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Eastern Barred Bandicoot (Perameles gunnii)

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot is a small, mainly nocturnal marsupial of south-eastern Australia. Mainland populations in South Australia are extinct and the original Victorian wild population is also extinct, while reintroduced Victorian populations and Tasmanian populations persist. On development sites, dense ground cover, moist soils, conical diggings and nearby grassland or grassy woodland should trigger targeted assessment and protection measures.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

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

Breeding season

The species can breed in any month, but breeding and recruitment respond to rainfall, temperature and food availability. The seasonal pattern below is a practical summary for planning surveys and works, not a substitute for site specific monitoring.

Month values are ordered January to December. A value of 1 means the activity occurs or risk is present, and 2 indicates a period of relatively higher likelihood based on the supplied biology.

  • Breeding: Breeding can occur throughout the year. It is commonly reduced in late summer and during drought, while spring food availability can increase litter size and breeding activity.
  • Young: Young remain in the pouch for about 55 days, are weaned at about 70 to 80 days and become independent and disperse about three months after birth. Because litters can occur in any month, dependent young may be present year round.
  • Dispersal and movement: Young males may disperse up to about 2.3 km, although most movements are less than 2 km. No fixed annual migration is documented.
  • Activity and detection: Adults are principally nocturnal and may be active at twilight. Night spotlighting, camera trapping and searches for fresh diggings can be used throughout the year.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing can harm the species in any month because nests and dependent young may be present year round. Risk is marked as highest from September to December because spring breeding and recruitment can increase, but site specific evidence should guide timing.

Identification

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot is a rabbit sized, ground dwelling marsupial with a pointed snout, erect ears, strong foreclaws and pale bars across the rump. It is most likely to be detected at night, or indirectly from its diggings, nests and tracks.

Adults have grizzled grey brown to buff upperparts, paler sides, a pale grey to white underside and three or four pale bars across the hindquarters. The tail is pale, with dark colour restricted to the proximal dorsal section. The species has a relatively long, pointed head, erect ears and elongated hind feet.

The mainland and Tasmanian forms are genetically and morphologically differentiated and are treated as separate subspecies for conservation purposes, although the mainland form has not been formally named.

Body length: About 300 mm

Tail length: About 110 mm

Average mass: About 800 g; mainland survey guidance gives 975 g

Rump pattern: Usually three pale bars, sometimes four

Identification: Similar species and sex

The pale rump bars distinguish the Eastern Barred Bandicoot from the uniformly grey Long-nosed Bandicoot, Perameles nasuta. The Western Barred Bandicoot, Perameles bougainville, is smaller, has a white underside and has dark colour along the dorsal length of the tail. The Eastern Barred Bandicoot has syndactylous hind toes arising level with the fifth digit, whereas they arise behind the fifth digit in the Western Barred Bandicoot.

Males are heavier and generally have larger measurements and larger home ranges than females. Field identification should not rely on sex unless an animal is captured and examined under an approved handling protocol.

Male home range: About 4 to 13 ha in Victorian information; core ranges are commonly about 4 to 5 ha

Female home range: About 1.9 to 6.4 ha in Victorian information; core ranges are commonly about 1.5 to 2.5 ha

  • Record photographs, measurements and location details where a visual identification is uncertain.
  • Do not identify the species from rump bars alone where other barred bandicoots could occur.

Identification: Field signs

The most useful indirect sign is a pattern of small, conical foraging diggings in soil or litter. Diggings can indicate bandicoot activity, but they cannot reliably distinguish Eastern Barred Bandicoots from other bandicoot species in the same genus. Rabbits and other digging mammals can also create confusion.

Nests are grass lined and occur at or just below ground level. They may be placed at the base of grass tussocks, within dense shrubs, under logs or rocks, in rabbit burrows, or under buildings and piles of rubbish in modified areas. The species is principally nocturnal, so spotlighting, camera trapping and live trapping can complement sign searches.

Scats and calls are not described as reliable diagnostic signs in the supplied documents. The supplied sources also do not provide a diagnostic eyeshine description.

