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Border Thick-tailed Gecko (Uvidicolus sphyrurus)

The Border Thick-tailed Gecko is a small, nocturnal gecko of rocky woodland and open forest in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. It is vulnerable under the EPBC Act and in New South Wales, and development can remove rocky shelter sites, fallen timber, leaf litter and shaded habitat that are difficult to replace.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Border Thick-tailed Geckos are nocturnal and can be active throughout the year. Mating is inferred for spring, with egg laying mainly in November and December, so clearing should avoid this period and retain shelter features at all times.

Reproductive mode: Oviparous.

Clutch size: Usually 2 eggs per clutch.

Incubation: About 59 to 73 days in captivity at 27 to 29°C.

Size at hatching: About 37 mm snout to vent length, with captive records of about 35 to 39 mm.

Age at maturity: About 30 months in captive observations.

Nest or egg sites: Females may excavate nesting sites. Captive nests were associated with coarse vermiculite, while related observations place oviposition burrows below or beside rocks or logs, at depths of up to 200 mm and lengths of about 250 to 300 mm.

Breeding frequency: One to two clutches per year.

Confirm timing locally before works, using local rainfall, night temperature, elevation and site records because these conditions can alter activity, mating and egg laying.

  • Mating: Mating is inferred to occur in mid spring, broadly from September to November. Captive observations and the timing of egg laying support this seasonal interpretation, but exact mating dates are not recorded.
  • Gravid females: A gravid wild female was recorded in December, and captive females laid in November or early December. The October and November entries represent the likely egg-carrying period before laying, rather than a directly documented monthly record.
  • Egg laying: Egg laying has been recorded in November and early December in captivity, with a gravid wild female recorded in December. Broader captive observations place breeding in spring and summer, without a more detailed species-specific monthly series.
  • Incubation: Eggs laid in November or early December remain in the nest for about 59 to 73 days at 27 to 29°C, so incubation generally extends through January and February. The timing may shift with nest temperature.
  • Hatchlings: Captive eggs laid in November or early December would generally hatch from January to February after the recorded incubation period. Wild emergence timing is not established, so these months are indicative.
  • Active period: The species is nocturnal and is described as active throughout the year. Targeted NSW surveys are scheduled from November to March because warm, humid nights and increased insect activity improve detection, but this does not establish that activity is absent in other months.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from October to December, when inferred spring mating and recorded egg laying overlap with clearing. Clearing can also kill geckos, eggs and hatchlings in rock, log, bark and leaf-litter shelters at other times, including during the January to February incubation and hatchling period.

Identification

This is a small, mottled gecko with a distinctive plump, knobbly tail. It is usually found at night, when spotlighting is more effective than lifting rocks or logs.

The body is fawn, pale brown or grey brown, with darker flecks and many small white spots arranged in rows across the head, back, sides and legs. Numerous conical tubercles give the animal a knobbly appearance, particularly on the tail. The original tail is dark, often nearly black, with three or four white rings, and tapers to a narrow tip. The underside is pale and may have darker flecks. The eye has been described as steel blue.

Total length: Up to about 10 cm.

Snout to vent length: Up to about 75 to 80 mm in the supplied accounts.

Weight: Up to about 12 g.

Identification: Distinguishing features

The combination of fine white raised spots, enlarged conical tubercles and a broad, tapering, knobbly tail helps separate this species from other small woodland geckos. The similar Barking Gecko, Underwoodisaurus milii, is generally darker purple brown and has fine bands of yellow spots on the head and body. Many other geckos lack the Border Thick-tailed Gecko's bands of raised dots or have a different tail shape.

  • Check the tail shape and banding before relying on overall colour, because colour varies between southern and northern populations and can match local pink, grey or granite rocks.
  • Treat regenerated tails cautiously: they are usually dull brown, more rounded and less distinctly banded than original tails.

