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Blue Mountains Water Skink (Eulamprus leuraensis)

The Blue Mountains Water Skink is a small, semi-aquatic lizard restricted to wet, high-elevation sedge and shrub swamps in the Blue Mountains and Newnes Plateau of New South Wales. It matters on development sites because its peat swamps are rare, fragmented and hydrologically sensitive, and clearing, sediment, stormwater, altered groundwater or fire can affect both the lizard and its habitat.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

Blue Mountains Water Skinks are ovoviviparous and give birth in late December. They are active on warm, sunny days from September to late April, so plan clearing around the risk of active adults, gravid females and newborns, while also checking shelters during winter inactivity.

Reproductive mode: Ovoviviparous, with embryos developing inside the female and live young born.

Litter size: One to five young, with a mean of 2.9 per annual litter.

Incubation or gestation: Not recorded.

Size at birth: Approximately 30 mm snout to vent length and 0.7 g.

Age at maturity: About 2 to 3 years, at approximately 70 mm snout to vent length and 7 g.

Nest or egg sites: Not applicable for egg laying. No specific breeding site is recorded. Basking sites are likely to support reproduction.

Breeding frequency: One litter annually.

Confirm timing locally before works, because activity and shelter use respond to temperature, warm sunny conditions and winter rainfall, and the exact mating and gestation periods are not recorded.

  • Mating: Mating dates and months are not recorded for this species. As a practical measure, treat the warm active period from September to April as a possible mating period.
  • Gravid females: Gestation length and the timing of gravid females are not recorded. Females may carry embryos during the active period before the late December births, so treat September to December as a potential gravid period.
  • Births: Females give birth to live young in late December. The species produces one litter each year, with one to five young and a mean litter size of 2.9.
  • Newborns: Newborns are expected from late December and may remain present during the following active period. Newborns are approximately 30 mm snout to vent length and weigh 0.7 g.
  • Active period: Adults are active on warm, sunny days from September to late April. Activity is temperature dependent, so local warm conditions may affect detectability at the edges of this period.
  • Winter inactivity: The species is thought to hibernate or brumate during winter, although this has not been confirmed. Two inactive skinks were found after winter rains, and some individuals may move from waterlogged swamp areas into surrounding vegetation for cover.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing can damage wet swamp habitat, tussocks and burrows throughout the year. Risk is highest in December and January because late December births overlap with the active season and newborn survival is important; winter clearing may also harm inactive skinks sheltering in tussocks, burrows or surrounding vegetation.

Identification

This is a dark, strongly patterned skink of wet Blue Mountains swamps. It is most likely to be encountered basking or moving through sedges on warm, sunny days.

The back is very dark brown to black, with narrow yellow, bronze or white lines running lengthwise to the base of the tail. The tail continues the pattern as a series of pale spots. The sides and limbs are dark, with yellow to bronze streaks and blotches.

The head is brown to bronze with black flecks. The chin and underside are cream to golden yellow with small dark blotches. Some juveniles and some adults have a green or bluish sheen on the underside or neck.

The limbs are well developed and each foot has five digits.

Maximum total length: Approximately 200 mm

Maximum snout to vent length: Approximately 80 mm

Maximum weight: Approximately 10 g

Identification: Distinguishing features

Two other Eulamprus species occur within its range, Eulamprus heatwolei and the eastern water skink, Eulamprus quoyii. The Blue Mountains Water Skink is readily separated by the pale yellow lines running down the back, which are absent in those species.

A suspected record should be supported by a clear colour photograph. Photo vouchers should be provided to the relevant NSW fauna authority and the Australian Museum for confirmation and databasing.

  • Look for a dark brown to black body with narrow pale longitudinal lines on the back.
  • Do not rely on the common name alone, as the species is primarily terrestrial and surface active in swamp vegetation.

Identification: Field signs and behaviour

When disturbed, the skink has been observed fleeing into dense grass tussocks or down holes, possibly yabby burrows. This escape response can make individuals difficult to relocate after initial detection.

