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Eastern Bandy Bandy (Vermicella annulata)

The eastern bandy-bandy is a small, fossorial, nocturnal elapid snake endemic to Australia. It occurs from wet coastal forests and woodlands to shrublands, mallee, mulga and spinifex desert, so clearing can affect both its surface cover and the soil refuges used for shelter and access to blind snakes.

Conservation status

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

Breeding season

Eastern Bandy-bandies are egg-laying snakes. Vitellogenesis and ovulation occur mainly from October to December, eggs are generally laid in February and March, and hatchlings are reported mainly from February to March. Plan clearing carefully from February to April, when eggs, hatchlings and recently emerged snakes may be present around ground refuges.

Reproductive mode: Oviparous. Females lay eggs that hatch outside the body.

Clutch size: 2 to 13 eggs, with an average of 7.7 eggs.

Incubation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching: Hatchlings are about 190 mm from nose to tail.

Age at maturity: Males mature at about 2 years and females about a year later. First breeding has also been recorded at 36 months.

Nest or egg sites: Not recorded. The species is fossorial and uses subsoil, rocks, logs, stumps and deeply set ground timber as refuges.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded. A second late-summer clutch and emergence around April are possible.

Confirm timing locally before works, because rainfall and warm, humid conditions strongly influence surface activity and detection across the species' broad Australian range.

  • Mating: Species-specific mating dates are not recorded. The general seasonal pattern for Australian elapids places reproductive activity from spring to early summer, so September to December is a planning window rather than a confirmed mating period for this species.
  • Gravid females: Females undergo vitellogenesis in October and ovulation occurs from October to December. Eggs are laid shortly after ovulation, so females carrying developing eggs or follicles may be encountered from October to December.
  • Egg laying: Eggs are generally laid in late summer, around February and March. Clutches contain 2 to 13 eggs, with an average of 7.7 eggs.
  • Incubation: The incubation length and exact period that eggs remain in the nest are not recorded. Eggs are laid in February and March, and emergence is reported mainly in February and March, with possible emergence around April, so avoid disturbing likely egg-bearing ground through April.
  • Hatchlings: Newly hatched young are reported mainly in February and March. A later clutch and emergence around April are possible.
  • Active period: No fixed active season is documented. Adults are nocturnal and most likely to appear on the surface after heavy rain, or on warm, humid nights, including during summer and autumn.
  • Highest clearing risk: February to April combines egg laying, reported hatchling emergence and the possible later clutch. Clearing during this period can also expose fossorial snakes and remove refuges such as soil, rocks, logs, stumps and deeply set timber.

Identification

The eastern bandy-bandy is usually straightforward to recognise when seen, but it is secretive and is more often encountered at night, after rain, or when uncovered during ground disturbance.

It is a smooth-scaled, glossy snake with sharply contrasting black and white rings that continue around the entire body. The body is slender and cylindrical, the head is small and not strongly distinct from the neck, and the tail is short with a blunt tip.

Body scales: Usually 15 rows of smooth dorsal scales at mid-body.

Tail: Short, blunt-tipped, with fewer than 35 subcaudal scales.

Head scales: Internasal scales present in the eastern bandy-bandy.

  • Treat any individual as a venomous snake and use standard snake handling and spotter catcher procedures, despite this species generally being regarded as not dangerous to people.

Identification: Size and sex

Females are substantially larger than males. The documented mean snout to vent length is 54.4 cm for females and 39.2 cm for males. Total adult length is commonly 50 to 60 cm, but larger individuals have been reported.

Female mean snout to vent length: 54.4 cm.

Male mean snout to vent length: 39.2 cm.

Hatchling length: About 17 cm on average.

Weight: No weight data are provided in the supplied documents.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

The continuous black and white ring pattern distinguishes the eastern bandy-bandy from most other Australian snakes. Other Vermicella species can look similar, so location and head scalation are important. The eastern bandy-bandy has internasal scales and commonly fewer than 260 ventral scales.

Defensive display: Body loops can reach about 15 cm in vertical height.

Tracks and scats: No reliable species-specific tracks or scats are described in the supplied documents.

Other field signs: No species-specific calls, nests, sloughs or eyeshine are described.

  • Do not rely on colour alone when identifying a bandy-bandy in northern or western Australia, where other Vermicella species occur.
  • Look for a fossorial snake beneath soil, rocks, logs or stumps rather than expecting obvious tracks or surface trails.
  • A defensive individual may raise successive loops of its body, keeping its head away from the perceived threat and presenting the tail.

