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Eastern Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus megaphyllus)

The Eastern Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus megaphyllus, is a small insectivorous bat of eastern Australia, ranging from Cape York to central Victoria and using warm, humid caves, mines, tunnels, rock fissures and some artificial structures. On development sites, the main risks are loss or disturbance of roosts, clearing of moist forest and understorey foraging habitat, fragmentation, altered microclimate and disturbance during maternity or winter roosting periods.

Conservation status

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

Breeding season

Timing is best treated as a regional guide. Spring maternity activity and winter torpor are documented, but the supplied sources do not provide exact birth dates or a confirmed low-risk survey window.

No month is documented as universally safe for disturbance. Confirm current roost use with non-invasive acoustic and emergence surveys before clearing, demolition, blasting or construction near potential roosts.

  • Breeding: Females move to maternity roosts and give birth in spring. Exact months are not specified, so September to November is used as the practical spring period.
  • Young: A single young is born at the maternity roost. The supplied documents do not give the duration of dependence, so October to December marks the likely period of greatest maternity sensitivity rather than a documented weaning period.
  • Local movement and roost use: Females move between usual and maternity roosts, and the species may use different roosts for breeding, wintering and other functions. Dispersal is limited to less than 60 km; no seasonal migration is documented.
  • Winter torpor or hibernation in southern Australia: Southern animals become torpid and hibernate during the coldest months. June to August is marked as the likely peak period for southern Australia, although exact months vary by local climate.
  • Highest clearing risk: Avoid disturbance during winter torpor or hibernation in southern populations and during spring maternity activity and the period when young are dependent. Roost disturbance can cause abandonment, including abandonment of young.

Identification

This is a small, slow-flying horseshoe bat with a distinctive fleshy noseleaf. It is most reliably identified by its noseleaf, body form and recorded echolocation call rather than by flight observation alone.

The fur is grey-brown on the back and paler underneath. Some Queensland animals have rufous-orange fur. The eyes are tiny, the ears are long and pointed, and the pink noseleaf has a grey edge and a distinctive horseshoe shape.

The body is up to 53 mm long. A weight is not provided in the supplied sources.

Fur: Grey-brown above and paler below; some Queensland animals are rufous-orange.

Body length: Up to 53 mm.

Eyes and ears: Tiny eyes, with long, pointed ears.

Identification: Calls and similar species

The horseshoe-shaped noseleaf is the key visual feature. The noseleaf is used for echolocation, and the call structure is useful for confirmation in hand-held or passive acoustic surveys.

Survey guidelines warn that calls must be checked carefully against Rhinolophus philippinensis, the large-eared horseshoe bat, because call frequencies can overlap or be confused when the fundamental frequency is emitted. Spectrographic confirmation is recommended where identification is uncertain.

Reported fundamental frequency for the potentially confusing horseshoe bat call: Approximately 34 to 37 kHz.

Recommended minimum positive call sequence: At least four consecutive pulses.

  • Use a recorded call sequence and spectrographic analysis when acoustic identification is not clear.
  • Do not rely on a single unverified detector call for a project decision.

Identification: Field signs

Bats may be seen hanging free from cave, mine or tunnel ceilings, usually in small groups. Feeding bats fly slowly and manoeuvrably close to the ground, foliage or tree canopy, and may carry prey to a feeding roost.

There are no supplied descriptions of tracks, scats, nests, sloughs or eyeshine that can be used reliably for this species. Daytime entry into caves and mines should not be used as a routine search method because it can disturb resting bats and creates personnel safety risks.

  • Inspect potential roost entrances from outside and monitor emergence after dusk.
  • Use passive detectors overnight at cave, mine, culvert, drain and tunnel entrances.
  • Where forest roosts are possible, use harp traps in forest flyways, riparian zones and over watercourses, not at cave or mine entrances.

Distribution: National range

The species occurs in eastern Australia, from Cape York in Queensland south through New South Wales to central Victoria. The supplied sources also list Papua New Guinea, but do not provide a state by state population estimate or a national abundance trend.

In Australia, the range extends from Cape York through eastern Queensland and New South Wales to central Victoria. Records are associated with coastal areas, foothills, ranges and tablelands where suitable humid roosts and forested foraging habitat occur.

The species is described as more secure along the coast and more vulnerable in drier areas. Northern and southern populations may represent different species, according to the supplied museum information, so regional records should be checked against current taxonomic advice.