Identification: Sex and field signs

Adult males have clearly visible hemipenal pockets. Females are generally larger than males, although the supplied sources do not provide a reliable field size threshold for sexing. Juveniles resemble adults but usually have higher contrast markings.

  • Look for active geckos on or beside rocks, logs and deep litter during warm, humid night surveys.
  • A rasping squeak may be heard when the animal is disturbed. It may raise and wave its tail, open its mouth and lunge if further provoked.
  • Do not rely on tracks, scats, sloughs, nests or eyeshine as standard detection signs. The supplied sources do not describe reliable signs for these features, and habitat searches can damage shelter sites.

Distribution: National range

The species is restricted to the tablelands and slopes of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. Records are localised and separated, even where apparently suitable woodland is extensive.

In New South Wales, the range extends south to Tamworth and west to Moree. In Queensland, it extends north to the granite country around Girraween National Park and west of Stanthorpe and Warwick. The NSW profile lists known or predicted occurrences in the Brigalow Belt South, Nandewar and New England Tablelands bioregions.

  • Brigalow Belt South: Liverpool Plains and Northern Basalts.
  • Nandewar: Inverell Basalts, Kaputar, Nandewar Northern Complex and Peel.
  • New England Tablelands: Binghi Plateau, Bundarra Downs, Eastern Nandewars, Severn River Volcanics, Tenterfield Plateau and Tingha Plateau.
  • Queensland records include Girraween National Park, Sundown National Park and areas west of Stanthorpe and Warwick.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Most common records are from granite country on the New England Tablelands, but the species also occurs on basalt and metasediment slopes and flats. The NSW Scientific Committee listed more than 20 locations known before 2000 and a further 14 NSW locations added to the Wildlife Atlas after 2001. These records represent locations that may contain populations or subpopulations, rather than confirmed population boundaries.

  • Examples of known locations include Torrington, Severn River, Kings Plains, Mount Kaputar, Warrabah, Gibraltar, Bingara, Barraba, Woolomin, Chaffey Dam and areas near Quirindi and Tamworth.
  • Queensland examples include Durikai State Forest, Girraween National Park and Sundown National Park.

Distribution: Population status

No reliable estimate of total population size, site density or population trend is available. Encounter rates during targeted surveys are low, often about one animal per site after several person-hours, and the species is described as sparse or occurring at low densities. The known range has expanded with survey effort, but this does not demonstrate a population increase.

Known NSW Wildlife Atlas records cited in the NSW determination: 83 records.

Discrete NSW sites used for a minimum area of occupancy calculation: About 55 sites, generally separated by more than 2 km.

Estimated extent of occurrence: About 37,000 km².

Calculated minimum NSW area of occupancy: About 220 km² using a 2 by 2 km grid.

Likely actual area of occupancy: Greater than the calculated minimum because of low detectability, but considered unlikely to exceed 1,000 km² in the cited determination.

Habitat: Habitat types

The Border Thick-tailed Gecko uses shaded, structurally complex woodland and open forest with rocky or stony ground. It is not confined to granite, and records from basalt and metasediment sites indicate that formerly cleared, more fertile habitats may also be suitable.

Typical habitat is undisturbed or lightly disturbed dry open forest and woodland on rocky outcrops, scree slopes, stony hills, midslopes and ridges. Vegetation includes eucalypt woodland, cypress pine open forest and other open forest habitats with a sufficiently dense canopy to maintain shaded ground conditions.

  • Granite outcrops and rocky slopes, especially in the New England Tablelands.
  • Basalt and metasediment slopes and flats where suitable ground structure remains.
  • Regenerating habitat may be suitable where canopy, litter, logs and rocks have returned or been retained.

Habitat: Habitat structure

Occupied sites commonly have boulders, rock slabs, loose surface rock, fallen timber, decomposing logs, standing-tree bark and deep leaf litter. A dense tree canopy helps maintain a sparse grass and herb layer and shaded, humid shelter sites. Deep litter greater than 5 cm is specifically targeted during NSW surveys.