Foraging sign: Conical holes excavated with the forefeet

Typical nest position: At or just below ground level

Distance from cover: Historically, animals were rarely observed foraging more than 20 m from thick cover and were not trapped more than 60 m from nearby shelter

  • Map and photograph all conical diggings, then use direct detection methods to confirm species presence.
  • Search dense cover, grass tussocks, shrub bases, creek margins and poorly drained ground for nests and associated diggings.
  • Use suitable approved methods such as spotlight surveys, camera traps, hair sampling or cage trapping where a targeted survey is required.

Distribution: States and bioregions

The species is restricted to south-eastern Australia. The mainland form formerly occupied south-western Victoria and the far south-eastern corner of South Australia, while the Tasmanian form remains distributed across much of Tasmania.

In South Australia, the mainland population is extinct, with the last record from the late 1800s. In Victoria, the former mainland range extended from near Melbourne through the Victorian Volcanic Plains to the South Australian border. The mainland form is now represented by reintroduced populations in Victoria.

In Tasmania, the species occurs mainly in the north, east and parts of the central region, including Bruny Island, and has been introduced to Maria Island. It is scarce or absent from parts of the Midlands where preferred habitat has been cleared or converted to exotic pasture.

The Victorian mainland range is within the Victorian Volcanic Plains IBRA bioregion. Historical mainland records ranged from about 40 to 420 m elevation, with most sites between 40 and 200 m. Tasmanian records range from sea level to about 950 m, with most sites below 400 m.

Mainland historical range: About 3 million ha from near Melbourne through south-western Victoria to south-eastern South Australia

Victorian bioregion: Victorian Volcanic Plains IBRA bioregion

Mainland elevation: About 40 to 420 m, mostly 40 to 200 m

Tasmanian elevation: Sea level to about 950 m, mostly below 400 m

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The Victorian mainland form has persisted through reintroductions at fenced mainland exclosures and predator managed islands. In the 2018 assessment, the main Victorian sites were Mt Rothwell, Hamilton Community Parkland, Woodlands Historic Park, Churchill Island and Phillip Island. Mt Rothwell held the largest share of the mainland population.

Tasmanian populations are more widely distributed but have declined in parts of the range. Long term spotlighting records indicate a decline from the mid 1980s, with considerable variation between years.

Victorian wild population in 2018: About 780 to 1,115 individuals, with an estimate of about 920 mature individuals

Victorian captive population in 2018: About 59 mature individuals

Tasmanian population estimate: No reliable current estimate; the 2018 assessment recorded fewer than 20,000 mature individuals

Victorian long term recovery target: At least four genetically diverse, spatially independent, self sustaining reintroduced populations totalling at least 2,500 individuals

  • Treat fenced exclosures and islands as managed metapopulation sites, where fence integrity, predator control and animal movements determine local status.
  • Do not assume that a site is unoccupied because no animals are seen during a daytime inspection.

Distribution: Population trend

The original mainland wild population near Hamilton was last confirmed in 2002 and is considered extinct. Reintroduction outcomes have improved where foxes are excluded, but unfenced releases have generally failed because of predation, drought and grazing impacts.

The 2018 scorecard assessed the Victorian mainland population as recovering during 2005 to 2015, with continuing recovery during 2015 to 2018. The Tasmanian population was still declining in some areas, although its overall trend was uncertain.

Habitat: Habitat types and vegetation

Eastern Barred Bandicoots use grasslands, grassy woodlands and modified grassy habitats where feeding areas occur close to dense cover. Moist soil and ground cover are recurring habitat features, particularly where predators are present.

On the mainland, the original habitat was mainly native perennial tussock grassland and grassy woodland, especially along watercourses. Historical records also include open forest and scrubland in South Australia.

The species can use plantations, farmland, gardens, parkland, shelterbelts, tree plantings and weed dominated patches where these provide a mosaic of open feeding areas and dense shelter. In Tasmania, it occurs in agricultural areas created by forest clearing and around townships, dams and swampy ground.