Distribution

The eastern bandy-bandy is an Australian endemic with a broad but discontinuous distribution across eastern, northern, central and southern parts of the continent. Records and habitat associations indicate a wide ecological range, but the supplied documents do not provide a population estimate or quantified trend.

The Australian Faunal Directory records the species from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. The species is also reported from a broad set of IBRA regions, including coastal, woodland, arid and semi-arid regions.

Range: Australian endemic.

States and territories recorded: ACT, NSW, NT, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

  • Relevant IBRA regions include Brigalow Belt North and South, Ben Lomond, Broken Hill Complex, Central Mackay Coast, Cobar Peneplain, Cape York Peninsula, Desert Uplands, Darling Riverine Plains, Einasleigh Uplands, Flinders Lofty Block, Flinders, Gulf Fall and Uplands, Gulf Coastal, Gulf Plains, Murray Darling Depression, Mitchell Grass Downs, Mount Isa Inlier, Mulga Lands, Nandewar, New England Tablelands, New South Wales North Coast, New South Wales South Western Slopes, Riverina, Sydney Basin, South Eastern Queensland and Wet Tropics.

Distribution: Known eastern strongholds and records

The species is described as most common in remnant woodland habitat around the foothills of Mount Glorious and Brisbane Forest Park. Other reported locations include Mount Cotton, Mount Crosby, Kholo, Brisbane, the Lockyer Valley, Cannonvale, Coffs Harbour, north of Murwillumbah, White Rock and Spring Mountain Conservation Park near Ipswich, central New South Wales around Dubbo and Parkes, the Lower North Coast and Hunter Valley, and south-eastern South Australia.

  • Use these locations as examples of known records, not as a complete list of strongholds or confirmed population boundaries.
  • The documents describe populations as scattered or isolated in parts of the range, but do not quantify subpopulation size or connectivity.

Distribution: Population status

No national population estimate, density estimate, generation length or quantified population trend is provided in the supplied documents. The species is not listed under the EPBC Act in the supplied project information, while the supplied state listing identifies it as Endangered in Victoria.

National population size: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Population trend: Not quantified in the supplied documents.

Victorian status: Endangered, according to the supplied project information.

EPBC Act status: Not listed, according to the supplied project information.

Habitat

Eastern bandy-bandies use a wide range of terrestrial vegetation communities, provided suitable soil and ground refuges remain. Their habitat can occur in both relatively wet coastal settings and dry inland environments.

Recorded or described habitat includes wet coastal forest, rainforest, open forest, tall forest, savannah woodland, low open woodland, low woodland, low shrubland, tall shrubland, open scrub, open heath, mulga, mallee and spinifex desert sandhills.

Habitat breadth: From wet coastal forests and rainforest to desert regions, shrublands and spinifex sandhills.

Ecological descriptors: Burrower, fossorial, nocturnal, predator, desert, woodland, open forest, heath, scrub and shrubland.

  • Retain areas with connected native ground cover, logs, stumps, rocks and loose soil during site planning and clearing.
  • Assess both vegetated areas and apparently open ground, because the species spends much of its time below the soil surface.

Habitat: Structural features

The species is associated with subterranean refuges beneath large rocks, deeply set ground timber, stumps and logs. Soil structure is important because the snake burrows and follows chemical trails from its burrowing prey.

  • Map large rocks, logs, stumps, deeply embedded timber and areas of loose or friable soil before clearing.
  • Avoid assuming that cleared or sparsely vegetated ground has low habitat value where soil refuges and blind snakes remain.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The documents describe occurrence from tropical and subtropical coastal areas to arid and semi-arid inland regions. They do not provide a species-specific elevation limit, altitude range or temperature threshold.

Elevation limit: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Climate range: Wet coastal to arid and desert environments are documented.

  • Use local records and habitat assessment rather than an assumed elevation cut-off when deciding whether the species may occur.

Foraging habitat

The eastern bandy-bandy is a specialist snake predator. It searches for prey at or below the soil surface and is strongly associated with blind snakes rather than a broad range of reptiles.

The diet consists primarily, and probably almost exclusively, of blind snakes in the family Typhlopidae, including Ramphotyphlops. Captive and stomach-content observations provide little support for regular consumption of skinks or other snakes.

Main prey: Blind snakes, family Typhlopidae.

Recorded prey evidence: Three of 276 preserved specimens with prey contained Ramphotyphlops; one further individual ate Ramphotyphlops nigrescens.