The available documents do not describe diagnostic tracks, calls, nests, sloughs or eyeshine for this species. Droppings may contain insect remains, and one dropping from Leura contained a small fruit with a seed, but droppings should not be used as a sole identification method.

  • Search carefully around dense sedge tussocks, holes and wet swamp margins after an animal disappears.
  • Avoid repeated trampling of likely refuge cover during searches.
  • Record the location, photograph and habitat whenever a skink is seen or captured.

Distribution: National range

The species is endemic to New South Wales. Its known distribution is narrow and discontinuous, with distinct population groups separated by unsuitable or altered habitat.

The Blue Mountains Water Skink is known only from New South Wales, west of Sydney. Its range extends from the Newnes Plateau in the north-west through the middle and upper Blue Mountains to just south of Hazelbrook in the south-east.

The NSW profile identifies the South Eastern Highlands and Sydney Basin IBRA bioregions. The Wollemi subregion is recorded as known, while the Burragorang and Kanangra subregions are recorded as predicted.

  • South Eastern Highlands bioregion: Kanangra subregion, predicted.
  • Sydney Basin bioregion: Wollemi subregion, known.
  • Sydney Basin bioregion: Burragorang subregion, predicted.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Important population areas include the Newnes Plateau and wet swamps in the Blue Mountains around Blackheath, Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls, Lawson and Williams Ridge. The recovery plan recorded populations on Newnes State Forest, Blue Mountains National Park, Sydney catchment special areas, council reserves and some private land.

Recent genetic information indicates that Newnes Plateau populations are genetically and morphologically distinct from Blue Mountains populations. Individual local populations can also be genetically distinct from populations less than 0.5 km away, indicating very limited interchange.

  • Newnes Plateau populations occur mainly in Newnes State Forest.
  • Blue Mountains populations occur across national park, catchment, council reserve and private land tenures.
  • Some known swamps are beside, partly within or surrounded by residentially zoned land.

Distribution: Population size and trend

A total population size is not provided in the supplied documents. The species remains listed as Endangered because it occupies a specialised, fragmented habitat, has low dispersal between populations and has low adult survival and low annual reproductive output.

The 2001 recovery plan reported 30 known locations. The current NSW profile reports approximately 70 threatened highland peat swamps, but this is not a population estimate and should not be treated as the number of occupied populations.

Recovery plan record: 30 known sites in 2001

Current NSW profile: Approximately 70 threatened highland peat swamps

Population size: Not stated in the supplied documents

Maximum recorded age in demographic study: 6 years

Habitat: Swamp types

The Blue Mountains Water Skink is a specialist of permanently wet or near-permanently wet montane swamps. Occupancy is associated with wetness, swamp size and proximity to other occupied swamps.

Habitat consists of isolated sedge and shrub swamps on the high, dissected Narrabeen Group sandstone plateau. Swamps form where water-bearing strata are exposed above impermeable rock layers.

Occupied swamps may be perched headwater swamps on slopes, narrow valley swamps, or low-lying swamps on flat or gently undulating plateaux. Soils are sandy to peaty, commonly about 1.2 to 1.5 m deep in the recovery plan, and appear to remain permanently wet.

  • Perched headwater swamps.
  • Narrow valley swamps.
  • Low-lying flat or gently undulating plateau swamps.

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

The vegetation is typically sedgeland interspersed with shrubs, and can form dense shrub thickets. Button grass, Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, is identified in the survey guidelines as a characteristic plant, together with other swamp species.

For site assessment, retain the full wetland structure, including dense sedges, shrub cover, wet peat, surface water pathways and holes. The species may use cover at the swamp edge and within the swamp, so clearing should not be limited only to visibly open water.

Typical soil: Sandy to peaty and permanently wet

Peat or soil depth reported: Approximately 1.2 to 1.5 m

Characteristic vegetation: Sedges, shrubs and often Button grass, Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus

Habitat: Elevation and climate

The species occurs at high elevations from about 560 m to 1,140 m. The recovery plan reports annual average rainfall of about 1,392 mm at Katoomba and 1,047 mm on the Newnes Plateau.