Key Victorian ecological community: Natural Temperate Grassland of the Victorian Volcanic Plain, listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act

Historical habitat loss: More than 99% of Victoria's native grasslands and grassy woodlands within the former range have been destroyed or degraded

Tasmanian Midlands habitat loss: More than 80% of preferred habitat has been cleared or converted to exotic pasture

  • Prioritise native grassland, grassy woodland, creek margins, wet depressions and structurally diverse farm or parkland vegetation for assessment.
  • Retain connected patches of dense cover beside open grassland rather than treating short grass and dense vegetation as separate habitat types.

Habitat: Structure and soil

Suitable habitat has dense ground cover and tall grasses for nesting and refuge, adjacent to more open areas for foraging. Bandicoots prefer uncompacted, acidic or moist soils, including swampy depressions, poorly drained areas and creek margins.

In Tasmanian Midlands sites, occupied areas had more ground cover suitable for nests and refuge than paired unoccupied areas. Weed species can provide cover where native vegetation has been cleared, but weed dominated shelter does not remove the need to assess the wider habitat and threats.

Foraging distance from thick cover: Usually no more than about 20 m in the Hamilton observations

Shelter distance for captures: Animals were not trapped more than about 60 m from nearby shelter in the Hamilton observations

Preferred moisture settings: Swampy depressions, poorly drained areas, creek margins, dams and other moist soils

  • Inspect beneath shrubs, grass tussocks, logs, artificial structures and dense weed patches, especially within about 60 m of open feeding areas.
  • Record soil compaction, bare ground, ground cover, grazing pressure, hydrology and nearby predator access during habitat assessment.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot searches soil and litter for food, leaving characteristic conical diggings. It generally feeds close to dense cover and is more likely to use moist, friable ground where invertebrate prey are available.

The diet is primarily insectivorous and includes beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, moths, caterpillars, earthworms and other invertebrates. Plant foods include onion grass bulbs, tubers, seeds, orchard fruit and other fruit. Tasmanian animals also regularly eat underground fungal fruiting bodies.

Invertebrate prey preferred by the species were more common where trees and shrubs were present. Earthworms are particularly important in wetter months.

Main food group: Soil and litter dwelling invertebrates

Recorded prey: Beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, moths, caterpillars and earthworms

Plant and fungal foods: Onion grass bulbs, tubers, seeds, fruit and underground fungal fruiting bodies

  • Retain leaf litter, tussock bases, moist soil and low vegetation that support invertebrate prey.
  • Avoid broad soil disturbance, compaction, pesticide use and removal of ground cover in occupied or potentially occupied habitat.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour and range

Animals locate food by smell and excavate conical holes with the forefeet. They may spend most of a feeding bout actively foraging or consuming food. Activity is mainly nocturnal, with emergence often occurring after dark.

Home ranges overlap partly. Males generally range more widely than females, and young males may disperse up to 2.3 km, although most movements are less than 2 km.

Victorian density: About 0.45 to 5.25 animals per ha, varying between sites and years

Tasmanian density: About 0.35 to 2.35 animals per ha in the cited study

Young male dispersal: Up to about 2.3 km; most movements were less than 2 km

  • Search for fresh conical diggings along cover edges, in moist soil and beneath shrubs or grass tussocks.
  • Treat a connected patch of feeding ground and shelter as one habitat unit during impact assessment.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding can occur through much of the year, but activity decreases during hot, dry periods. Females need nearby dense cover for nests and access to productive, moist feeding habitat.

Females can breed from about four months of age and may produce another litter soon after the previous litter leaves the pouch. Reproduction may occur throughout the year, but is reduced in late summer and can stop during drought. In favourable conditions, a female may produce up to five litters in a year.

Breeding season: Potentially throughout the year; breeding is depressed in late summer and may cease during drought

Litter size: 1 to 5 young, usually 2 to 3

Gestation: About 12 to 13 days, or about 12.5 days

Pouch period: About 55 days

Independence: Young become independent and disperse about three months after birth; weaning occurs at about 70 to 80 days

Age at maturity: About four months, although breeding can be delayed by 6 to 8 months when food is limited

Wild lifespan: About 20 to 30 months

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Nests are placed in dense grass, shrubs, woody cover or other concealed sites close to feeding areas. Moist soil and high ground cover support both nest availability and prey access. In Tasmania, occupied agricultural sites in the Midlands had greater ground cover than nearby unoccupied sites.

