial snake. Field identification should be confirmed by an experienced ecologist or fauna handler, particularly where other small elapid snakes occur.

A reliable description, diagnostic measurements and photographs should be used for identification in the field. Size information is not established here, so do not rely on an assumed length when checking captures or observations.

Identification: Calls and similar species

Snakes do not use calls or echolocation for detection. No species-specific call is expected during night searches. Similar small snakes may occur in the same broad habitats, so photographs and, where lawful and necessary, expert confirmation should be obtained before release or relocation.

Identification: Field signs

The species may be found below ground or beneath ground cover. Droppings, nests, whitewash, stains and odour are not reliable field signs for this snake.

Look for live animals during searches rather than relying on indirect evidence. Record the exact location, habitat, weather and activity, and photograph the animal without handling it unless handling is required by an authorised person.

• Inspect leaf litter, loose soil, burrows, old logs, stones and other ground cover carefully.
• Use a torch and move cover slowly so that animals are not crushed or exposed to unnecessary heat.
• Treat any snake as potentially venomous until it has been safely identified.

Identification: Survey and handling

The species has been detected with pitfall traps and drift fences, funnel traps, hand searches and nocturnal searches using head torches or spotlights. A targeted survey should be designed by a suitably experienced ecologist and scaled to the size of the clearing footprint, the amount of suitable sandplain habitat and the level of ground disturbance.

Use appropriate permits, animal welfare procedures and exclusion measures. Do not place untrained workers in situations where they may handle or approach a snake.

• Search before clearing and during staged vegetation removal where suitable habitat is present.
• Check traps frequently and provide suitable shelter and protection from exposure.
• Stop work and seek advice if a Black-naped Snake is found in the clearing area or inside an excavation.

Distribution: Australian range

The Black-naped Snake is mapped in South Australia and Western Australia. Available records include sandplain sites in Western Australia, while a more detailed state and regional range should be checked against current fauna databases before project approval.

The species occurs in South Australia and Western Australia. The available Western Australian records are from sandplain environments, including the Eneabba area and the South Eneabba Nature Reserve.

South Australia: Mapped range. Listed as Rare.

Western Australia: Mapped range. Listed as Priority 4, a non-statutory category for rare and near threatened species that require monitoring.

Distribution: Site records and landforms

Western Australian survey records were associated with sandplain kwongan heath and mixed banksia or eucalypt woodland. The species was not recorded at a hard lateritic ridge site in that survey, and such landforms may restrict movement by fossorial fauna.

• Treat sandy plains, heathlands and sandy woodland as potential habitat.
• Do not assume that an absence from one survey site means the species is absent from the broader project area.
• Check whether parts of the project area are inaccessible or unsurveyed before relying on negative results.

Distribution: Project planning

For a development in either mapped state, obtain current locality and conservation information during the planning stage. A project fauna assessment should show where suitable habitat occurs, where survey effort was completed and which areas will be cleared or disturbed.

• Map records and suitable habitat as separate layers.
• Retain the location and habitat details for every observation or capture.
• Refer proposed clearing, excavation and translocation actions to the relevant state authority or permit holder where required.

Habitat: Vegetation and landforms

The Black-naped Snake is associated with terrestrial, sandy environments and was recorded as a fossorial species in Western Australia. Habitat assessment should focus on the ground and soil profile, not only the vegetation canopy.

Recorded settings include sandplain kwongan heath and mixed banksia or eucalypt woodland. These vegetation communities can contain loose sandy soils, leaf litter and ground cover that provide opportunities for a burrowing or concealed snake.

• Sandplain heath and shrubland.
• Banksia woodland on sandy soils.
• Open eucalypt and banksia woodland on sandplain country.
• Edges of intact vegetation where sandy ground cover continues into the works area.

Habitat: Ground features

Check for loose sand, accumulated leaf litter, fallen timber, stones, shallow burrows and other concealed spaces. These features may provide cover, but their use by the Black-naped Snake should not be assumed without a record.

• Avoid disturbing ground cover during preliminary inspections.
• Mark areas with intact sandy substrate and continuous ground cover before access tracks or laydown areas are set out.
• Inspect stockpiles, spoil, excavations and temporary materials for trapped or sheltering snakes.

Habitat: Survey interpretation

A hard lateritic ridge may restrict movement by fossorial species and should not be treated as equivalent to nearby sandplain habitat. Conversely, disturbed areas can still contain suitable shelter or connected sandy ground and should be assessed rather than dismissed.