The species is associated with cool montane conditions. The recovery plan reports a mean minimum temperature of 2.6 degrees Celsius in July and a mean maximum of 23.6 degrees Celsius in January at Katoomba, and minus 1 degree Celsius in July and 23.5 degrees Celsius in January on the Newnes Plateau.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding sites

The species forages on the swamp surface and through sedge and shrub cover. It is a diurnal basking lizard that is most likely to feed when conditions are warm and sunny.

Recorded prey includes grasshoppers, flies, moths, weevils and wasps. A small fruit with a seed was found in a dropping from Leura, so the diet may include occasional plant material.

The documents do not provide a measured foraging range or home range. They describe the species as surface active and associated with the swamp itself, rather than providing evidence for regular movement into surrounding dry forest.

Recorded animal prey: Grasshoppers, flies, moths, weevils and wasps

Recorded plant food: A small fruit with a seed in one dropping

Measured foraging range: Not reported

  • Retain sedge tussocks, shrub cover, wet litter and swamp margins that support insect prey.
  • Avoid spraying pesticides in or beside occupied swamps.
  • Treat the whole swamp and its water inputs as foraging habitat, not just the points where skinks are observed.

Foraging habitat: Activity conditions

The skink basks to regulate body temperature and is active on warm, sunny days. The NSW profile records activity from September until late April, while the survey guidelines report captures mainly from December to February and observations in March.

  • Prioritise visual searches and trapping during warm conditions within the September to April activity period.
  • Expect lower detectability during cool weather and in late autumn and winter.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs within the wet swamp habitat. The species is viviparous, so females give birth to live young rather than laying eggs.

Females give birth in late December. Demographic work found low fecundity, with an average litter size of 2.9 and a reported range of one to five offspring per annual litter.

Young reach adult size and sexual maturity within about two to three years. The species is short-lived, with individuals in the demographic study reaching a maximum estimated age of six years.

Breeding type: Live-bearing

Birth period: Late December

Litter size: Mean 2.9 young; reported range one to five

Age at adult size and maturity: About 2 to 3 years

Maximum age recorded in study: 6 years

Annual reproduction: Females reproduce annually

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

The supplied documents do not identify a separate nesting site because the species gives birth to live young. Breeding habitat is therefore expected to include the same permanently wet swamp vegetation used by adults, with dense sedges, shrubs and nearby refuges.

Avoid disturbing wet peat, tussocks, holes and swamp margins during the activity period. Low dispersal and genetically distinct local populations mean that loss of a breeding swamp may not be offset by recolonisation from another swamp.

  • Protect wet peat and groundwater inputs.
  • Retain dense sedge and shrub cover around known records.
  • Prevent sediment, stormwater, pollutants and access tracks from altering the swamp during construction.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuges

Shelter is provided by dense swamp vegetation and holes in or beside the wet ground. Individuals can disappear quickly into cover when approached.

When disturbed, Blue Mountains Water Skinks have been observed fleeing into dense grass tussocks or down holes, possibly yabby burrows. The supplied documents do not provide dimensions for these holes or identify permanent dens.

The survey guidelines state that moist vegetation was placed in pitfall traps to provide shelter from exposure and predators. This indicates that protection from drying and predation is important when animals are temporarily confined during surveys.

Known refuge types: Dense grass tussocks and holes, possibly yabby burrows

Refuge dimensions: Not reported

  • Retain dense sedge tussocks and shrub thickets.
  • Do not fill, cap or disturb holes in swamp soils without first assessing them as potential refuge.
  • Use damp, shaded shelter and inspect traps frequently if trapping is approved.

Sheltering habitat: Seasonal shelter use

The survey guidelines suggest that the species may hibernate during the cooler late autumn and winter months, but this is presented as an inference rather than a confirmed observation. During the active season, shelter is used when animals are disturbed and probably during cool or wet periods.

  • Assume that individuals may be concealed in tussocks or holes outside warm, sunny activity periods.
  • Do not conclude that a swamp is unoccupied from a lack of visual detections alone.
  • Use targeted pitfall trapping in suitable habitat when presence or absence must be established.

