Fauna Spotters logo

Burrowing Bettong (Bettongia lesueur)

The burrowing bettong is a small, nocturnal, omnivorous macropod that lives communally in underground burrow systems. It now occurs naturally on offshore islands of Western Australia, with established reintroduced populations in predator-proof reserves in Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales. It is listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act, so clearing, earthworks and access near warrens require careful assessment and controls.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

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

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Conservation dependent.

Breeding season

The species breeds in all months, but rainfall affects recruitment and the timing of peak breeding. The seasonal pattern below combines the documented Shark Bay and Barrow Island patterns. Local rainfall and the source population should be checked before applying it to a project.

Months are January to December. A value of 2 indicates a typical peak or continuous period of occurrence in the relevant row, not a guarantee that every population follows the same pattern.

  • Breeding: Mating and births can occur throughout the year. Shark Bay breeding commences after major rainfall and peaks during wetter winter conditions, while Barrow Island breeding has been reported to peak in summer after cyclonic rain.
  • Young: Pouch young and recently weaned young may be present in any month. Young remain in the pouch for about 113 to 120 days and are weaned 3 to 10 weeks later.
  • Movement and foraging: Adults shelter by day and forage after sunset throughout the year. Night-time movements can extend from about 60 m to 2.2 km2, with one 5 km movement recorded on Barrow Island.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is present in every month because occupied warrens, pouch young and dependent young may occur year-round. Risk is highest locally after rainfall-driven breeding peaks and wherever clearing can collapse or isolate a communal warren.

Identification

The burrowing bettong is a compact, thickset rat-kangaroo with a broad, lightly haired tail and short, rounded ears. It is most likely to be detected by its warrens, tracks and nocturnal activity rather than by daytime sightings.

Adults have yellow-grey to grey fur above and pale grey fur below. The legs, feet and tail can be yellowish, and some animals have a white-tipped tail or a pale stripe along the hip. The head is short and blunt, the ears are short, rounded and erect, and the tail is thick. Movement is by bipedal hopping, although the animal can crawl or climb using its small forelimbs.

Identification: Size and sex

Shark Bay animals are larger than the Barrow and Boodie Islands animals. Barrow Island males average about 759 g and females about 735 g. Sexual dimorphism has not been detected in the Shark Bay subspecies, but males are heavier than females in the Barrow Island population.

Shark Bay size: Head and body about 36 cm; tail about 28.5 to 30 cm; average weight about 1.3 to 1.5 kg.

Barrow Island size: Head and body about 28 cm; tail about 20.7 to 21.5 cm; average weight about 750 g in the demographic study.

Identification: Field signs and confirmation

Look for active warrens with freshly moved soil, footprints, scats and recently used entrances. Warrens range from simple tunnels to extensive systems with four to 91 entrances, deep interconnected passages and vegetation nests. A single warren can be used by several animals, so one warren does not indicate one individual.

Tracks can be difficult to separate from those of other small macropods, particularly for juveniles. Confirm suspected records with direct observation, camera monitoring or trapping by suitably authorised personnel. The species is not generally identifiable from hair samples under the national survey guidance.

Boodies are vocal and may produce grunts, hisses and squeals. At night, look for a low, thick-tailed macropod moving away from a warren or feeding area. Eye shine alone is not diagnostic.

  • Record each warren entrance, fresh soil, tracks, scats, nests and camera detection with a GPS location.
  • Do not enter, block or collapse a warren during inspection.
  • Use trapping or spotlighting only under an approved survey method and animal ethics and wildlife authority requirements.

Distribution: Current and former range

The burrowing bettong formerly occupied much of arid and semi-arid mainland Australia. The mainland subspecies is extinct, and the extant subspecies now persist mainly on Western Australian islands and in fenced conservation reserves established through translocation.

Natural remnant populations occur on Bernier Island and Dorre Island in Shark Bay, and on Barrow Island off the Pilbara coast. The Barrow Island subspecies was reintroduced to nearby Boodie Island and introduced to Alpha Island.

Established translocated populations occur at Faure Island, Arid Recovery and Yookamurra Wildlife Sanctuary in South Australia, Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary in New South Wales, Matuwa-Kurrara Kurrara Indigenous Protected Area in Western Australia, and Alpha Island and Boodie Island in Western Australia. Heirisson Prong and Dryandra are no longer extant as free-ranging populations.