  • Retain rocks and slabs in their natural positions.
  • Retain fallen timber, decomposing logs and standing trees with loose bark.
  • Maintain connected canopy and leaf litter around rocky features.
  • Avoid disturbing shaded ground refuges during site preparation and construction.

Habitat: Elevation and climate

The species has been recorded from about 500 to 1300 m elevation, with most NSW records described between 500 and 1100 m. The range experiences cold winters and hot summers, and rock crevices and fissures are thought to buffer temperature and humidity extremes.

  • Do not exclude suitable habitat solely because it is not granite or because it occurs on a lower slope or flat.
  • Avoid relying on cool or dry weather surveys, when geckos may be inactive and less detectable.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding sites

The Border Thick-tailed Gecko is an insectivore that hunts at night around the same rocky, littered and timber-rich features it uses for shelter. Its food is associated with ground and shelter-site invertebrate activity rather than particular plant species.

The documented diet consists primarily of insects and spiders. Observations indicate that the gecko forages in or near its hiding place, including among dry leaf litter and around rocks and fallen logs. It may rustle through litter at night while searching for prey.

Documented prey: Insects and spiders.

Feeding period: Mainly at night, with greatest activity on warm, humid nights.

  • Retain leaf litter, fallen timber, loose rocks and shaded ground that support nocturnal invertebrate prey.
  • Avoid clearing or compacting the edges of rocky outcrops and log piles, where feeding and sheltering habitats overlap.
  • Do not assume that cleared gaps are unused simply because no geckos are visible during the day.

Foraging habitat: Foraging range

The supplied sources do not provide a measured home range or nightly foraging distance. The species is generally observed close to shelter features, so habitat assessment should include the surrounding litter, rocks, logs and shaded woodland rather than isolated shelter objects alone.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding information is limited, but the available observations indicate that females lay eggs in moist, protected sites associated with their daytime shelters. Retaining shaded refuges and undisturbed moist substrate is therefore important during construction planning.

The first captive clutch of the season was laid in November or early December, suggesting mating in mid spring. A gravid female was recorded in the field in December. Females have produced two clutches in one season in captivity, but the supplied sources do not establish the usual clutch frequency in wild populations.

Mating: Inferred to occur in mid spring from the timing of the first captive clutch.

Laying season: November to early December in the cited captive observations; a gravid wild female was recorded in December.

Clutch size: Two eggs per clutch in the cited captive observations.

Egg size and mass: About 23 by 11.5 mm and 1.5 to 2 g per egg in the cited captive observations.

Incubation: About 59 to 73 days at 27 to 29°C in captivity.

Hatching size: About 35 to 39 mm snout to vent length and 1.2 to 1.7 g in captivity.

Age at maturity: Not established in the supplied field sources. Captive offspring were expected to reach sexual maturity at about 30 months in the related husbandry observations.

Lifespan: No lifespan estimate is provided in the supplied sources.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

In captivity, females deposited eggs beneath a cover over permanently moist sand and covered the clutch with substrate. In the wild, shelter sites under shaded rocks, logs and deep litter may provide the stable, humid conditions needed for egg laying, but the supplied sources do not identify a specific natural nest dimension or nest type.

  • Retain shaded rocks, decomposing logs, deep litter and moist substrate during the November to December laying period.
  • Avoid lifting or relocating rocks and logs to search for eggs or adults. NSW survey guidance advises against habitat searches because they can damage shelter sites.
  • Protect suitable habitat from drying, repeated fire and soil disturbance around retained shelter features.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter types

Shelter is a defining habitat requirement for this gecko. It uses shaded, humid spaces beneath or within natural ground and timber features, many of which are removed during clearing or firewood collection.

Day refuges include spaces under rock slabs, beneath loose rocks, under logs, inside decomposing logs and under bark on standing trees. Deep crevices and fissures in rock outcrops may provide protection from extreme heat and cold. Older animals may prefer deeper shelters than young individuals.