  • Protect areas of suitable soil and ground cover that support blind snakes, not only locations where the bandy-bandy itself has been found.
  • Treat excavation, soil removal, compaction and sealing as potential impacts on both the predator and its specialist prey.

Foraging habitat: Foraging method and area

The species uses tongue flicking to detect chemical cues from blind snakes. Documented individuals followed blind-snake chemical trails for an average of 0.93 m, with some following trails up to 1.4 m.

Typical chemical trail followed: Average of 0.93 m.

Longest trail followed in the cited observations: 1.4 m.

Feeding frequency in preserved specimens: Prey was present in 1.1% of captured specimens, compared with 20.3% across other elapids in the cited comparison.

  • Schedule night searches after rain or during warm, humid weather, when the species is more likely to emerge and forage at the surface.
  • Inspect beneath rocks, logs, stumps and other ground refuges during supervised habitat searches.

Foraging habitat: Foraging habitat

Foraging habitat can occur in coastal forest and woodland, scrub, mulga, mallee, savannah woodland, open heath and spinifex desert sandhills. The common requirement is likely access to soil refuges and blind-snakes, rather than a particular plant species.

  • Retain native ground cover and undisturbed soil across habitat patches and along connecting areas where practicable.
  • Consider adjacent habitat when assessing a clearing footprint, because individuals may forage below ground and emerge outside the location where they are detected.

Breeding habitat

Eastern bandy-bandies lay eggs seasonally. Breeding habitat is likely to be sheltered ground with suitable soil, cover and stable conditions, but the supplied documents do not identify a specific nest substrate or nest site measurement.

Vitellogenesis is reported in October, with ovulation occurring from October to December. Eggs are generally laid in late summer, around February to March. Newly hatched young are reported mainly from February to March, with possible later emergence around April.

Breeding type: Oviparous, egg laying.

Vitellogenesis: October.

Ovulation: October to December.

Egg laying: Generally February to March.

Clutch size: Average 7.7 offspring; up to 13 recorded.

Hatching or emergence: Mainly February to March; a second clutch and emergence around April are possible.

Gestation or incubation: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Age at maturity: Not reported in the supplied documents.

Lifespan: Not reported in the supplied documents.

  • Inspect suitable ground refuges and manage clearing to avoid disturbing adults, eggs or newly hatched young during the late summer breeding and hatching period.
  • Do not assume that an absence of a visible nest indicates an absence of breeding habitat, because the species is fossorial and its egg-laying site is not described.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Specific nest sites have not been documented in the supplied material. The species' fossorial habits indicate that breeding areas may include soil with nearby rocks, logs, stumps or other cover, but this should be treated as a habitat inference rather than a confirmed nest-site requirement.

  • Retain undisturbed soil, ground timber, rocks and connected native cover within and beside potential habitat.
  • Have a qualified fauna spotter catcher inspect exposed soil, timber and rocks during clearing, especially from February to April.

Sheltering habitat

The eastern bandy-bandy spends much of its life below ground and uses ground-level refuges. Shelter features can be small and easily removed or buried during clearing, earthworks and site establishment.

Documented refuges include soil below the surface, areas under large rocks, deeply set ground timber, stumps and logs. The snake is also reported beneath rocks, stumps and logs when not active at night.

Known refuge types: Subsoil, large rocks, deeply set ground timber, stumps and logs.

Refuge size: No minimum or typical refuge dimensions are provided in the supplied documents.

  • Retain large rocks, logs, stumps and deeply embedded timber where they occur in suitable native habitat.
  • Before removing or rolling ground timber and rocks, arrange a fauna inspection and use an approved relocation and handling procedure if a snake is found.
  • Check excavation edges, soil stockpiles and disturbed ground because fossorial animals may be exposed during earthworks.

Sheltering habitat: Surface activity

The species is infrequently encountered and usually emerges at night, particularly after rain or in warm, humid weather. It may also be found after falling into swimming pools, indicating that artificial pits and steep-sided structures can trap individuals.

  • Schedule targeted searches at night and after rain where risk assessment identifies suitable habitat.
  • Cover or fauna-proof open trenches, pits and tanks where practicable, and inspect them before works resume.
  • Use snake-safe egress or fauna escape measures for unavoidable excavations and water-holding structures.

Sheltering habitat: Field response

When threatened, the snake can form one or more raised loops, with the head held away from the threat and the tail presented towards it. Allow space and avoid provoking or blocking the animal.

Defensive loop height: Up to about 15 cm.