Historically, the species occurred across most of Western Australia, much of South Australia, south-western Northern Territory, western New South Wales, north-western Victoria and south-western Queensland. Its former range included arid and semi-arid inland areas, coastal dunes and a wide variety of open vegetation communities.

  • Treat mapped or historical records as an indication of potential habitat, not as a substitute for a site inspection.
  • The documents do not provide formal bioregion names for the current sites, so the range is described by region, state and habitat setting.

Distribution: Strongholds and numbers

Bernier Island and Dorre Island are the remnant Shark Bay strongholds. Barrow Island is the remnant stronghold for the Barrow Island subspecies. Population numbers fluctuate with rainfall, drought, food supply, predator control and the carrying capacity of fenced reserves.

Bernier Island: Estimated 2,869 animals, with confidence limits of 1,931 to 4,960.

Dorre Island: Estimated 5,559 animals, with confidence limits of 3,904 to 8,679.

Barrow Island: About 3,000 animals in the conservation advice, with earlier estimates of about 3,400.

Faure Island: About 15,000 Shark Bay animals.

Arid Recovery: 126 animals in 2021, after known fluctuations between about 80 and 6,000 and a peak of about 8,000 in 2016.

All listed subpopulations: About 28,224 animals at the time of the 2023 conservation advice, noting substantial fluctuations.

Habitat: Habitat types

Burrowing bettongs occupy arid and semi-arid open habitats where the soil or rock can be excavated into a warren. A suitable digging substrate and access to varied vegetation are more important than one particular plant community.

Recorded habitats include spinifex, low heath, shrubland, saltbush scrub, sandhills, desert, limestone karst, grassy or herbaceous loam flats, mulga, ironwood parks and sand ridges. The species has occurred in coastal dunes, sandplains, claypans and open scrub.

On Bernier and Dorre Islands, animals use spinifex, low heath, shrub and coastal dune habitats. On Barrow Island they occur across most habitat types, but are concentrated where warren construction is possible and generally avoid rocky areas.

Habitat: Structural requirements

Suitable friable substrate is the main structural requirement. Warrens may be dug into sand dunes, sandplains, red earth, calcrete, friable limestone, gypseous rock or other soils that allow tunnels to be maintained. Warrens are often near a mixture of vegetation types, providing food and cover.

The species generally uses open areas with reduced ground cover for movement, but forages in areas with higher vegetation. Well-drained ground is preferred for many warrens, particularly on Barrow Island.

Climate setting: Arid and semi-arid Australia, with population size and reproduction often linked to rainfall.

Unsuitable settings noted: Heavy clays and ranges are generally unsuitable for warren construction.

Elevation: No specific elevation limit is given in the supplied documents.

  • Map sandy, friable, calcareous and calcrete soils before clearing or trenching.
  • Inspect dune toes, sandplains, low heath, spinifex margins and well-drained rises for warrens and fresh digging.
  • Retain links between warrens, feeding areas and nearby vegetation wherever practicable.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding method

Burrowing bettongs forage mostly alone after sunset and locate food largely by smell. They are opportunistic generalists and can use a broad range of open habitats, provided food and suitable shelter are available nearby.

Food includes fungi, invertebrates, herbage, bulbs, tubers, fruit, seeds, nuts, flowers, termites, carrion and succulent plant material. Individuals dig for below-ground food and may eat vegetation regenerating after fire, including young foliage. In dry periods they may eat bark and roots to obtain moisture.

The species has been recorded digging into turtle nests on islands and scavenging carcasses. Diet varies with season and food availability. Winter foods recorded for the Shark Bay subspecies include hypogeal fungi, fruit and forbs, while summer foods include seeds, stems and shrub foliage.

Foraging habitat: Foraging area

Animals travel farther at night than during the day. Individual ranges recorded on Bernier and Dorre Islands were about 60 m to 2.2 km2, while one Barrow Island animal travelled 5 km. Males generally move between more warrens and have larger ranges than females.

Typical recorded movement range: About 60 m to 2.2 km2 on Bernier and Dorre Islands.

Maximum movement record cited: One Barrow Island animal travelled 5 km.