Australian range: Cape York, Queensland, through eastern Australia to central Victoria.

Other reported range: Papua New Guinea.

Broad regional pattern: Coastal populations are described as relatively secure; drier areas are considered more vulnerable.

  • Treat suitable caves, mines, tunnels, rock fissures and nearby moist forest as potential habitat wherever the species is recorded or reasonably expected.
  • Check regional records and geological mapping before clearing or blasting in eastern Australian forest, range and tableland areas.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The supplied regional assessments treat Coastal and Tablelands populations separately because the species is relatively immobile. Coastal and Tablelands populations also differ in estimated density, with the coastal estimate higher than the Tablelands estimate in the Southern Region model.

Only a few roost sites were known to the experts preparing the Southern Region assessment. They considered that an unidentified roost may occur near each known record because the bat does not forage far from roosts.

Southern Region conservation planning units: Separate Coastal and Tablelands SETAs.

Modelled density, Southern Region Coastal core habitat: 0.10 bats per hectare.

Modelled density, Southern Region Tablelands core habitat: 0.05 bats per hectare.

Modelled density, Southern Region Coastal intermediate habitat: 0.03 bats per hectare.

Modelled density, Southern Region Tablelands intermediate habitat: 0.015 bats per hectare.

Distribution: Population size and trend

The supplied documents do not provide a national population estimate, a reliable total number of colonies or a population trend. Colony observations range from 10 to 50 bats commonly, with occasional colonies of up to 2,000.

National population estimate: Not provided.

National trend: Not provided.

Reported colony size: Usually 10 to 50, occasionally up to 2,000.

Habitat: Overall habitat

Eastern Horseshoe Bats need suitable underground or rock roosts within reach of forested foraging habitat. They occur in a range of forest types, but are more common in moist forest and appear more vulnerable where conditions are dry.

The species uses forested areas containing warm, humid caves, mines, tunnels, rock holes or cracks. It has been recorded in sandstone, limestone and volcanic settings, and may also use bridges, culverts, drains, moist tree hollows and, occasionally, buildings.

Foraging habitat includes moist eucalypt forest, rainforest and swamp forest, as well as dry forest and other forest types. The supplied regional assessments describe the species as more common in moister forest types.

Main habitat types: Moist eucalypt forest, rainforest, swamp forest and dry forest.

Geological settings: Sandstone, limestone and volcanic areas.

Roost climate: Warm and humid conditions.

Habitat: Structure and site context

Retain the connection between roost entrances and nearby forest. The species avoids open areas during dispersal and has limited dispersal, so clearing around a roost can remove both shelter and access to feeding habitat.

Understorey structure is relevant to feeding and shelter. The Southern Region assessment identifies loss of understorey as a disturbance risk, particularly where fire or vegetation removal changes the local microclimate or reduces prey.

  • Map caves, mines, tunnels, culverts, drains, rock fissures, bridges and moist tree hollows before site disturbance.
  • Retain forest corridors between known or potential roosts and nearby gullies, watercourses and feeding areas.
  • Avoid creating open breaks between roost habitat and forested foraging habitat.

Habitat: Elevation and climate

The supplied documents do not give a defined upper elevation limit. They identify a broad east Australian range and indicate that the species is more vulnerable in drier areas. Southern animals become torpid and hibernate during the coldest months.

Defined elevation limit: Not provided.

Climate association: Warm, humid roost conditions; greater vulnerability is reported in drier areas.

Cold-season response in southern Australia: Torpor and hibernation during the coldest months.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Eastern Horseshoe Bat hunts close to the ground, foliage and tree canopy. It takes both flying and non-flying prey and is associated with forest habitat near suitable roosts.

The diet consists mainly of moths and beetles, with other aerial insects, non-flying insects and spiders. The species carries prey to special feeding roosts to eat.

The bat is an insectivore and the supplied sources do not identify particular food plants or a quantified daily food requirement.

Main prey: Moths and beetles.

Other prey: Other flying and non-flying insects and spiders.

Food handling: Prey may be carried to special feeding roosts.

Foraging habitat: How and where it feeds

It flies slowly and manoeuvrably, usually close to the ground or foliage. It catches insects on the wing and gleans prey from surfaces within the tree canopy or understorey.

Foraging occurs across a range of forest types, with greater use of moister forest types reported in the regional assessments. The species does not forage far from roosts, so nearby forest is important even where a roost entrance is not visible.