  • Stop work in the immediate area when an individual is found and follow the project's approved venomous snake and fauna handling procedure.
  • Do not attempt unauthorised capture, transport or identification by close handling.

Threats: Clearing and earthworks

The main project risks are removal of native habitat, disturbance or burial of soil refuges, fragmentation and direct mortality during clearing and earthworks. The supplied documents also identify agriculture, predators and fire-related issues only indirectly, so site controls should focus on the documented habitat and behaviour of this fossorial species.

Clearing can remove logs, stumps, rocks, ground cover and the soil structure used for shelter and foraging. Ploughing and other major soil disturbance are identified as threats, particularly through agricultural habitat conversion.

  • Minimise the clearing footprint and retain connected native vegetation and undisturbed soil.
  • Stage clearing so a fauna spotter catcher can inspect rocks, logs, stumps, soil exposures and habitat edges before disturbance.
  • Avoid unnecessary soil stripping, deep ripping, compaction and burial of ground refuges.
  • Securely cover or fauna-proof trenches, pits and other excavations, and inspect them regularly.

Threats: Fragmentation and roads

The species is reported from scattered and sometimes isolated populations. Roads, site access tracks and construction areas can remove narrow habitat links and increase the chance of encounters with vehicles, although species-specific road mortality rates are not provided.

  • Keep retained habitat patches connected where practicable and avoid creating isolated strips of suitable ground cover.
  • Set low-speed work zones and require operators to report snakes found on haul roads, access tracks or around compounds.
  • Inspect areas beside retained habitat after rain and at night when surface activity is more likely.

Threats: Fire, predators and introduced animals

The supplied documents identify owls, larger reptiles, feral cats and foxes as predators. They do not provide species-specific evidence on fire frequency, disease or hydrology change. Fire that removes ground cover or changes soil refuges may still affect habitat, so fire planning should consider retained logs, rocks, shelter and prey habitat.

Documented predators: Owls, larger reptiles, feral cats and foxes.

Disease: No species-specific disease threat is reported in the supplied documents.

Hydrology change: No species-specific hydrology impact is reported in the supplied documents.

  • Avoid unnecessary removal of ground cover and refuge features when preparing firebreaks or managing fuel loads.
  • Manage feral cats and foxes in accordance with the project's approved pest management controls where relevant.
  • Do not infer that a site is unused from a lack of daytime observations, because the species is nocturnal and fossorial.

Threats: Seasonal project risk

Late summer has the clearest documented sensitivity because eggs are laid around February to March and young emerge mainly from February to March, with possible later emergence around April. The species can be encountered at other times, particularly after rain and during warm, humid nights.

  • Plan high-risk ground disturbance outside February to April where practicable, or increase pre-clearance inspection and fauna response measures during that period.
  • Treat all months as potential encounter periods in suitable habitat because the species is not migratory and can shelter below ground year-round.

Survey methodology: 1. Nocturnal searches

Eastern Bandy-bandys are small, nocturnal, fossorial snakes that use soil, surface cover and sheltered ground sites. Survey effort should focus on retained woodland, scrub, heath, forest, desert and other areas with logs, rocks, stumps or loose soil, particularly after rain.

Undertake active searches at night when the species is most likely to emerge, with additional searches after rain or during warm, humid weather.

Search retained habitat beneath and around logs, rocks, stumps and other ground cover, and inspect suitable soil surfaces and edges of woodland, scrub, heath and forest.

Use a torch and maintain a slow, consistent search speed so the sharply contrasting black and white rings can be detected against the ground.

Treat all potential snakes as venomous until identified and handled by an authorised person.

Activity period: Nocturnal

Typical total length: About 50 to 60 cm

Search conditions: After rain, or during warm and humid weather

Survey methodology: 2. Habitat and cover searches

Map and search areas with low open woodland, low shrubland, open forest, open heath, open scrub, tall forest, tall shrubland, woodland, desert or spinifex habitat.

Record the location and condition of logs, rocks, stumps, deep ground timber, loose soil and other possible refuges before they are disturbed.

Search both the proposed disturbance area and nearby retained habitat so that a detection can be interpreted in relation to available refuge and relocation areas.

Shelter and behaviour: Fossorial and nocturnal; recorded beneath soil, stumps, rocks and logs

Recorded habitat range: From wet coastal forest and woodland to scrub, mulga and desert sandhills

Survey methodology: 3. Trapping and targeted detection

The supplied documents do not provide a species-specific trapping design, trap-night requirement, transect length or survey density for Eastern Bandy-bandys.