  • Retain bushrock, boulders, slabs and loose surface rock in place.
  • Retain fallen timber, decomposing logs and standing trees with suitable bark.
  • Maintain deep leaf litter and shaded ground around shelter features.
  • Do not fill crevices, grade rocky ground or stockpile soil and materials over potential refuges.

Sheltering habitat: Moisture and cover

Shelters are associated with shade, permanent or sustained moisture and leaf litter. The supplied sources describe thin white mycorrhizal fungal filaments beneath shaded rocks and logs, where the substrate remains moist. Canopy cover of at least 50 percent was reported as a prerequisite in field observations cited by the husbandry account.

  • Avoid removing canopy over retained rocky and timber shelter sites.
  • Prevent drainage changes, sediment burial and compaction that alter moisture beneath rocks and logs.
  • Treat old, moist decomposing logs as potential drought refuges, not as waste timber.

Sheltering habitat: Communal shelter

Communal use has been reported under granite slabs, with up to 13 geckos recorded beneath one slab in observations of thick-tailed geckos. Winter aggregations and communal egg laying have also been reported for eastern populations, although the supplied sources do not confirm the frequency of these behaviours for every Border Thick-tailed Gecko population.

Largest reported group under one granite slab: Up to 13 geckos.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main risks are loss and fragmentation of rocky woodland, removal of shelter features, frequent fire and changes to ground cover. Low detectability means that absence during a short survey should not be treated as proof that a site is unused.

Clearing for agriculture, development, roads, reservoirs and infrastructure can remove rocky outcrops, fallen timber, canopy and deep litter. More fertile basalt and metasediment sites may be especially important because they are more likely to have been cleared and may remain vulnerable to further development.

  • Avoid clearing rocky dry open forest and woodland, including habitat surrounding mapped outcrops and retained rocks.
  • Keep construction compounds, access tracks, spoil placement and laydown areas away from rocky, littered and timber-rich habitat.
  • Retain connectivity between habitat remnants where practicable because known sites are fragmented and often separated by more than 2 km.
  • Include direct, indirect and prescribed impacts on the species and its habitat in the relevant assessment.

Threats: Fire and ground disturbance

Frequent burning can remove leaf litter, logs and understorey structure and disrupt life-cycle processes. Firewood collection and bushrock removal directly reduce shelter availability. Grazing and trampling by domestic stock and feral goats can also damage rocky ground, litter and refuges.

  • Protect potential habitat from frequent fire and avoid burning retained habitat during site works.
  • Do not remove bushrock, loose surface rock or fallen timber for landscaping, access or firewood.
  • Control stock and feral goat access where trampling is damaging shelter sites and litter.

Threats: Predators, weeds and fragmentation

Foxes and feral cats are documented predators. Invasive perennial grasses, particularly Coolatai Grass, can form dense stands and alter the structure and quality of rocky woodland. Fragmentation reduces the area of suitable habitat and may isolate the species' already localised occurrences.

  • Manage foxes and feral cats in accordance with approved site and regional programs.
  • Prevent the introduction and spread of Coolatai Grass and garden escapees through hygiene, weed control and rehabilitation practices.
  • Use retained vegetation and rocky habitat buffers to reduce the effect of isolated clearing areas.

Threats: Survey and compliance risks

The species is difficult to detect and is usually encountered at low frequency. NSW guidance recommends four spotlight surveys of 120 person-minutes per 50 ha of suitable habitat between November and March, under warm and humid conditions. Searches that lift rocks or logs are not recommended because they can damage shelter sites.

NSW spotlight effort: 120 person-minutes per 50 ha of suitable habitat for each survey.

NSW survey replicates: Four spotlight surveys.

NSW survey period: November to March.

Minimum survey conditions specified: At least 16°C and at least 60 percent humidity.