Threats: Clearing, development and fragmentation

The main risks are loss or degradation of wet swamp habitat, disruption of groundwater and surface water, fire, predators and direct disturbance. Because populations are small, isolated and slow to recolonise, impacts at one swamp can have lasting consequences.

Urbanisation has cleared or degraded some former swamp habitat. Development beside occupied swamps can cause direct clearing, edge effects, sedimentation, stormwater runoff, nutrient enrichment, weed invasion and altered drainage.

Many sites are isolated, and genetic exchange between populations is very limited. The NSW profile reports that each local population may be genetically distinct, including populations less than 0.5 km apart. Clearing a small intervening swamp or corridor may therefore have a disproportionate effect.

  • Map occupied and potential swamps, their wetland edges and upstream catchments before design and clearing.
  • Keep construction compounds, access tracks, spoil, drainage works and laydown areas out of swamp habitat and its water inputs.
  • Avoid treating a narrow buffer around the visible wet area as sufficient where groundwater or overland flow supports the swamp.

Threats: Hydrology, roads and sediment

Loss of groundwater, extraction from perched swamp aquifers, mining subsidence, forestry plantations, roads, tracks and stormwater can reduce wetness or change flow paths. Construction and unsealed roads can increase erosion and sediment delivery to swamp headwaters.

Reduced water quality, sedimentation, sewerage overflows, illegal stormwater connections and groundwater extraction are identified as risks. These pressures can degrade peat, vegetation and invertebrate prey even where no clearing occurs.

  • Maintain groundwater recharge and surface flow paths into and through the swamp.
  • Install and maintain stormwater controls to prevent concentrated runoff into swamp headwaters.
  • Control sediment from unsealed roads, tracks, excavations and disturbed ground.
  • Prevent fuel, concrete washout, pesticides, sewage and other pollutants from entering wetland soils or drainage lines.

Threats: Fire and fire management

Increased fire frequency, intense fire, backburning and hazard reduction works can directly disturb skinks and cause long-term loss of peat. Fire trails, fuel breaks, slashing and mechanical hazard reduction can also remove cover, compact wet soils or alter drainage.

The 2019 to 2020 bushfires led to rapid post-fire assessment of Blue Mountains Water Skink habitat and replacement of monitoring equipment, showing that fire impacts require site-specific assessment.

  • Avoid new fire trails, fuel breaks and mechanical works through occupied swamps.
  • Assess fire frequency, intensity, peat condition and post-fire erosion before planning further burns.
  • Protect unburnt refuge vegetation and monitor recovery of sedges, shrubs, peat and groundwater after fire.

Threats: Predators and weeds

Predation by domestic and feral cats, foxes and dogs is identified or assumed as a threat, although the impact on skinks has not been quantified in the supplied documents. Domestic pets are a particular concern at swamps close to houses.

Weeds, including invasive shrubs, climbers and pine wildings, can degrade swamp vegetation and increase shading. Weed control must avoid damaging wet peat and non-target swamp plants.

  • Control feral cats where appropriate and encourage residents to keep domestic cats and dogs away from swamp habitat.
  • Use bush regeneration methods suited to wet peat and avoid vehicle access through the swamp.
  • Remove weeds before they form dense shade or alter the structure of sedge and shrub cover.

Threats: Direct disturbance and survey risk

Trail bikes, four-wheel drives, walking tracks and trampling can damage vegetation, compact wet soils and increase erosion. The species may shelter in holes and tussocks, so machinery and foot traffic can cause injury even when animals are not visible.

The Australian survey guidelines recommend targeted pitfall trapping from December to February, using a line of three 10 litre buckets about 5 m apart, with no drift fence required. Traps require suitable shelter and frequent checking under approved animal welfare procedures.

  • Fence or reroute tracks where they cross occupied swamp habitat.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher experienced with wetland reptiles during clearing or ground disturbance.
  • Stop work and obtain identification advice if a suspected Blue Mountains Water Skink is found.
  • Follow approved survey, capture, handling and release procedures.