  • Protect dense ground cover and nesting sites during clearing, slashing, mowing and earthworks.
  • Survey both open feeding areas and nearby dense cover because breeding animals may forage in open ground but nest close to shelter.
  • Schedule any unavoidable disturbance outside periods when dependent young are most likely, and use a qualified fauna ecologist where occupied habitat cannot be retained.

Sheltering habitat: Nest and refuge sites

Eastern Barred Bandicoots shelter and nest at ground level in dense, concealed cover. Shelter is often close to feeding areas and becomes especially important when drought or grazing reduces vegetation cover.

Grass lined nests occur at or just below ground level. Animals use the bases of grass tussocks, introduced shrubs, hollow logs, rocks, rabbit burrows and dense ground vegetation. In modified settings they may nest under buildings, in culverts, car tyres, steel guttering or piles of rubbish, and may use artificial bandicoot shelters.

Most radio located nests in one study were within 3 m of a woody plant. Animals were rarely observed foraging more than 20 m from thick cover and were not trapped more than 60 m from nearby shelter.

Nest height: At or just below ground level

Distance of most radio located nests from woody plants: Within about 3 m

Observed foraging distance from thick cover: Usually no more than about 20 m

Maximum distance from shelter for captures in Hamilton: About 60 m

  • Inspect and protect ground level shelter before clearing or demolition, including artificial structures and weed patches.
  • Check under buildings, culverts, stored materials, rubbish piles and dense shrubs where these occur beside grassland or moist ground.
  • Maintain a connected cover mosaic rather than isolated shelter clumps.

Sheltering habitat: Site condition

Drought, livestock grazing, rabbit grazing and high macropod densities can reduce vegetation cover and remove nesting and hiding places. Reduced cover can increase exposure to foxes and cats.

The supplied documents do not describe tree hollows, caves or elevated roosts as shelter requirements for this ground dwelling species.

  • Record grazing intensity, ground cover height and continuity, woody plant bases, logs, burrows and other concealment features before works.
  • Prevent stock and feral herbivores from degrading retained habitat where practical.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

Predation, habitat loss and fragmentation have driven the mainland decline. Development can add direct habitat loss, soil compaction, loss of shelter, vehicle mortality, altered drainage and increased access for cats, foxes and dogs.

More than 99% of Victoria's native grasslands and grassy woodlands within the former range have been destroyed or degraded. Clearing, pasture conversion, weed spread, fertiliser use, insecticides and fragmentation reduce feeding and nesting habitat.

Small isolated populations are also exposed to genetic loss. The mainland population has lost substantial genetic diversity, making retention of occupied habitat and movement between managed populations important.

Victorian habitat loss: More than 99% of native grasslands and grassy woodlands within the former range have been destroyed or degraded

Genetic concern: Mainland genetic diversity diminished over the preceding decades; genetic conservation is a high priority

  • Avoid clearing native grassland, grassy woodland, creek margins, wet depressions and dense ground cover where possible.
  • Map habitat as a functional mosaic of feeding ground and shelter, not as isolated vegetation patches.
  • Retain habitat links between shelter and feeding areas and avoid creating narrow cleared corridors that expose animals to predators.

Threats: Predators and grazing

Red Foxes are the main predator associated with mainland extirpation and failed reintroductions. Feral cats also prey on bandicoots, particularly juveniles. Domestic dogs can be important predators in farmland and suburban settings.

Rabbits, livestock and overabundant macropods reduce ground cover and can degrade feeding and nesting habitat. Foxes and cats can then become more effective where cover is sparse.

Mainland reintroduction outcome: Five unfenced translocations failed through combinations of predation, grazing pressure and drought

Predator priority: Fox exclusion is the main requirement for successful mainland reintroduction

  • Maintain predator exclusion fences, gates and culverts, and record any breach before clearing or construction begins.
  • Control foxes and cats under an approved pest management program, with attention to non target fauna and domestic animals.
  • Manage rabbit, livestock and macropod grazing so that dense ground cover remains available.