  • Use an appropriately skilled threatened reptile surveyor and follow the applicable NSW or Commonwealth survey requirements.
  • Do not conduct the targeted spotlight survey in cold conditions below 16°C or dry conditions below 60 percent humidity, when the species is likely to be inactive.
  • Map the species polygon to the full extent of suitable habitat on the subject land where the species is detected or considered likely to be present.

Survey methodology: 1. Spotlighting

Survey for Border Thick-tailed Geckos in suitable rocky woodland and forest habitat, especially where rocky outcrops, loose surface rock, fallen timber and deep leaf litter are present. Use warm, humid night conditions because the species is difficult to detect when cold or dry.

Conduct spotlight surveys from November to March, using a headlamp to search for active geckos in suitable habitat.

Survey at least 120 person-minutes per 50 hectares of suitable habitat for each survey replicate, with 4 replicates.

Target rocky outcrops and areas with loose surface rock, fallen logs or deep leaf litter greater than 5 cm.

Do not survey when the temperature is below 16°C or relative humidity is below 60%. The species is most active on warm, humid nights with good insect activity.

Do not turn rocks, move logs or undertake other habitat searches for this species, because these actions can damage rock shelters and other habitat features.

Survey period: November to March

Effort: 120 person-minutes per 50 hectares of suitable habitat

Replicates: 4

Conditions: Above 16°C and above 60% relative humidity

Detection method: Night spotlighting with a headlamp

Survey methodology: 2. Define suitable habitat and the survey area

Map all suitable habitat on the subject land, including rocky outcrops, stony hills, loose surface rock, fallen timber, deep leaf litter and shaded woodland or open forest.

Include habitat on granite, basalt and metasediment substrates where the structure and shelter features are suitable.

Give particular attention to sites with a dense tree canopy, sparse ground cover and abundant litter. The species has been associated with canopy cover of at least 50% in parts of its range.

Extend the species polygon across the full extent of suitable habitat on the subject land when the species is detected or is likely to use the site.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Plan the survey before clearing, construction or ground disturbance, and allow for the four required survey replicates during November to March.
  • Record the survey date, start and finish times, personnel, person-minutes, temperature, relative humidity, weather, habitat searched and all detections or non-detections.
  • Record the location of every animal and map the full extent of suitable habitat and the species polygon where required under the NSW Biodiversity Assessment Method.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database, including the NSW Wildlife Atlas where the work is in New South Wales.
  • Use a surveyor with demonstrated reptile ecology, habitat-use and identification skills, and document relevant qualifications, licences and recent survey experience in the project report.
  • Obtain required licences and ethics approvals, and apply disease management protocols during fieldwork.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Avoid and minimise impacts

Treat rocky woodland and forest remnants as potential habitat wherever they contain shelter features used by the species. Avoid removing the rocks, logs, bark, litter and canopy structure that provide daytime shelter and thermal refuge.

  • Retain rocky outcrops, stony slopes, loose surface rock, fallen logs, standing trees with loose bark and deep leaf litter in their natural settings.
  • Avoid clearing undisturbed rocky dry open forest and woodland, particularly habitat with a dense canopy and sparse understorey.
  • Retain connected habitat patches and avoid creating isolated remnants, because known populations are fragmented and many recorded sites are separated by more than 2 kilometres.
  • Do not remove bushrock for landscaping, access tracks or construction materials.
  • Avoid removing fallen timber for firewood or site tidying.
  • Keep stock, feral goats and construction traffic out of retained habitat where trampling could damage shelter sites.
  • Avoid frequent fire in retained habitat and include fire controls in the construction environmental management plan.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Approvals and work planning