  • Search for diggings, disturbed litter and small holes around warrens, dunes, tracks and areas of mixed vegetation.
  • Avoid assuming that a bare or sparsely vegetated area is unused habitat, because open ground can be part of the night-time foraging area.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding can occur in warrens throughout the year, with reproductive activity and recruitment responding to rainfall. Warrens provide the protected daytime setting for females, young and social groups.

Females produce one young at a time. The young remains in the pouch for about 113 to 120 days, or approximately 16 to 17 weeks, and is weaned about 3 to 10 weeks later. Embryonic diapause allows a further embryo to remain dormant while the female is lactating.

Breeding is continuous on Barrow Island, including during dry conditions, although reproduction and body weight can decline during drought. On Bernier and Dorre Islands, breeding is linked to rainfall and peaks when rainfall is highest through winter. Barrow Island breeding has been reported to peak in summer in association with cyclonic rain.

Breeding season: Throughout the year, with rainfall-related peaks that differ between populations.

Litter size: One young.

Oestrous cycle: 23 days.

Gestation: 21 days.

Pouch period: About 113 to 120 days, or 16 to 17 weeks.

Weaning: About 3 to 10 weeks after leaving the pouch; 23 to 74 days is reported for the Barrow Island subspecies.

Sexual maturity: About 5 months of age, shortly after weaning.

Potential annual production: Up to three young per year under favourable conditions.

Estimated generation length: 5 years.

Recorded lifespan: Up to 11 years.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding groups use communal warrens with nest material and several interconnected passages. Females often remain in the maternal warren with female offspring, and a larger warren may hold up to 40 individuals. No separate breeding microhabitat has been identified beyond suitable warren habitat.

  • Treat occupied warrens and nearby vegetation as breeding habitat at all times of year.
  • Plan clearing, blasting, trenching and vehicle movements to avoid active entrances and vibration or collapse of connected tunnels.
  • If a warren cannot be retained, obtain species-specific advice before works and use an authorised fauna handling and relocation plan.

Sheltering habitat: Warren structure

Warrens are the defining shelter feature of the species. They provide daytime refuge, thermal buffering, nests and communal living space, and may continue well beyond the visible entrances.

Warrens range from a single tunnel to complex systems with many entrances and deep, interconnected pathways. Recorded systems have had four to 91 entrances, and some can extend across several hectares. Vegetation nests are constructed within the tunnels.

At Arid Recovery, animals preferentially used burrows in sand dunes but also used calcrete burrows in stony swales. On Barrow Island, warrens are commonly in well-drained areas and may occur under limestone caprock or in sandy substrates.

Entrances: Recorded warrens may have four to 91 entrances.

Area: Some warren systems can span several hectares.

Communal use: Up to 20 to 40 individuals have been recorded using a warren system.

  • Inspect beyond the first visible entrance because connected tunnels may extend through the proposed work area.
  • Mark all entrances, fresh spoil, tracks and nearby feeding signs before plant access.
  • Keep heavy vehicles, stockpiles, trench lines and spoil piles away from warren entrances and likely tunnel alignments.

Sheltering habitat: Other species using warrens

Boodie warrens provide refuge for other vertebrates and invertebrates. Fourteen other species were recorded using warrens at one translocated site, and species such as chuditches, bilbies and brushtail possums have been reported sheltering in boodie warrens.

  • Record other fauna using warrens during pre-clearance inspections.
  • Do not fill or fumigate a warren without advice covering the burrowing bettong and other species that may be present.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main historical cause of decline was predation by introduced foxes and feral cats, combined with habitat change, introduced competitors and altered fire regimes. On current island and fenced populations, direct disturbance, invasive species, fire and drought remain important project risks.

Clearing can remove warrens, collapse tunnels, reduce feeding habitat and sever movement between warrens. On Barrow Island, oilfield activities, gravel extraction and road construction are identified threats. The species has strong site fidelity and low dispersal, so local loss of a warren may not be readily replaced.

Roads and tracks can increase access for predators and can fragment the area between warrens and feeding sites. Construction lighting and night traffic can also disturb nocturnal movements, although a species-specific lighting threshold is not provided in the documents.

  • Complete a targeted warren and habitat inspection before clearing, grading, drilling, trenching or road construction.
  • Establish no-go buffers around active warrens and retain connected foraging vegetation where practicable.
  • Use fauna spotter catchers experienced with burrowing mammals, and stop work if fresh entrances, animals or dependent young are found.
  • Keep excavations, pipes, trenches and pits covered or ramped overnight so animals cannot enter and become trapped.
  • Control access and waste that could attract feral cats, foxes or other predators.