Foraging habitat: Where to look

The diet and precise foraging habitats of the Black-naped Snake are poorly documented. As a fossorial snake, it should be searched for in and around concealed ground-level habitat rather than only in open vegetation.

Prioritise sandy ground, leaf litter, loose soil, burrows, fallen timber, stones and the bases of dense heath or woodland vegetation. These are practical search locations for a fossorial snake, although they are not confirmed feeding sites.

• Search both intact habitat and the margins of proposed clearing.
• Check beneath removable cover by lifting it away from the body and placing it back carefully.
• Use pitfall and funnel trapping where a qualified ecologist considers the method suitable.

Foraging habitat: Diet

A species-specific diet is not established in this profile. Do not use assumed prey availability to rule out habitat. Retaining intact soil, litter and ground cover will help maintain the small fauna community on which fossorial snakes generally depend.

Foraging habitat: Works controls

Keep clearing staged and limit the open ground area at any one time. This gives fauna handlers a better opportunity to detect animals before machinery reaches concealed ground cover.

Use a spotter catcher or suitably experienced fauna ecologist during ground disturbance where survey results or habitat assessment indicate a reasonable chance of encountering the species.

Breeding habitat: Potential breeding features

Breeding sites, breeding timing, clutch size and incubation details are not well established for the Black-naped Snake. Projects should therefore avoid disturbing potentially suitable ground habitat during works and should not assume that breeding areas are obvious above ground.

Inspect undisturbed sandy soil, loose ground cover, shallow burrows, decaying timber and other concealed spaces within intact habitat. These features may be relevant to shelter or breeding, but their specific use by this species requires confirmation.

• Map areas with continuous sandy substrate and ground cover.
• Retain undisturbed habitat patches where practicable.
• Avoid filling or collapsing burrows during site preparation.

Breeding habitat: Timing and detection

A reliable breeding period is not established here. Do not limit protection to one season. Snakes or eggs may be concealed when adults are not visible, so preclearance checks should be based on habitat and proposed disturbance rather than calendar timing alone.

Breeding habitat: Management response

If a snake, suspected breeding site or eggs are found, stop work in the immediate area and obtain advice from the project ecologist and the relevant wildlife authority. Do not excavate, relocate or handle eggs without appropriate authorisation and specialist direction.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter features

The Black-naped Snake is fossorial and may spend much of its time below ground or beneath surface cover. Shelter habitat can be damaged by clearing, grading, vehicle movement, trenching and removal of logs or stones.

Potential shelter features include loose sand, shallow burrows, leaf litter, fallen logs, stones and dense low vegetation. The Western Australian survey also recorded the species in sandplain heath and woodland settings.

• Retain natural ground cover wherever it does not conflict with safety requirements.
• Avoid unnecessary removal of logs, stones and accumulated litter.
• Keep vehicles and machinery off retained habitat and establish clearly marked exclusion zones.

Sheltering habitat: Excavations and artificial traps

Open trenches, pits, pipes, stored materials and spoil piles can trap snakes or create temporary shelter. Inspect these features regularly and provide safe escape routes where practicable.

• Cap or cover pipes and pits when unattended.
• Inspect trenches and excavations before work starts each day.
• Use ramps or escape boards where they can be installed safely and effectively.
• Have a trained person available to respond to snake encounters.

Sheltering habitat: Fragmentation and movement

Hard lateritic landforms may restrict movement by fossorial species. New roads, compacted pads and cleared corridors can add further barriers across sandy habitat.

• Keep temporary access routes within existing disturbed areas where possible.
• Minimise the width of cleared corridors.
• Maintain connected patches of suitable sandy vegetation outside the approved disturbance footprint.

Threats: Habitat clearing and soil disturbance

The Black-naped Snake has a conservation listing that warrants more than routine fauna controls. In South Australia it is Rare, and in Western Australia it is Priority 4, so survey and management should be proportionate to the habitat affected and the likelihood of encountering the species.

Clearing sandplain heath, banksia woodland or eucalypt woodland can remove shelter, prey habitat and possible breeding places. Grading, compaction, trenching and excavation can kill animals below ground even when no snake is seen before work starts.

• Define and fence the approved clearing footprint.
• Avoid clearing intact sandy habitat where practicable.
• Stage clearing and use preclearance searches in suitable habitat.
• Rehabilitate temporary disturbance with local soil and ground cover where appropriate.

Threats: Fire and vegetation management

Fire can alter heath structure, litter, soil cover and shelter availability. The species was recorded in kwongan heath that had been burnt in 2005, but this does not establish a preferred fire regime or fire response.