National status: EPBC Act Vulnerable

NSW status: Vulnerable

Survey period: November to March

  • Check whether the proposed action may affect the species or its habitat under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, because the species is listed as Vulnerable nationally.
  • Obtain any required state approvals, licences and fauna handling authorities before works begin, and apply NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act requirements where the project is in New South Wales.
  • Use Commonwealth threatened reptile survey guidance where EPBC Act assessment is required, and use the NSW Biodiversity Assessment Method survey guide for NSW assessments.
  • Schedule pre-clearance surveys and, where practicable, the most disruptive works outside the November to March survey period, while recognising that occupied shelter sites can be used throughout the year.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat and escape routes remain available until disturbed areas have been checked and cleared.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan covering survey results, habitat retention, fauna handling, stop-work triggers, injured-animal response, records and reporting.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance site preparation

  • Complete the targeted spotlight survey before disturbance in suitable habitat.
  • Mark retained rocky outcrops, logs, standing trees with loose bark, deep litter areas and habitat corridors on construction plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can keep machinery, vehicles, stock and people out of retained habitat without blocking safe movement between retained patches.
  • Brief machinery operators and fauna spotter catchers on the species' appearance, shelter features, no-go areas and stop-work procedure.
  • Inspect access tracks, work pads, stockpile areas and service corridors for suitable habitat before they are used.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Daily site controls

Use a fauna spotter catcher to control the sequence of clearing and to inspect habitat features before they are disturbed. The Border Thick-tailed Gecko is small, nocturnal and shelter dependent, so daytime machinery operations can destroy animals or their refuges without a sighting.

  • Conduct a daily pre-start briefing covering the approved disturbance footprint, retained habitat, weather, access routes and fauna procedures.
  • Keep machinery within the approved footprint and prevent entry into marked rocky outcrops, retained logs, deep litter and other exclusion areas.
  • Have the fauna spotter catcher inspect the work area before machinery starts and remain able to direct the operator during clearing.
  • Stop work during conditions or events that create an uncontrolled risk to retained habitat, including fire, sediment movement into retained habitat or machinery entering a no-go area.
  • Prevent workers from moving rocks, logs or bark unless this is authorised in the fauna management plan and supervised by the fauna spotter catcher.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Clearing sequence and habitat features

  • Clear progressively and slowly from the edge of the approved footprint towards retained habitat so animals have an opportunity to move into suitable retained areas.
  • Inspect rocky ground, loose surface rocks, fallen logs, decomposing logs, standing tree bark and deep leaf litter before they are removed or disturbed.
  • Retain habitat features in place wherever practicable rather than relocating them, because the species relies on shaded shelter sites and local thermal and moisture conditions.
  • If a log, rock or other shelter feature must be moved, have the fauna spotter catcher inspect it first and place it in nearby retained habitat with similar shade, cover and substrate conditions where authorised.
  • Do not use habitat searches that unnecessarily turn rocks or damage shelter sites.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Animal encounters and stop-work response

  • Stop the immediate activity and establish an exclusion area if a Border Thick-tailed Gecko is found in the work area or in a feature about to be disturbed.
  • Allow the animal to move into nearby retained habitat where it can do so safely and without handling.
  • If handling is necessary, use only an appropriately authorised fauna handler and follow the approved fauna management plan, licence conditions and animal welfare procedures.
  • Relocate an animal only to nearby retained habitat with suitable rocks, logs, shade and leaf litter, and record the release location.
  • Place an injured animal in a secure, temperature-suitable container and transfer it promptly to a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer.
  • Do not resume work until the fauna spotter catcher has inspected the immediate area and the site supervisor has confirmed that the stop-work condition is resolved.
  • Treat any detection, injury, death, repeated shelter disturbance or clearing outside the approved footprint as a reportable incident under the project management plan.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Records and communication

  • Record the date, time, location, activity, habitat feature, animal condition, action taken, handler, release or treatment location and photographs where appropriate.
  • Maintain daily fauna logs and map all retained habitat, exclusion areas, animal encounters and relocated individuals.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and relevant approval authority of incidents in accordance with approval conditions and the fauna management plan.
  • Submit confirmed records to the relevant state wildlife database, including the NSW Wildlife Atlas for NSW projects.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance checks

Confirm that clearing has not extended beyond the approved footprint and that retained habitat remains usable. Continue controls until disturbed areas are stable and the project environmental officer has closed out the fauna requirements.