Threats: Predators and competitors

Foxes and feral cats were the major predators associated with the mainland extinction. Feral cats killed all animals released during one attempted Gibson Desert reintroduction. Rabbits and other introduced herbivores can compete for food and shelter, while grazing can degrade vegetation.

Bettongs are inquisitive and can be predator-naive, making them vulnerable when outside predator-proof reserves. Feral predator control and effective fence maintenance are therefore important around reintroduced populations.

  • Maintain approved feral cat and fox controls around work areas near occupied or reintroduced populations.
  • Do not leave food, carcasses or unsecured waste that could attract predators.
  • Inspect temporary fencing for gaps that could allow cats or foxes into predator-proof areas.

Threats: Fire, drought and ecological change

Changed fire regimes can reduce biodiversity and alter the vegetation and food resources used by bettongs. Fire can also cause direct loss of warrens and shelter vegetation. Drought reduces body weight and reproduction and can cause large population declines.

In fenced reserves, very high numbers can cause over-browsing and reduce shrub cover, affecting other fauna and vegetation recovery. Management must therefore avoid both uncontrolled predation and unsustainable overabundance.

  • Avoid high-intensity or broad-scale fire near occupied warrens unless it is part of an approved ecological fire plan.
  • Protect warrens from direct machinery disturbance during post-fire inspections and rehabilitation.
  • Coordinate revegetation, predator control and population management around the carrying capacity of the site.

Threats: Disease and other threats

Disease and climate change are identified as potential threats. Quarantine and hygiene protocols are recommended for translocations and management of separate subpopulations. No specific disease, hydrology threshold or water-dependent habitat requirement is provided in the supplied documents.

  • Use clean equipment and avoid transferring soil, plant material or animals between populations without approved hygiene and quarantine procedures.
  • Treat major drainage, dewatering or altered runoff as a potential habitat change where it could dry, flood or erode warrens, and obtain site-specific ecological advice before works.

Survey methodology: 1. Daytime searches for warrens and signs

Burrowing Bettongs are nocturnal, communal macropods that shelter in burrows and extensive warrens during the day. Surveys should target active warrens, nocturnal movement and feeding areas, with additional trapping or spotlighting used to confirm records where signs are inconclusive.

Search all suitable areas during daylight before works begin, with particular attention to sand dunes, sandplains, coastal dunes, low heath, spinifex, scrub, saltbush, limestone or calcrete areas and other well drained substrates suitable for digging.

Map warrens, burrow entrances, fresh excavated soil, tracks, scats, feeding diggings, nests and vegetation disturbance.

An active burrow may have fresh soil, footprints or scats. Large warren systems can contain multiple entrances, interconnected passages and communal shelter sites.

The presence of a warren is strong evidence of potential habitat, but confirm species identity where other burrowing mammals occur in the project area.

Shelter period: Daylight hours

Warren structure: Simple tunnels to extensive systems with multiple entrances and interconnected passages

Typical movement records: 60 m to 2.2 km on Bernier and Dorre Islands; one Barrow Island individual moved 5 km

  • Walk all proposed clearing, access and stockpile areas, including a suitable surrounding search area where warrens or movement corridors could be affected.
  • Mark each warren or active burrow with a location, photograph, activity status and an exclusion area before machinery enters the site.

Survey methodology: 2. Spotlighting

Spotlight after sunset when Bettongs emerge to forage and before sunrise when they return to their warrens.

Use spotlighting along access tracks, habitat edges, sandier ground, known movement routes, warren entrances and areas with fresh feeding disturbance.

Record the start and finish time, route, weather, moon conditions, observers, effort, animal locations and behaviour.

Use care when approaching animals or warrens. Bettongs are inquisitive and may be vulnerable to predators if flushed into exposed areas.

Activity period: After sunset to before sunrise

Foraging behaviour: Usually solitary foraging, despite communal use of warrens

Detection note: Animals may travel between several warrens within their home range

  • Conduct repeated nocturnal searches where the initial search is affected by rain, strong wind, heat, dust, poor visibility or other conditions that reduce detection.
  • Use thermal or night vision equipment where available, but confirm records using clear photographs, direct identification or an authorised capture method.