Where trapping is required by the project approval or the relevant state guideline, use an approved reptile trapping design prepared by a suitably qualified herpetologist, with checking frequency, weather limits, shade, shelter and escape measures specified before deployment.

Do not rely on trapping alone, because this species spends much of its time underground and has a specialised diet of blind snakes.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use the survey effort required by the applicable state or territory fauna survey guideline and project approval, because the supplied documents do not state a species-specific minimum.
  • Schedule nocturnal searches in suitable weather and increase the likelihood of detection by including searches after rain and during warm, humid conditions.
  • Record survey dates, start and finish times, weather, recent rainfall, observers, search area, methods, cover searched, effort, photographs and all snake records.
  • Record the exact location, habitat, behaviour, identification features and fate of each Eastern Bandy-bandy, and retain photographs where this can be done safely.
  • Submit confirmed records and suitable photographs to the relevant state or territory wildlife database, and provide records to the project environmental officer and approval authority where required.
  • Have a qualified person verify records that could be confused with another bandy-bandy species or another black and white banded snake.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan around the species' dependence on ground refuges and its low detectability. Avoid removing retained cover and soil structure wherever practicable, and ensure the project team knows the response procedure before clearing starts.

  • Retain logs, rocks, stumps, deeply set ground timber, loose soil and connected patches of woodland, scrub, heath, forest and other suitable habitat wherever practicable.
  • Keep retained habitat connected to nearby suitable areas rather than isolating small patches within the work area.
  • Avoid unnecessary disturbance of soil, ground timber and surface cover, because the species is fossorial and uses these features for shelter.
  • Place stockpiles, access tracks, compounds and lighting outside retained habitat and likely nocturnal movement areas where practicable.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Check the current EPBC Act status and all state or territory requirements before works begin, and obtain any required wildlife handling, relocation and clearing approvals.
  • Confirm the Victorian conservation listing supplied for this profile with the relevant Victorian authority before works in Victoria.
  • Schedule clearing outside periods of high surface activity where the project ecologist considers this practicable, while retaining the ability to detect the species during nocturnal searches and after rain.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains available while each work area is searched and released.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan covering survey, spotter catcher authority, handling, relocation, injury response, stop-work triggers, records and reporting.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance search of the work area using the approved project method before machinery enters.
  • Mark retained logs, rocks, stumps, deep ground timber, burrows, soil refuges, habitat patches and exclusion zones on plans and on the ground.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can safely direct animals away from the work area without trapping them or blocking movement to retained habitat.
  • Brief operators and supervisors that this is a small, nocturnal, burrowing snake and that all suspected individuals must be reported immediately.
  • Nominate a nearby retained habitat area for any approved relocation before clearing starts.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Use a stop, search and release system for every clearing shift. The fauna spotter catcher must be able to direct machinery, access all active work fronts and stop work when a snake or potential refuge is encountered.

  • Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the species, active work fronts, exclusion zones, weather, recent rain and the fauna spotter catcher's authority.
  • Inspect the work area before machinery starts, with particular attention to logs, rocks, stumps, deep ground timber, loose soil and shaded edges.
  • Keep the fauna spotter catcher within effective viewing distance of the active clearing front and stop machinery before approaching any suspected animal or habitat feature.
  • Clear progressively in small sections, working towards retained habitat where the approved fauna management plan identifies that approach as suitable.
  • Do not leave open trenches, spoil piles or unsecured habitat features unattended where they could trap or conceal an animal.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat feature handling

  • Stop work before moving a log, rock, stump, deep ground timber or other refuge that could contain a fossorial snake.
  • Have the authorised fauna spotter catcher inspect the feature and direct controlled lifting or staged movement using appropriate tools and safe exclusion distances.
  • Do not place removed logs, rocks or soil against retained habitat unless the fauna management plan identifies that location as safe and suitable.
  • Treat burrows, cracks and loose soil refuges as potential shelter and do not probe them with hands or unapproved equipment.
  • Use the same inspection and release procedure for habitat features encountered during trenching, grading, road formation and vegetation removal.