Threats: Climate and disease

Climate change is expected to increase risks from reduced groundwater, higher temperatures, more frequent or intense fire and extreme weather that causes erosion and habitat degradation.

No species-specific disease is identified in the supplied documents. General reptile hygiene remains appropriate on projects, including cleaning footwear, traps and handling equipment between sites and preventing transfer of mud or contaminated water between swamps.

  • Treat groundwater and peat moisture as project constraints, not only surface water constraints.
  • Do not transfer soil, mud, water or vegetation between occupied swamps.
  • Record unusual mortality, lesions or abnormal behaviour and seek advice from the relevant fauna authority.

Survey methodology: 1. Identify suitable habitat

Survey this species only where suitable swamp habitat may be affected. The Blue Mountains Water Skink is restricted to high elevation sedge and shrub swamps with permanently wet, sandy to peaty soils, so habitat assessment should guide survey placement and effort.

  • Map all sedge and shrub swamps, swamp headwaters, wet depressions and connecting wet areas within and near the work area before selecting survey sites.
  • Give priority to swamps with permanently wet boggy soils, larger area, higher soil moisture and proximity to other occupied swamps.
  • Record drainage lines, roads, tracks, stormwater outlets, groundwater infrastructure, plantations, mining subsidence and development areas that may alter swamp hydrology.

Survey methodology: 2. Targeted pitfall trapping

Recommended period: December to February

Basic array: Three 10 litre buckets, approximately 5 metres apart

Drift fence: Not required for the recommended basic array

  • Use targeted pitfall trapping from December to February, when the species is most likely to be active.
  • Use a line of three 10 litre buckets, with each bucket approximately 5 metres from the next.
  • Install buckets flush with the ground and provide moist vegetation in each bucket for shelter from exposure and predators.
  • Do not use a drift fence for the basic survey method, because the species guideline states that the recommended three bucket array does not require one.
  • Obtain approval for trapping, check traps at the frequency required by the relevant animal welfare approval, and release captured animals at their capture location unless an authorised fauna management plan specifies another action.

Survey methodology: 3. Supplementary visual searches

Reported activity period: September to late April

Activity conditions: Warm, sunny days

Shelter when disturbed: Dense grass tussocks or holes

  • Undertake visual searches during warm, sunny conditions when the species is surface active, particularly from September to late April.
  • Search swamp margins, dense sedge tussocks, wet shrub cover and holes where a disturbed skink may shelter.
  • Use careful, low impact searching because the species may flee into dense grass tussocks or holes and because trampling can damage sensitive swamp habitat.
  • Treat visual searches as supplementary unless the survey design has been justified for the site, because the supplied species guideline specifies targeted pitfall trapping as the presence detection method.

Survey methodology: 4. Confirm and document records

  • Support every proposed record with a good quality colour photograph showing the diagnostic pale yellow lines along the back.
  • Distinguish the species from Eulamprus heatwolei and Eulamprus quoyii using the series of pale yellow lines along the back, which are absent in those species.
  • Send photo vouchers to the relevant state fauna authority and the Australian Museum or another appropriate state museum for identification and databasing.
  • Record the array location, dates, weather, habitat condition, trap configuration, trapping effort, captures, photographs and any animal welfare incidents.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use the three bucket array described in the species guideline as the minimum presence survey method where trapping is appropriate, and justify any alternative design in writing.
  • Repeat or extend surveys where habitat is difficult to access, conditions are unsuitable, the proposed works may affect several swamps, or the initial survey cannot support a reliable presence or absence conclusion.
  • Do not claim absence solely because a survey produced no captures, because the species has small, isolated populations and the national survey guidance requires effective validation of absence.
  • Submit confirmed records and suitable photo vouchers to the relevant NSW wildlife database and fauna authority, and include the record in the project environmental report.
  • Before trapping, confirm current approvals, animal ethics requirements, land access requirements and any project specific conditions.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid disturbance to swamp habitat first. This species has a restricted distribution, low dispersal between populations and limited capacity for recolonisation after local loss.