Survey methodology: 3. Trapping and confirmation

Use trapping only under the relevant animal ethics, wildlife and project approvals, and only with suitably trained personnel.

Place traps near active warren entrances or along confirmed movement routes where trapping is needed to confirm identity or assess occupancy.

Follow the Australian Government threatened mammal survey guidelines and the approved project method for trap type, bait, checking, weather limits, hygiene and release.

Do not trap during conditions that could expose animals to heat stress, cold, rain, flooding, predation or prolonged confinement.

Guideline survey framework: Stratified one hectare survey sites within a subject area of up to 5 hectares, with effort adjusted for larger areas

Capture confirmation: Traps may be set near burrow entrances when signs require confirmation

Hair identification: Hair sampling is not listed as a reliable identification method for either Burrowing Bettong subspecies

  • Use the one hectare survey site framework in the survey guidelines as a planning basis, and adjust the number and arrangement of sites for the size and habitat variation of the project area.
  • Record every trap location, trap night, checking time, species captured, animal condition, sex, age class, identification method, release location and any non target capture.
  • Use quarantine and hygiene procedures between sites to reduce disease and pathogen transfer.

Survey methodology: 4. Conditions, coverage and detection limits

Survey effort should cover every habitat type and substrate that could support warrens, not only areas where animals are seen.

Rainfall can affect breeding and abundance. Population size may fluctuate substantially between wet and dry periods, so a negative survey result should be interpreted with rainfall, recent drought and habitat condition in mind.

The species can occur at low density in suitable areas, and warrens can be extensive. Absence of animals during one spotlighting session does not by itself demonstrate absence from an active warren.

Rainfall relationship: Breeding and abundance are positively associated with rainfall

Known population pattern: Subpopulations may show boom and bust fluctuations

Key habitat feature: Substrate suitable for constructing warrens

  • Repeat surveys when access conditions, visibility or weather have reduced detection, and explain any limitations in the survey report.
  • Use recent rainfall, fire history, predator control status and local population information when deciding whether further survey effort is needed.
  • Where a project affects an occupied island, fenced reserve or known translocation site, consult the land manager and species recovery personnel before finalising the survey design.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use the threatened mammal survey guidelines, the relevant state survey requirements and the project risk assessment to set final effort; the supplied documents do not provide a single species specific minimum number of spotlighting nights or trap nights.
  • Survey both the proposed disturbance footprint and connected retained habitat that could support warrens or nocturnal movement.
  • Submit confirmed records, negative survey results where required, warren locations and survey metadata to the relevant state wildlife database.
  • Report the scientific name, subspecies where known, location, date, time, survey method, effort, habitat, photographs, signs, weather and observer details.
  • Provide survey results to the approval holder, land manager and relevant government agency before clearing starts.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat occupied warrens, suitable digging substrate and connected foraging habitat as potential habitat until survey evidence shows otherwise. The species is nationally listed as Vulnerable, with additional state listings in South Australia and Western Australia.

Key habitat requirement: Substrate that allows construction of burrows and warrens

Habitats recorded: Spinifex, claypan, low heath, scrub, saltbush scrub, sandhills, desert, limestone karst, loam flats, mulga, ironwood parks and sand ridges

Unsuitable settings noted: Heavy clays and ranges

  • Redesign the footprint to retain active warrens, warren complexes, sand dunes, well drained digging substrates, spinifex, heath, scrub and connected nocturnal foraging areas.
  • Keep machinery, laydown areas, access tracks, drainage works and spoil outside mapped warren systems and their agreed protection areas.
  • Maintain connectivity between retained habitat patches and avoid creating isolated pockets surrounded by roads, hardstand or cleared ground.
  • Prevent disturbance to all currently occupied habitats on islands and within predator proof fenced reserves, as these areas are considered critical to survival.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and planning

EPBC status: Vulnerable

South Australia: Endangered at species level

Western Australia: Conservation Dependent

  • Check whether the action may significantly impact the EPBC Act listed taxon and obtain environmental advice on whether an EPBC referral is required.
  • Check South Australian and Western Australian wildlife legislation, permit requirements and any local approval conditions before survey, trapping, handling, relocation or clearing.
  • Confirm whether the project affects the Shark Bay, Barrow and Boodie Islands, or a translocated population, and consult the responsible land manager.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey methods, qualified personnel, exclusion areas, capture and release procedures, veterinary arrangements, stop work triggers and reporting requirements.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation and timing