During habitat disturbance: If an Eastern Bandy-bandy is found

Risk control: Treat the species as venomous; it is described as weakly venomous and generally not dangerous, but handling still requires authorisation and safe procedures

Defensive behaviour: May form raised body loops with the head held away from the perceived threat

  • Stop nearby machinery and keep workers and vehicles clear of the snake.
  • Do not handle, restrain or pursue the animal unless authorised under the project approval and wildlife handling requirements.
  • Have the authorised fauna spotter catcher confirm the identification from a safe position and photograph it without delaying the animal or increasing risk.
  • Allow the animal to move into retained habitat where it can do so safely, or relocate it only under the approved fauna management plan and to nearby suitable retained habitat.
  • Do not relocate the snake across roads, into isolated habitat or into an area that will be cleared.
  • Keep people clear of the relocation point and record the location, habitat, time, weather, behaviour, handler, method and final disposition.
  • Send an injured snake to an appropriately experienced veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer through the project fauna response chain.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop the relevant work front when an Eastern Bandy-bandy is found, when a suspected individual cannot be safely identified, or when a potential refuge cannot be inspected safely.
  • Stop work if exclusion fencing fails, a snake enters the active work area, or the fauna spotter catcher loses effective oversight of machinery.
  • Resume only after the authorised fauna spotter catcher has cleared the area or the environmental manager has approved the response required by the fauna management plan.
  • Maintain daily records of weather, work areas, clearing methods, habitat features moved, searches, detections, incidents, relocations, injuries and stop-work events.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

The work area remains a fauna risk after vegetation removal because underground refuges, spoil and surface cover can conceal animals. Complete close-out inspections and keep controls in place until the area is stable and released.

  • Inspect each cleared section, trench, spoil pile, retained edge and moved habitat feature before the area is released to construction.
  • Search retained habitat and the boundary of the cleared area for displaced or returning nocturnal snakes, especially after rain or during warm, humid weather.
  • Remove or modify hazards that could trap fauna, including unsecured trenches, open pipes, deep pits and unstable piles of logs or rocks.
  • Keep exclusion fencing and fauna signage in place until the environmental manager confirms that the risk has ended.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained habitat and relocation areas where the approval or fauna management plan requires it, using the same location and effort records at each visit.
  • Report all detections, injuries, deaths, relocations, escaped fauna and breaches of controls to the project environmental officer and relevant authority where required.
  • Submit confirmed occurrence records to the relevant state or territory wildlife database, including coordinates, date, habitat and evidence.
  • Review detections and incidents after each clearing stage and change the next stage's controls if animals are found or habitat features are repeatedly occupied.

After habitat disturbance: Residual impacts and offsets

  • Assess remaining habitat loss, fragmentation and disturbance against the project approval and the relevant state or territory offset policy.
  • Implement any approved offset, rehabilitation, protection or land management commitment for retained Eastern Bandy-bandy habitat.
  • Do not treat a relocation as an offset for habitat removal; record it as a fauna management action only.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore ground structure and vegetation

Rehabilitation should restore sheltered ground habitat and connected vegetation, not only canopy cover. The species uses a wide range of woodland, scrub, heath, forest and desert habitats and feeds mainly on blind snakes.

Relevant habitat features: Logs, rocks, stumps, deep ground timber, loose soil and connected vegetation

Main recorded prey: Blind snakes in the family Typhlopidae

  • Re-establish locally appropriate woodland, shrubland, heath, forest or desert vegetation that matches the pre-clearing community and project rehabilitation plan.
  • Retain and reinstate logs, rocks, stumps and deep ground timber in stable positions that provide shelter without creating machinery or fire hazards.
  • Restore loose, undisturbed soil and natural ground contours where practicable, and prevent compaction across retained or rehabilitated habitat.
  • Maintain connected strips between rehabilitated areas and existing suitable habitat rather than creating isolated planting blocks.
  • Do not introduce blind snakes or other prey animals as part of rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats and fire

  • Control weeds so that ground cover develops into the approved local vegetation community without removing useful native shelter.
  • Manage feral cats and foxes where the project approval or land manager program identifies predator control as appropriate, because they are recorded predators of bandy-bandys.
  • Prepare fire management actions that protect rehabilitated ground refuges and retain a suitable mosaic of native ground cover, in accordance with the local authority's fire plan.
  • Prevent rubbish, stored materials and vehicles from occupying rehabilitated habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitor rehabilitation success

  • Inspect rehabilitated areas for vegetation establishment, soil stability, retained ground cover, logs, rocks and connectivity to retained habitat.
  • Include nocturnal searches in monitoring where required by the rehabilitation plan, particularly after rain or during warm and humid conditions.
  • Record Eastern Bandy-bandy detections, other fauna use, predator signs, weed cover, fire impacts and failures of ground refuges at each monitoring visit.
  • Set success measures in the approved rehabilitation plan for vegetation establishment, stable soil, functioning ground refuges, weed control and continued fauna use, with corrective work where measures are not met.

Sources