  • Redesign the project to retain occupied and suitable sedge and shrub swamps, their wet peat soils, swamp margins and headwater catchments.
  • Keep works, access tracks, stockpiles, compounds, drainage structures and sediment controls out of swamps wherever practicable.
  • Maintain surface water and groundwater inputs to the swamp, and prevent changes to drainage, stormwater flows, water quality and sediment loads.
  • Retain connections between nearby swamps where they remain, because gene flow is very low and dispersal between populations appears rare.
  • Set project specific no go areas and setbacks around each swamp and its contributing catchment using the habitat assessment, hydrological assessment and approval conditions.

Before habitat disturbance: Check approvals and plan the works

  • Check whether the action is likely to have a significant impact on this nationally listed endangered species and refer the action under the EPBC Act where required.
  • Check current NSW threatened species, wildlife handling, trapping, vegetation clearing, planning and biodiversity approval requirements before work starts.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey results, retained habitat, exclusion areas, weather limits, fauna handling authority, release arrangements, stop-work triggers and reporting responsibilities.
  • Schedule clearing and ground disturbance outside the main activity period where practicable, while recognising that timing alone does not remove the risk to habitat or animals.
  • Stage works so that retained swamps, drainage controls and access restrictions are installed before clearing begins.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare the site

  • Complete the pre-clearance survey using habitat targeted methods before machinery enters the work area.
  • Mark swamp boundaries, wet peat areas, habitat retention areas, access routes, exclusion zones and no go areas on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery, vehicles, pedestrians or stock from entering retained swamp habitat without obstructing approved fauna movement.
  • Brief all operators and the fauna spotter catcher on the species identification features, swamp hazards, access controls and stop-work procedure.
  • Locate and protect stormwater outlets, drainage lines and other pathways that could carry sediment or polluted water into retained swamps.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher duties

Work under daily environmental controls and keep machinery away from wet swamp habitat. Stop work when the approved controls cannot protect the animal, its habitat or water regime.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, signage, sediment controls, drainage controls and retained habitat before work starts each day.
  • Use a suitably authorised fauna spotter catcher for clearing or disturbance that may injure fauna, and ensure the person has authority under the project approvals and current wildlife requirements.
  • Keep the spotter catcher in a position where machinery movement, visibility and communication are controlled, rather than asking the spotter to work in an unsafe exclusion zone.
  • Use slow, staged clearing in the direction specified by the fauna management plan and stop machinery immediately when directed by the spotter catcher.
  • Prevent workers, vehicles and machinery from entering swamps, wet peat, dense sedge tussocks and marked habitat unless the activity is expressly approved.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat and fauna handling

Known shelter: Dense grass tussocks and holes

Known habitat: Sedge and shrub swamps with permanently wet boggy soils

  • Treat swamp soils, sedge tussocks, wet shrub cover, holes and swamp water pathways as sensitive habitat features, and do not remove or damage them unless approved.
  • Do not move logs, rocks, dense tussocks or other shelter features through the work area without first checking them for fauna and following the fauna management plan.
  • Manage hollow-bearing trees, burrows and other terrestrial habitat features under the project fauna procedure, even though the species is primarily associated with swamp habitat rather than tree hollows.
  • If a skink is found, stop the immediate activity, keep people and machinery back, and allow the authorised fauna handler to assess and handle it.
  • Handle the animal only when necessary, use approved equipment and methods, and release it into nearby retained suitable habitat as directed by the approved fauna management plan.
  • Take injured animals to an approved wildlife carer or veterinarian through the project’s authorised wildlife response pathway.

During habitat disturbance: Stop work and records

  • Stop work in the affected area if a Blue Mountains Water Skink is found and the approved procedure does not cover the situation.
  • Stop work if exclusion fencing fails, sediment or polluted water enters retained habitat, drainage is altered, or machinery approaches a marked no go area.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and the relevant approval holder when a live animal, injured animal, carcass, unapproved habitat disturbance or unexpected occupied swamp is recorded.
  • Record the date, time, location, animal condition, photograph, habitat, activity, machinery, personnel, action taken, release location and regulator or database notification.
  • Do not resume the affected activity until the fauna spotter catcher and environmental officer confirm that the approved control measures are in place.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Leave retained swamp habitat protected after construction and check that the works have not changed water movement, water quality or access to habitat.