Breeding: Occurs throughout the year

Reproductive response: Breeding and reproductive output are affected by rainfall and drought

Social shelter: Warrens may hold up to about 40 animals

  • Complete the pre clearance survey close enough to the start of works that warren locations and occupancy information remain current.
  • Mark warrens, burrow entrances, movement routes, retained vegetation and no go areas in the field and on construction plans.
  • Use exclusion fencing where it can keep machinery, vehicles and people away from occupied warrens without blocking animal movement between retained habitat areas.
  • Do not assume that a particular breeding season provides a safe clearing window because Bettongs can breed throughout the year.
  • Schedule works to avoid periods of extreme heat, flooding, heavy rain and other conditions that could prevent safe detection, capture or release.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains available while each work area is inspected and cleared.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Clearing should proceed in small, inspected stages under the direction of the fauna spotter catcher. Warrens and animals must be protected from machinery, heat exposure, predation and unnecessary handling.

  • Hold a daily pre start briefing for the supervisor, operators, spotter catcher and environmental officer.
  • Inspect the approved work area each morning for fresh burrow activity, tracks, scats, feeding diggings and animals before machinery enters.
  • Keep the fauna spotter catcher in a position where they can see the active clearing face, nearby warrens and animal escape routes.
  • Use low speed, staged clearing and pauses between vegetation removal and ground disturbance to allow animals to move into retained habitat.
  • Do not push soil, rocks, logs, vegetation or spoil into a mapped warren or across a movement route.
  • Keep open trenches, pits and excavations covered or ramped where practicable, and inspect them for trapped fauna at the start and end of each shift.

During habitat disturbance: Warrens, burrows and habitat features

Warren function: Day shelter, thermal refuge, nesting site and communal social area

Other fauna benefit: Boodie warrens can provide shelter for other vertebrate and invertebrate species

  • Stop ground disturbance if a warren, active burrow or animal is found within the work area or protection zone.
  • Do not collapse, fill, block, smoke, flood or excavate a warren to remove an animal.
  • Retain the substrate and surrounding vegetation needed for shelter and nocturnal foraging wherever practicable.
  • Inspect stockpiles, spoil, pipes, culverts, trenches and stored materials because they can trap or shelter fauna.
  • Relocate only those loose habitat materials that can be moved without damaging an occupied warren, and do so under the fauna management plan.

During habitat disturbance: Animal encounters and handling

  • Stop nearby machinery and keep people and predators away when a Burrowing Bettong is found.
  • Allow the animal to move to retained suitable habitat without chasing it where this is safe and consistent with the fauna management plan.
  • Do not handle the animal unless the person is authorised, trained and permitted under the applicable state and project requirements.
  • If capture is required, use approved equipment and minimise handling, noise, heat exposure, restraint time and transport distance.
  • Release the animal only into nearby retained habitat that has suitable warrens or shelter, suitable digging substrate and protection from introduced predators, and only where authorised.
  • Do not release an animal into an occupied warren or into habitat that could cause conflict, disease transfer or exposure to machinery.
  • Take injured or distressed animals to an approved wildlife carer or veterinarian through the project’s authorised wildlife response process.

During habitat disturbance: Stop work and records

  • Stop work immediately if an animal is injured, trapped, repeatedly flushed, found in a warren, exposed to heat or predators, or found outside the approved clearing area.
  • Stop work if mapped habitat protection areas, exclusion fencing or fauna controls are damaged or cannot be maintained.
  • Record every sighting, capture, release, injury, mortality, warren discovery, fauna movement and control failure on the same day.
  • Record the location, time, activity, habitat, weather, personnel, machinery involved, photographs, action taken and the name of the person who authorised resumption.
  • Notify the environmental officer and project supervisor immediately, and notify the relevant agency where approval conditions or wildlife law require it.

After habitat disturbance: Post clearance checks

Completion of clearing does not end the fauna risk. Confirm that no animals or active warrens remain in the disturbed area, then maintain access controls and monitor retained habitat for disturbance and population response.