Threats: Disease and contamination

Toxoplasmosis can kill bandicoots. Feral cats are the definitive host and can contaminate soil, water and prey with Toxoplasma gondii. At least two animals died from toxoplasmosis after a French Island translocation of 18 animals.

Herbicides, insecticides and rabbit control poisons can cause direct non target poisoning or reduce invertebrate prey.

French Island disease event: At least two of 18 released animals died from toxoplasmosis

Disease pathway: Cats shed infective material that can be ingested from soil or through infected invertebrates such as earthworms

  • Prevent access by feral and domestic cats to retained habitat and manage cat populations around release or occupied sites.
  • Use pesticides, herbicides and rabbit control products only under an approved plan that addresses bandicoot exposure and prey depletion.
  • Investigate sick or dead bandicoots through the relevant wildlife authority or veterinary pathway.

Threats: Fire, drought, hydrology and roads

The supplied documents identify altered fire regimes as a cause of habitat modification, but do not provide a species specific fire interval or fire season. Fire planning should therefore retain unburnt dense cover and avoid removing all refuge near active feeding areas.

Drought and low rainfall can reduce soil moisture, invertebrate availability and vegetation cover, and may suppress breeding. Drainage, dewatering, filling of wet depressions or changes to creek margins can remove moist foraging habitat.

Road mortality is documented, particularly for adults, and machinery has also caused deaths. Construction traffic, night works and open trenches can therefore create direct risks.

Recorded mortality: A cited Victorian mortality dataset recorded roadkills as 63% of deaths, cats as 18%, disease as 8%, machinery as 4% and dogs as 2%

Drought effect: Breeding can be reduced or cease during drought, and reduced cover can increase predation risk

  • Maintain moist depressions, creek margins and suitable drainage patterns where they form part of occupied or potential habitat.
  • Keep vehicle speeds low at night near known populations and use fauna spotters where animals, nests or diggings are detected.
  • Inspect and make safe trenches, pits and stockpiles each day where ground dwelling fauna may enter.
  • Plan fire and vegetation management to retain dense refuge and avoid exposing retained habitat to predators.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop and habitat assessment

Survey the Eastern Barred Bandicoot as a nocturnal, medium-sized ground-dwelling mammal that uses dense ground cover beside open foraging areas. Confirm records with direct detection where possible, because conical diggings alone cannot reliably distinguish this species from other bandicoots or rabbits.

Review existing records, threatened species databases, planning information and recent survey reports before selecting methods.

Map grassland, grassy woodland, creek margins, swampy depressions, poorly drained ground, dense grass, shrub cover, shelterbelts, gardens, plantations and farm paddocks.

Give particular attention to habitat with dense ground cover for nesting and refuge, beside open areas suitable for foraging. The species can use modified areas, including farmland, parkland, plantations and gardens.

Separate mainland Victorian records from Tasmanian records in the assessment. The mainland subspecies is extinct in the wild and current mainland populations are reintroduced, while the Tasmanian subspecies remains more widely distributed.

Typical body mass: About 800 grams in the Action Statement; the survey guidelines give 975 grams for the mainland form.

Activity period: Principally nocturnal, with some twilight activity.

Home ranges: Females 1.9 to 6.4 hectares; males 4 to 13 hectares in Victorian records.

Survey methodology: 2. Spotlighting

Conduct spotlight surveys on foot through suitable grassland, grassy woodland, wet depressions, creek margins and dense cover, following a stratified sampling design.

Survey after dark and include the edges between dense shelter and open feeding areas. Record the start and finish time, weather, rainfall, temperature, observer hours, route and habitat searched.

Use spotlighting to confirm animals at sites where diggings or other signs have been found. Record the number, location and behaviour of each animal and avoid repeated disturbance.

The supplied survey guideline identifies spotlight surveys as an appropriate method but does not provide a species-specific number of nights or hours in the available extract. Set effort according to site size, habitat strata, access and the likelihood of detection, and document the basis for that decision.

Recommended area basis: The guideline's minimum-effort framework is for a subject site up to 5 hectares; replicate surveys within habitat types or plant communities for larger sites.