• Do not infer that recently burnt habitat is unsuitable.
• Consider fire history when planning surveys and interpreting records.
• Retain unburnt refuge areas and ground cover where safe and practicable.
• Avoid unnecessary broadscale burning within or beside retained habitat.

Threats: Mortality during construction

Snakes can be injured by clearing machinery, vehicles, excavation and handling. Workers may also kill snakes through fear or mistaken identification.

• Include the species in the site fauna induction.
• Set a no handling and no killing rule for workers.
• Use trained fauna spotter catchers for high-risk clearing and excavation.
• Record, photograph and report all observations, captures and mortalities.

Threats: Survey and compliance response

For a Rare or Priority 4 species, a single negative search should not be treated as proof of absence where suitable habitat remains. Survey methods may include pitfall traps with drift fences, funnel traps, hand searches and nocturnal searches, with effort selected by a qualified ecologist for the project risk and habitat.

• Complete targeted assessment before finalising clearing limits.
• Review survey results when the footprint, season or construction method changes.
• Seek state authority advice where the species is detected or where proposed works may affect occupied habitat.
• Maintain records of survey effort, access limitations, weather, habitat and all fauna outcomes.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

The Black-naped Snake is fossorial and can be difficult to detect. Survey should target sandy, friable ground and intact or regenerating kwongan, heath and woodland, with methods suited to animals moving below or close to the ground surface.

Map sandy habitats, heath, banksia and eucalypt woodland, recent burns, dense ground cover and areas with loose soil or leaf litter.

Identify hard lateritic ridges and other ground conditions that may restrict movement or reduce habitat suitability. Treat habitat connected across these features as a single survey consideration where practical.

Check the current South Australian and Western Australian conservation status, project approvals and any local records before finalising the survey design. The species is listed as Rare in South Australia and Priority 4 in Western Australia.

• Review recent fauna records, vegetation mapping, fire history, aerial imagery and proposed clearing boundaries.
• Include retained habitat, access tracks, laydown areas, stockpiles and construction corridors in the assessment.
• Do not treat a lack of records as evidence that the species is absent.

Survey methodology: 2. Field detection methods

Use a combination of trapping, hand searching and night searching. The survey report recorded the species in sandplain kwongan heath and mixed banksia and eucalypt woodland.

Use pitfall traps with drift fences and funnel traps where permitted and where the ground can be safely excavated. The recorded survey used 16 cm diameter pipes at least 50 cm deep, 20 litre buckets about 30 cm in diameter and 40 cm deep, 6 m drift fences that were 30 cm high, and pitfall spacing of 25 m.

Search beneath suitable cover, including logs, stones, bark, leaf litter and loose surface material. Search burrows and other ground openings only where this can be done without harming an animal.

Undertake night searches with head torches or hand-held spotlights, including slow searches along roads, tracks and habitat edges. Record conditions and search time so results can be compared between sites.

• Use experienced, authorised personnel for trap installation, checking and animal handling.
• Check traps at a frequency that prevents exposure, overheating, drowning, predation and starvation. Provide suitable shelter and moisture control in traps where required by the approved animal ethics or permit conditions.
• Avoid trapping during extreme heat, flooding, fire danger or other conditions that could injure animals.
• Use the 19 to 28 November survey period and the 17 April survey period as examples of workable survey timing, not as evidence of a restricted activity season.
• Where risk is high or habitat is extensive, combine more than one survey method and consider repeat visits under suitable conditions.

Survey methodology: 3. Effort and survey conditions

Set effort in proportion to the area, habitat quality, disturbance footprint and conservation risk. Use the previous survey design as a reference, but do not assume that the same effort is adequate for every project.

A previous Level 2 program used, at each systematic site, 5 PVC pitfall pipes, 5 plastic buckets, 20 Elliott traps, 1 funnel trap at each drift fence and 2 cage traps. Across six sites it used 600 pitfall trap nights, 1,200 funnel trap nights, 1,200 Elliott trap nights, 120 cage trap nights, 1,020 minutes of diurnal searches and 840 minutes of night searches.

Document inaccessible areas and treat them as survey gaps. About 40 percent of one previous project area could not be accessed, which limited interpretation of the results.

• Record survey dates, start and finish times, weather, recent rainfall, temperature conditions, wind, fire history and ground condition.
• Record trap locations, trap type, trap nights, search time, search route, habitat, disturbance, captures, releases and any mortality.
• Increase survey coverage where suitable habitat is patchy, connected between impact areas, or poorly accessible.
• Have an ecologist assess whether additional survey is needed before clearing if conditions were unsuitable or access was incomplete.