  • Conduct a final systematic inspection of the cleared area, trenches, pits, spoil piles, culverts and machinery before the area is handed back to construction.
  • Search for active burrows, tracks, scats, fresh digging, injured animals and animals sheltering under materials.
  • Reinspect any warren or habitat feature that was within the influence area of vibration, excavation, blasting, compaction, fire or altered drainage.
  • Document all findings and close out each fauna incident, including the final condition and location of any relocated animal.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and retained habitat

Monitoring consideration: Abundance can change with rainfall and drought

Useful indicators: Active entrances, fresh soil, tracks, scats, nocturnal sightings and warren occupancy

  • Monitor retained warrens, habitat edges and movement routes at the frequency required by approval conditions and the fauna management plan.
  • Use daytime warren inspections, spotlighting, camera traps or authorised trapping where these methods are appropriate to the risk and approval conditions.
  • Compare activity, warren condition and animal records with the pre disturbance baseline, allowing for rainfall driven population changes.
  • Maintain exclusion fencing, covers, ramps, predator controls and signage until the environmental officer confirms that the risk has ended.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and offsets

  • Submit required records and monitoring results to the approval authority, relevant state wildlife database, land manager and project environmental register.
  • Report injuries, deaths, unapproved disturbance, failed releases and loss of habitat controls in accordance with approval conditions.
  • Assess whether residual impacts require an offset, restoration commitment or further approval action under the EPBC Act or state legislation.
  • Retain spatial data for warrens, habitat retained, habitat cleared, controls, incidents and monitoring results for future project planning.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore secure shelter, digging substrate, food resources and safe movement between habitat patches. It should also address predators, fire and weeds, which contributed to the species’ decline and can undermine reintroduced populations.

Food resources: Fungi, invertebrates, herbage, bulbs, tubers, fruit, seeds, nuts, flowers, termites, carrion and succulent plant material

Habitat use: Open areas are used with foraging often concentrated in areas of higher vegetation

Ecosystem role: Warrens affect soil nutrients, compaction, vegetation cover and soil enzyme activity

  • Reinstate sandy, friable, limestone or calcrete substrates where they are suitable for warren construction and compatible with the approved rehabilitation design.
  • Replant locally appropriate native spinifex, low heath, shrub and other ground vegetation recorded in the pre disturbance habitat assessment.
  • Retain or reinstate natural litter, low cover and vegetation mosaics that support nocturnal foraging without creating dense continuous fuel loads.
  • Reconnect retained habitat patches with vegetated corridors and remove temporary barriers when construction risk has ended.
  • Do not create artificial shelter that encourages animals into roads, operational areas or predator access points.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage predators, weeds, fire and access

Documented major threats: Feral cats, foxes, habitat reduction, introduced herbivores and damaging fire regimes

Predator response: Bettongs are vulnerable because they can be inquisitive and easy for feral cats to capture

Population control issue: Without predators, high densities can cause over browsing and damage other native species

  • Control feral cats and foxes in accordance with approved threat management plans and site requirements before releasing or attracting Bettongs to restored habitat.
  • Prevent domestic stock, rabbits and other introduced herbivores from entering restored areas where they could compete for food, damage vegetation or disturb warrens.
  • Control weeds using methods that protect animals, warrens and food resources, and prevent weed spread on vehicles and machinery.
  • Plan fire management to avoid catastrophic wildfire while retaining the vegetation stages and patchiness needed for food and shelter.
  • Use predator proof fencing where the rehabilitation objective depends on excluding cats, foxes or other introduced predators.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitor rehabilitation success

Warren value: Boodie warrens have been recorded as shelter for at least 14 other species at a translocated site

Population benchmark: Use site specific baseline data rather than a single fixed abundance target because numbers fluctuate with rainfall

  • Inspect restored areas for active warrens, fresh digging, tracks, scats, nocturnal sightings and use by other native fauna.
  • Monitor vegetation establishment, ground cover, weed cover, erosion, substrate condition, fire impacts and predator activity against the approved baseline.
  • Use the species’ rainfall related population variation when interpreting monitoring results, and record rainfall with each survey.
  • Set success measures for warren establishment or retention, connected habitat, predator control, native plant survival, weed reduction and the absence of construction related injury or mortality.
  • Continue monitoring for the period specified by approval conditions and adapt planting, predator, fire or access management if the measures are not met.

Sources