  • Complete a post-clearance inspection of the work area, retained swamp margins, drainage lines, sediment controls and exclusion fencing.
  • Check for injured or trapped fauna, damaged tussocks, exposed peat, erosion, sediment deposition, altered flow paths, stormwater concentration and unauthorised vehicle access.
  • Remove temporary materials, spoil and waste from retained habitat and reinstate controls where construction has disturbed them.
  • Confirm that all fauna records, handling events, injuries, mortalities, photographs and incidents have been entered in the project register and reported as required.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor representative retained populations and habitat where the project approval or fauna management plan requires monitoring.
  • Use repeat monitoring to assess population status, habitat condition, water regime, weed invasion, fire impacts, sedimentation and access disturbance.
  • Report confirmed records and project impacts to the relevant NSW wildlife database, approval authority and land manager as required.
  • Review monitoring results with the project ecologist and amend access, drainage, weed, predator or fire controls when they are not protecting the swamp.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and long term controls

  • Apply any EPBC Act, NSW biodiversity approval or other approval conditions for offsets, habitat protection, restoration and monitoring.
  • Do not treat an offset as a substitute for avoiding direct disturbance to occupied or suitable swamp habitat.
  • Maintain fencing, signage, stormwater controls, sediment controls and access restrictions for the period specified in the approval or fauna management plan.
  • Provide the land manager with mapped retained habitat, monitoring results, maintenance requirements and any known skink locations.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore swamp structure and water

Rehabilitation must restore wet swamp function, not just surface vegetation. The species depends on isolated, permanently wet sedge and shrub swamps, and recolonisation after local loss may be unlikely.

Typical habitat vegetation: Sedge vegetation interspersed with shrubs, sometimes forming dense shrub thickets

Named habitat plant: Button Grass, Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus

Soil condition: Sandy to peaty and permanently wet

  • Reinstate natural surface water pathways and protect groundwater inputs so the rehabilitated area remains wet without concentrating erosion or stormwater.
  • Repair erosion and sediment sources from roads, tracks, drains and construction areas before revegetating the swamp.
  • Use locally sourced native swamp species suited to the site, including the sedge and shrub vegetation that characterises Blue Mountains Water Skink habitat.
  • Retain or reinstate dense sedge tussocks, shrub cover, wet peat and natural shelter features rather than creating a mown or open drainage corridor.
  • Do not introduce non-local plants, fill, fertiliser or soil that could alter swamp chemistry, water levels or weed risk.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage weeds, predators and fire

  • Inspect rehabilitated swamp margins for invasive shrubs, climbers and pine wildings, and control weeds with methods that do not damage wet peat or non-target fauna.
  • Keep domestic cats and dogs out of retained and rehabilitated swamp habitat, and support approved feral cat, fox and dog control where those predators threaten fauna.
  • Plan fire management with the land manager so that hazard reduction, backburning, access tracks and fuel breaks do not increase fire frequency or degrade peat.
  • Prevent off-road vehicles, trail bikes and uncontrolled pedestrian access from entering rehabilitated swamp areas.
  • Control stormwater, sewerage overflows, groundwater extraction and sediment sources that could undermine rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitor success

  • Monitor water permanence, groundwater or surface water behaviour, peat stability, native sedge and shrub recovery, weed cover, erosion, predator activity and unauthorised access.
  • Use repeat searches and the approved pitfall method during December to February where monitoring is intended to detect recolonisation or persistence of the species.
  • Treat continued suitable wet habitat, stable or improving habitat condition and confirmed skink use as success measures, together with compliance with approval conditions.
  • Investigate failed vegetation establishment, drying, sedimentation, weed spread, repeated fire or predator activity and implement corrective actions.
  • Retain monitoring records, photographs and mapped results for the full period required by the approval or rehabilitation plan.

Sources