Survey methodology: 4. Records and identification

Record every confirmed observation with a precise location, date, time, habitat description and detection method. Photograph the animal only where this can be done safely and without delaying release.

Record the direction of movement, whether the animal was above or below ground, nearby cover and any evidence of injury or disturbance.

Use a suitably experienced herpetologist or fauna ecologist to confirm uncertain records. Do not identify an animal from a poor photograph or secondary sign alone.

• Submit records to the project database and relevant state biodiversity authorities where required.
• Map records and potential habitat in the site environmental management system.
• Retain trapping and search data with the permit and compliance records.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Avoidance, approvals and permits

Plan the work on the assumption that the Black-naped Snake may be present in suitable habitat even when surveys do not detect it. The species is profiled as EVNT, with Rare status in South Australia and Priority 4 status in Western Australia, so avoidance and careful clearing are appropriate.

Minimise clearing in sandy heath, kwongan, banksia and eucalypt woodland, especially where these habitats are connected or contain substantial ground cover.

Confirm whether the action requires state approval, a fauna handling or scientific permit, an animal ethics approval, or a referral under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Do not assume that a state listing automatically means the species is listed under the EPBC Act.

In Queensland, obtain the required species management program before tampering with a breeding place where the Queensland near threatened provisions apply. Confirm the current state requirements with the relevant wildlife authority before work starts.

In South Australia, address the Rare listing under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. In Western Australia, address the Priority 4 status and any requirements under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, permits and approval conditions.

• Have the project ecologist document the approval pathway before vegetation marking or ground disturbance.
• Use the most protective approval condition where approvals overlap.
• Include the species, its habitat and stop-work procedures in the construction environmental management plan.
• Do not rely on a generic reptile permit if it does not authorise this species, location or activity.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Pre-clearance survey and work limits

Complete a pre-clearance inspection close enough to the clearing date to identify changes in habitat, new cover, recent fire and animals using the site. Use the approved survey methods and inspect the full disturbance footprint, access routes, stockpile areas and temporary work areas.

Mark no-go areas, retained habitat, trap lines, exclusion areas and access routes on the ground and in the site plans.

There is no reliable species-specific breeding or migration calendar for this snake. Do not schedule work on the assumption that a particular month is free of breeding, sheltering or movement activity.

• Inspect beneath removable cover before it is moved or destroyed.
• Check that fauna fencing, silt fencing and other barriers do not create entrapment hazards.
• Set buffers around confirmed animals, likely shelter sites and retained habitat in consultation with the project ecologist and approval conditions.
• Increase avoidance where a site contains multiple records, connected habitat or a concentrated shelter area.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Induction and exclusion controls

Induct all workers, operators and fauna spotter catchers before they enter the work area. Show photographs or an approved identification guide, explain the species risk and make the stop-work process clear.

Use temporary exclusion fencing only where it will not trap animals or prevent escape to suitable habitat. Inspect barriers before clearing and after heavy rain, earthworks or relocation of equipment.

Keep vehicles, machinery, spoil, waste and materials out of retained habitat and marked exclusion areas.

• Tell workers not to handle, chase, injure or kill snakes.
• Require all sightings to be reported immediately to the fauna spotter catcher or site supervisor.
• Keep the approved contact list, permits, first aid equipment and animal containers available at the work front.
• Brief crews on snakebite first aid and emergency response without encouraging untrained workers to capture snakes.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Clearing sequence and readiness

Prepare the clearing sequence before work starts. Begin with low-risk access and habitat edges where this is consistent with the ecological assessment, then work progressively towards the main disturbance area.

Remove hazards and establish a clear route to suitable retained habitat before fauna handling begins. Do not drive animals towards roads, open water, machinery or isolated habitat patches.

Have the fauna spotter catcher, suitable secure containers, shade and transport arrangements ready before clearing starts.

• Confirm that the fauna spotter catcher is authorised for the species and activity.
• Stop work if the authorised fauna handler is not present when the approval or management plan requires one.
• Keep an incident form and location recording system at the work front.
• Recheck the work area after delays, overnight shutdowns or changes to the clearing footprint.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Progressive clearing and supervision

Clearing should be slow, staged and supervised. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to stop work whenever an animal, possible shelter site or unexpected habitat feature is found.

Clear vegetation and ground cover in small, manageable stages. Allow animals a clear path towards retained suitable habitat where this does not increase their risk.