Survey methodology: 3. Cage trapping

Use Elliott B or cage trapping only under an approved wildlife survey method and with experienced personnel, because capture can cause injury and stress.

Place traps near dense ground cover, shelter, creek margins and other suitable resources, rather than only in open grassland.

Use weather-safe trap placement, adequate checking and release procedures consistent with the relevant state permit and animal ethics requirements. Do not leave traps operating during unsuitable heat, cold, rain or other conditions that could expose animals to harm.

Record trap type, location, trap nights, checking times, weather, captures, non-target animals, injuries and release locations. The supplied guideline identifies Elliott B and cage trapping as suitable methods but does not state a species-specific trap-night total in the available extract.

Survey methodology: 4. Camera and hair sampling

Use camera traps at likely travel routes, dense cover, wet depressions, fence lines and areas with fresh diggings. Cameras can operate for longer periods than direct searches and can help identify activity where trapping is unsuitable.

Use hair sampling devices only where an appropriate identification service and adequate reference material are available. The guideline lists the mainland and Tasmanian Eastern Barred Bandicoot as potentially identifiable from hair, but subspecies generally cannot be separated from hair samples.

Record deployment dates, camera effort, bait or lure used, device locations, habitat, images and independent detection events.

Survey methodology: 5. Searches for diggings and other signs

Search systematically for the species' characteristic conical foraging diggings, nests, tracks, scats and shelter sites during the daytime habitat inspection.

Map and photograph each sign, record its age and condition, and note nearby dense cover, soil moisture, grass structure and other habitat features.

Treat diggings as evidence requiring confirmation. Bandicoot diggings can be difficult to distinguish from rabbit and other bandicoot diggings, and diggings from species in the same genus cannot reliably be separated by appearance alone.

Follow sign searches with spotlighting, camera trapping or trapping to confirm presence.

Useful sign context: Size, location, associated tracks, scats and food remains can assist interpretation, but do not replace direct confirmation.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a stratified design and repeat effort within each relevant habitat type or plant community; replicate the survey for sites larger than 5 hectares.
  • Run more than one detection method where habitat is suitable or signs are present, because no single method detects every animal and diggings are not species-specific.
  • Record survey dates, start and finish times, observer effort, weather, rainfall, temperature, methods, transects, trap nights, camera nights, area searched, habitat strata, coordinates, detection evidence and survey limitations.
  • Have photographs, tracks, diggings and uncertain identifications checked by a suitably experienced mammal ecologist.
  • Submit confirmed records, including negative results where required by the approval, to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and to the project environmental records system.
  • Report any mainland or Tasmanian Eastern Barred Bandicoot record promptly to the project environmental officer and the relevant wildlife authority before disturbance proceeds.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Avoid and minimise

Treat suitable grassland, grassy woodland and dense ground cover as potential habitat until survey evidence shows otherwise. The mainland form is nationally endangered and the Tasmanian form is nationally vulnerable, so plan avoidance and approvals before vegetation or ground disturbance begins.

  • Avoid clearing occupied habitat, dense ground cover, wet depressions, creek margins, shelterbelts and connected grassland wherever practicable.
  • Retain a connected mosaic of dense nesting and refuge cover beside open foraging areas, rather than retaining isolated patches of grass only.
  • Retain moist soils, native grass tussocks, shrubs, logs and other shelter features used for nests and refuge.
  • Keep machinery, spoil, vehicle movements, lighting and site compounds out of retained habitat and establish project-specific exclusion buffers before works start.
  • Prevent new barriers between retained habitat patches, and maintain movement routes between suitable grassland, woodland, wet areas and shelter.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Check approvals and plan the works