  • Complete a final inspection of the cleared footprint, retained habitat edges, access routes and stockpile areas for surviving or injured geckos and damaged shelter features.
  • Check that retained rocks, logs, bark, leaf litter and canopy areas identified before clearing remain in place and have not been buried, compacted or isolated.
  • Remove temporary exclusion fencing only when machinery and construction activities no longer threaten retained habitat, unless the fauna management plan requires it to remain.
  • Repair any unauthorised disturbance to retained habitat and record the corrective action.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained habitat and any relocation sites using the approved survey design, with spotlighting during November to March when survey conditions are suitable.
  • Use the same mapped locations and effort across monitoring events so changes in detections and habitat condition can be compared.
  • Report all detections, injuries, deaths, relocations, habitat damage, fire events, weed infestations and predator control actions to the project environmental officer.
  • Update the state wildlife database with verified records and retain survey data, photographs, maps and fauna handling records with the project file.
  • Maintain weed, predator, fire and access controls for the period specified in approvals and the fauna management plan.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Residual impacts

  • Assess whether clearing, fragmentation, fire, bushrock removal, fallen timber removal, weeds or predation have caused residual impacts on the species or its habitat.
  • Apply any required offsets, restoration commitments or additional management measures under the EPBC Act approval, state approval or biodiversity assessment.
  • Do not treat a lack of detections during post-clearance checks as proof that the species is absent, because the species has low detectability and occurs at low densities.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate the shaded, rocky and litter-rich conditions used by the Border Thick-tailed Gecko. Focus on shelter, canopy development, connectivity, weed control and protection from frequent fire rather than on bare ground revegetation alone.

  • Revegetate cleared areas with locally appropriate native woodland or open-forest species that will develop a dense canopy and a sparse understorey suitable for deep litter accumulation.
  • Retain and progressively reinstate deep leaf litter, fallen timber and decomposing logs in shaded locations.
  • Reinstate locally sourced rocks and rock slabs only where this is authorised and where they can be placed securely in natural-looking, shaded shelter sites.
  • Maintain connected links between retained rocky habitat patches and avoid fencing, tracks or stock access that prevent movement between them.
  • Do not import rocks, timber or soil that could introduce weeds, pathogens or unsuitable material to retained habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Manage threats

  • Control Coolatai Grass and other invasive grasses and garden escapees before they form dense stands that alter ground cover and habitat quality.
  • Control foxes, feral cats and feral goats in accordance with approved pest management programs.
  • Prevent stock access and trampling in restored habitat until the ground layer, litter and shelter features are established.
  • Protect restored and retained habitat from frequent fire and manage fire frequency so that vegetation structure, logs and litter are not repeatedly removed.
  • Limit firewood collection and unauthorised bushrock removal in restored habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Monitor restoration success

Target survey conditions: Above 16°C and above 60% relative humidity

Monitoring period: November to March

Survey effort where the NSW method applies: 120 person-minutes per 50 hectares, 4 replicates

  • Set measurable completion targets for native canopy establishment, retention of rocks and logs, litter depth, weed cover, predator and goat control, fire management and connectivity between habitat patches.
  • Inspect restored areas after major works, heavy rain, fire and weed-control activities to check that shelter features remain stable and usable.
  • Use spotlight surveys from November to March, under temperatures above 16°C and relative humidity above 60%, to monitor gecko use of restored habitat.
  • Apply the survey effort of 120 person-minutes per 50 hectares for each replicate, with 4 replicates, where the monitoring program is intended to assess presence or absence under the NSW survey guide.
  • Continue monitoring until the project environmental officer and approval authority accept that the restoration targets and management commitments have been met.

Sources