Use hand tools or low-impact methods around logs, stones, litter, burrows and loose soil that may shelter fossorial reptiles.

Keep the fauna spotter catcher in a position where the active clearing face, machinery and escape route can be seen.

• Stop machinery before approaching a suspected snake.
• Inspect each section after clearing and before vehicles, grading or stockpiling begin.
• Do not bury, crush, burn or stockpile habitat features until they have been checked.
• Keep people clear of the animal unless the authorised handler directs otherwise.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Animal handling and relocation

Only an authorised and experienced person may capture, handle or relocate the Black-naped Snake. Treat every snake as capable of biting and use the handling method authorised by the relevant permit or management plan.

Place an animal in a secure, labelled container that provides ventilation and protection from heat. Keep handling time as short as possible.

Relocate the animal only to a pre-approved site with suitable connected habitat and in accordance with permit conditions. Do not release it into an isolated patch, a construction area or an unassessed private property.

• Record the capture location before moving the animal.
• Record the release location, time, habitat and condition of the animal.
• Do not transport animals farther than authorised or mix animals in a container unless the approved procedure allows it.
• Do not use unapproved repellents, chemicals, smoke or mechanical disturbance to move an animal.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Active breeding places and unexpected finds

If an active breeding place, eggs, young, a concentrated shelter site or repeated use of one location is found, stop work in the immediate area. The species has no well-established breeding-place profile for routine construction planning, so seek advice rather than treating the find as ordinary shelter.

The fauna spotter catcher must notify the site supervisor and project ecologist, and the ecologist must confirm the required buffer, permit action and work method before disturbance resumes.

• Protect the location from machinery, people, vibration, dust, runoff and material storage.
• Do not move eggs, young, shelter materials or the breeding place unless specifically authorised.
• Document the location, evidence, photographs where safe, habitat, disturbance risk and people notified.
• Notify the relevant wildlife authority where required by the permit, approval or state law.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Injured animals and incident response

Treat injured, heat-stressed, trapped or dead animals as reportable fauna incidents. Do not provide food, water or treatment unless directed by an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian.

Keep an injured animal quiet, shaded and secure while arranging transport. Use a qualified wildlife carer, veterinarian or other approved provider.

For a bite or suspected bite to a person, stop work, apply the site emergency procedure and obtain urgent medical assistance. Do not attempt to catch the snake after a bite.

• Record the animal's condition, location, suspected cause, photographs where safe and the people involved.
• Preserve the scene where a death or injury may be linked to machinery, fencing, excavation or chemicals.
• Notify the project manager, fauna ecologist and regulator in line with approval conditions.
• Review whether work can safely continue before restarting.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearing checks confirm that animals, shelter features and control measures have been managed properly. They also provide the evidence needed to improve later stages of the project.

Inspect the cleared footprint, retained edges, exclusion fencing, trenches, excavations, spoil piles and access routes after each clearing stage.

Search for live or dead reptiles, trapped animals, damaged shelter and signs of animals moving along barriers or into excavations.

Keep open trenches and similar hazards managed in accordance with the site fauna procedure, and inspect them at the required frequency until they are closed or made safe.

• Complete a final fauna sweep before earthworks move into a new section.
• Check areas that were cleared during poor weather or where visibility was limited.
• Remove or modify fencing, ramps and barriers when they are no longer needed so they do not become traps.
• Have the fauna ecologist sign off each cleared section where required.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Reporting and compliance

Compile survey, clearing, handling, relocation, injury, mortality and rehabilitation records into the project fauna register.

Map all observations and incidents against the final clearing footprint, retained habitat and release locations.

Report listed species records and incidents to the relevant authority where required by approval conditions or state policy.

• Include dates, personnel, permits, methods, weather, locations, animal condition, actions taken and outcomes.
• Record inaccessible areas, failed controls and any departure from the approved method.
• Retain photographs, GPS files, trap sheets, induction records and fauna handler reports.
• Provide the final record to the project manager, environmental auditor and regulator where required.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Monitoring relocated animals and retained habitat

Monitor relocated animals and retained habitat when required by the approval, management plan or ecological risk assessment. A single relocation record should not be treated as proof that the animal survived or that the release site is suitable.

Use repeat searches, targeted trapping or other approved methods where monitoring is justified by the listing level, number of animals handled or scale of disturbance.