  • Confirm whether the proposed action may affect the EPBC listed mainland or Tasmanian form and obtain environmental advice on whether referral under the EPBC Act is required.
  • Check the relevant Victorian, South Australian or Tasmanian threatened species legislation, wildlife permits, animal ethics requirements and land management approvals before survey, capture, handling or relocation.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat to retain, survey methods, fauna spotter catcher responsibilities, machinery controls, stop-work triggers, handling procedures, release sites, incident reporting and monitoring.
  • Stage clearing so that each work area is surveyed, cleared and checked before the next area is opened.
  • Avoid periods of extreme heat, cold, heavy rain and drought-related stress where practicable. Breeding can occur throughout the year, but reproduction is reduced in late summer and may stop during drought, so avoid assuming that any particular season is disturbance-free.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Prepare the site

  • Complete a pre-clearance survey using suitable methods, including sign searches and direct detection where habitat or evidence of use is present.
  • Mark retained grassland, dense cover, nests, logs, rocks, burrows, wet areas, creek margins, access routes and no-go areas before machinery arrives.
  • Use fauna exclusion fencing only where it is designed for this species, checked regularly and connected to suitable retained habitat; do not fence animals into a work area or block access to shelter and feeding habitat.
  • Control foxes and feral cats around retained or translocation sites in accordance with the approved management plan, because predation is a major cause of reintroduction failure.
  • Manage rabbits, kangaroos and livestock so that retained ground cover is not removed by overgrazing.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Daily site controls

Use a controlled, staged clearing process. The fauna spotter catcher must work as part of the machinery team, with authority to pause work whenever an animal, nest, burrow, occupied cover or unexpected habitat risk is found.

  • Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the approved clearing boundary, retained habitat, exclusion zones, fauna handling arrangements, weather and stop-work triggers.
  • Inspect exclusion fencing, gates, escape routes and retained habitat before machinery starts and after severe weather or site changes.
  • Clear in small, staged sections towards retained habitat where this is safe and approved, so animals have an opportunity to move away from the work face.
  • Keep vehicles on defined access routes and prevent machinery, spoil, washdown water, lighting and personnel from entering retained habitat.
  • Do not use poison baits, herbicides, pesticides or rabbit control products in a way that could expose bandicoots or their invertebrate food resources.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Spotter catcher and machinery

  • Position the fauna spotter catcher where the work face, ground cover and machinery movements can be seen without entering an unsafe exclusion zone.
  • Use a clear stop signal and ensure the operator stops, isolates the machine and waits for the spotter catcher before approaching any animal, nest, burrow or shelter feature.
  • Use hand tools or staged removal around dense cover, logs, rocks and other features where the approved fauna management plan requires it.
  • Do not allow the spotter catcher to work beneath suspended loads, beside moving machinery or within an unsafe excavation or traffic area.
  • Record the location and condition of each animal or sign found, the action taken, the release or treatment location and any delay or change to the clearing method.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Habitat features and animals

Treat dense grass tussocks, shrub bases, logs, rocks, artificial shelters, culverts, debris piles and moist depressions as potential nest or refuge sites.

Inspect habitat features immediately before removal. Retain them where practicable, or handle them under the approved fauna management plan and with the required authority.

If an Eastern Barred Bandicoot is found, stop work in the immediate area and keep people, dogs and machinery away.

Only trained and authorised personnel may capture, examine, transport or release the animal, and they must follow the relevant permit, animal ethics and wildlife handling requirements.

Relocate a healthy animal only where the approval and fauna management plan allow it, using nearby suitable retained habitat with dense cover, food resources and protection from machinery and predators.

Do not release an animal into isolated exposed grass, an active work area, a road reserve without protection, or habitat occupied by a known incompatible threat.

Send an injured, distressed or sick animal to an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian as soon as practicable, and document the transfer.

Do not handle pouch young or separate dependent young from a female unless directed by an authorised wildlife veterinarian or wildlife authority.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if a bandicoot is found, if fresh signs indicate current use of the work area, if exclusion fencing fails, or if clearing reaches unplanned habitat.
  • Stop work if an animal is injured, trapped, unable to leave safely, or at risk from machinery, vehicles, dogs, heat, flooding or falling material.
  • Stop work if the approved clearing boundary, release site or fauna handling method cannot be followed safely.
  • Notify the site supervisor, project environmental officer and relevant wildlife authority where required by the approval, and obtain clearance before restarting.
  • Maintain daily records of cleared area, machinery, personnel, weather, searches, animals, injuries, relocations, deaths, habitat features, incidents, photographs and decisions.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must confirm that no animals remain at risk and that retained habitat and controls are functioning. Monitoring should test both animal presence and the condition of the ground cover on which the species depends.