• Check whether released animals remain in suitable habitat and whether barriers, roads or works are restricting movement.
• Monitor retained habitat for erosion, weed invasion, altered drainage, fire impacts and new access.
• Set monitoring duration and triggers with the project ecologist and relevant authority rather than applying an arbitrary schedule.
• Escalate further disturbance if monitoring shows repeated mortality, animals returning to the work area or loss of release-site habitat.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review and adaptive management

Review every mortality, injury, escape, failed exclusion or unplanned habitat disturbance. Look for patterns linked to machinery, timing, weather, fencing, lighting, excavation or worker behaviour.

Update the clearing method, induction, exclusion controls and survey approach before the next work stage.

• Hold a short review with the fauna spotter catcher, supervisor, ecologist and operators.
• Record corrective actions with an owner and completion date.
• Share lessons with all crews before work resumes.
• Amend the environmental management plan where the original controls were not effective.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore ground habitat

Rehabilitation should restore the ground conditions and connected cover used by a fossorial snake. For this poorly known species, prioritise habitat structure, soil condition and movement connections over artificial structures that are designed for other fauna groups.

Replace suitable topsoil and natural ground cover where practicable. Restore loose sandy or friable soil, leaf litter, fallen timber, bark and stones in a way that provides shelter without creating hazards for people or machinery.

Reconnect rehabilitated areas with retained heath, kwongan, banksia or eucalypt woodland. Avoid creating narrow isolated strips surrounded by roads, hardstand or frequently disturbed ground.

Use local native provenance and a rehabilitation design suited to the original vegetation community and soil profile.

• Prevent compaction in areas intended for habitat restoration.
• Remove temporary access tracks, hardstand and stockpiles from rehabilitation areas.
• Retain natural microhabitats where they are safe and consistent with the approved rehabilitation plan.
• Do not place heavy logs, rocks or mulch where they could block drainage or trap animals.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Artificial structures and shelter

Nest boxes, bat boxes, artificial nest sites and roost structures are not default mitigation for the Black-naped Snake. The species is fossorial, and these structures should only be used if a qualified herpetologist identifies a site-specific need and an approved design.

Where replacement shelter is justified, use natural materials and placement that reflect the local habitat. Ensure any artificial feature cannot trap snakes, collect excessive heat or create a hazard during fire or maintenance.

• Do not install bird nest boxes, bat boxes or roost structures as a substitute for retaining suitable ground habitat.
• Obtain ecological and approval advice before placing artificial refuges.
• Inspect and maintain any approved artificial refuge, and remove it if it becomes unsafe or ineffective.
• Document the purpose, location, design, inspection results and decision to retain or remove the structure.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Weeds, fire, drainage and lighting

Control weeds that replace native ground cover, alter soil condition or increase maintenance disturbance. Use methods that do not expose animals to harmful chemicals or leave contaminated shelter.

Restore natural drainage where construction has altered water flow. Prevent sediment, hydrocarbons and other pollutants from entering rehabilitated habitat.

Manage lighting so that retained and rehabilitated habitat is not unnecessarily illuminated. Use directed, shielded lighting and switch off temporary lights when they are not required.

• Inspect rehabilitation after rain, fire, flooding and major maintenance.
• Use fauna-safe chemical procedures and keep records of application areas and products.
• Prevent vehicles from entering rehabilitation areas once ground works are complete.
• Coordinate fire planning with the land manager and ecologist, recognising that fire history can affect heath and ground cover.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Long-term monitoring and completion

Monitor vegetation establishment, soil stability, ground cover, habitat connectivity, weeds, drainage and fauna use. Include targeted Black-naped Snake searches where the project risk, approval or monitoring plan requires them.

Use the results to guide supplementary planting, weed control, erosion repair and removal of barriers. Rehabilitation should not be signed off solely because plants have been installed.

• Set clear completion criteria for ground condition, native cover, weed control, erosion and access control.
• Use repeat searches or trapping only under an approved method and by authorised personnel.
• Compare monitoring results with the pre-clearing habitat assessment and clearing records.
• Keep rehabilitation and fauna monitoring records with the project compliance file and report material failures to the relevant authority.

Sources

• Threatened reptiles | Environment and Heritage - NSW Government, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/publications/threatened-reptiles-biodiversity-assessment-method-survey-guide
• Microsoft Word - Central West Coal Project and Coolimba Power Station Project Level 2 Fauna Survey Report V4.doc, Western Australian Government: https://www.epa.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/PER_documentation/1696-PER-Appendix%20M%20-%20Vertebrate%20Fauna%20Report.pdf
• Occurrence records for the distribution map, Atlas of Living Australia: https://biocache.ala.org.au/