  • Inspect the completed work area, retained habitat edges, exclusion fencing, drains, trenches, stockpiles and access routes for trapped, injured or displaced animals.
  • Search for fresh diggings, tracks, nests and other signs in retained habitat after clearing and after major changes to the site.
  • Close or ramp open trenches and pits at the end of each work period where practicable, and inspect them before work resumes.
  • Remove temporary hazards, waste, loose mesh and unsecured materials that could trap a ground-dwelling mammal.
  • Confirm that release areas remain connected to dense cover and are not being grazed, flooded, poisoned or accessed by foxes, cats or dogs.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained habitat using the approved combination of spotlighting, cameras, trapping and sign searches, with effort matched to the size and habitat strata of the site.
  • Use consistent routes, camera locations, trap locations and recording methods so that results can be compared before and after works.
  • Track animal detections, diggings, ground cover, soil moisture, predator activity, grazing pressure, weed cover and habitat connectivity.
  • Report confirmed records, injuries, deaths, relocations, unexpected impacts and monitoring results to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and approval authority.
  • Review monitoring results with the project ecologist and change site controls if animals decline, predator access increases, ground cover is lost or new signs are detected in the work area.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Maintain controls and offsets

  • Maintain exclusion fencing, predator controls, grazing controls, drainage controls and no-go areas for the full period specified in the fauna management plan or approval.
  • Remove temporary fencing only after the environmental officer confirms that it will not direct animals into hazards or disconnect retained habitat.
  • Where impacts cannot be avoided or minimised, implement approved offsets or conservation measures for the relevant listed form and ecological community.
  • Keep all fauna records, permits, photographs, maps, incidents, treatment details and monitoring data with the project environmental records.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Re-establish habitat structure

Rehabilitate for a structurally varied grassland or grassy woodland, not a uniform grass cover. The aim is to provide dense nesting and refuge cover beside open, moist foraging areas, while reducing predators and grazing pressure.

  • Use locally appropriate native perennial grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees suited to the original grassland or grassy woodland community and site conditions.
  • Create a mosaic of dense ground cover for nests and refuge beside open areas for foraging, with particular attention to creek margins, swampy depressions and poorly drained ground.
  • Restore soil structure and moisture patterns where construction has compacted, drained or contaminated suitable habitat.
  • Retain or reinstate logs, rocks, grass tussocks, shrub clumps and other ground-level shelter features where they are safe and compatible with fire and asset management.
  • Use artificial shelters or nest boxes only where the approved ecological design shows that they are needed and they can be inspected and maintained.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Manage threats during recovery

  • Control foxes and feral cats around retained and restored habitat using approved methods and monitor predator activity.
  • Control rabbits, excessive kangaroo grazing, livestock access and other herbivore pressure so that dense ground cover remains available.
  • Control weeds that replace native ground cover or reduce habitat structure, while recognising that some introduced cover has been used by bandicoots in highly modified areas.
  • Avoid non-target poisoning and pesticide use that could kill bandicoots or reduce invertebrate prey.
  • Plan fire to retain a patchwork of dense refuge and open foraging habitat, and prevent a single fire from removing all cover from a restoration area.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Monitor success

  • Inspect restored areas after establishment and after major rainfall, drought, fire or grazing events.
  • Measure native ground cover, dense refuge cover, open foraging area, weed cover, soil condition, predator activity, grazing pressure and connectivity with retained habitat.
  • Use spotlighting, cameras and confirmed diggings to assess whether Eastern Barred Bandicoots use the restored area; do not treat unconfirmed diggings as a species record.
  • Set project-specific completion criteria before works begin, including establishment of the planned habitat structure, absence of uncontrolled predator or grazing impacts, functioning connectivity and confirmed fauna use where fauna use is an objective.
  • Continue management and monitoring until the environmental officer and relevant approval authority accept that the habitat and threat controls are functioning.

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