Flight level: Close to the ground, foliage or tree canopy.

Foraging distance from roost: Described as not far from the roost; no numerical range is provided.

  • Retain moist forest, gullies, riparian vegetation and structurally complex understorey near potential roosts.
  • Avoid clearing forest immediately around caves, mines, tunnels, culverts and other likely roosts until emergence and acoustic surveys are complete.
  • Keep artificial lighting away from roost entrances and forest flyways where practicable.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Females gather in warm, humid caves and mines to breed. A maternity roost can be highly sensitive to human entry and other disturbance, particularly while young are dependent.

In spring, females move to maternity roosts and give birth to a single young. They later rejoin males in their usual roosts.

The supplied documents do not provide a gestation period, age at first breeding or a precise birth month. The regional assessment gives an estimated reproductive lifespan of 1 to 8 years, with a mean of 2.5 years.

Breeding season: Spring; the supplied sources do not give exact months.

Litter size: One young.

Gestation: Not provided.

Age at maturity: Not provided.

Estimated reproductive lifespan: 1 to 8 years, mean 2.5 years.

Breeding habitat: Maternity habitat

Maternity roosts are in deep, warm and humid caves or mines, including sites in sandstone, limestone and volcanic areas. Females congregate to breed, so disturbance can affect more than an individual bat.

The Australian Museum notes that cave entry can disturb breeding bats and may lead females to abandon their young. Protection must include the roost entrance, the internal roost environment and nearby forest used for feeding.

  • Do not enter a suspected maternity cave or mine during project surveys without specific approval and a species-appropriate disturbance plan.
  • Schedule inspection and construction controls around the roost, not only around the cleared footprint.
  • Use non-invasive emergence observation and acoustic detection to determine use.

Sheltering habitat: Primary roosts

The species uses a range of warm, humid roosts, including natural subterranean sites and some built structures. It may use different roosts for breeding, wintering and other functions.

Primary roosts include deep, humid caves and mines, as well as holes and cracks in rocks, old tunnels and similar subterranean structures. Roosts are usually warm and humid, and bats may hang free from the ceiling.

In southern Australia, bats become torpid and hibernate during the coldest months. Winter roosts therefore need protection from entry, vibration, lighting and changes to airflow or humidity.

Primary roost types: Deep caves, mines, tunnels, rock holes and rock cracks.

Roosting position: Usually hanging free from the ceiling.

Typical colony size: 10 to 50 bats, occasionally up to 2,000.

Sheltering habitat: Secondary and artificial roosts

Other reported shelter sites include culverts, drains, bridges, moist tree hollows and, occasionally, buildings. These sites can be overlooked during pre-clearing inspections because they may not resemble a cave or mine.

The supplied sources do not give minimum hollow dimensions or entrance dimensions. A moist tree hollow should be treated as a potential roost where it occurs within suitable forest and near records or other roost habitat.

  • Inspect culverts, drains, bridges, tunnels and buildings as well as caves and mines.
  • Retain moist hollow-bearing trees near roosts unless a qualified ecologist confirms they are not being used.
  • Do not trap at cave or mine entrances.

Sheltering habitat: Roost survey controls

Survey guidance recommends passive detectors facing cave or mine entrances overnight, and active transects of at least two hours starting at dusk. Daytime entry into subterranean structures is not recommended because of disturbance and safety risks.

For forest habitat, harp traps may be used overnight in flyways, riparian zones and over watercourses. Potential roosts should be checked using non-invasive methods before any capture work is planned.

  • Use unattended acoustic recorders overnight at likely roost entrances and nearby foraging corridors.
  • Conduct attended acoustic transects for at least two hours from dusk and retain GPS tracks of survey effort.
  • Present positive call sequences with at least four consecutive pulses and 10 kHz display intervals where applicable.
  • Use a calibration tone for analogue recordings or state the division or time expansion ratio.

Threats: Roost disturbance and loss

The highest project risks are disturbance or loss of maternity and winter roosts, clearing of nearby forest and understorey, and changes to the warm, humid conditions needed inside roosts.

Entry by recreational cavers, workers or contractors can disturb maternity and wintering bats. The Southern Region assessment ranked disturbance to both maternity sites and over-wintering sites as the highest listed threat.

Mines, caves and tunnels may be abandoned after disturbance. Mining, blasting, vibration, lighting, blocked entrances, altered airflow and changes to humidity can make a roost unsuitable.

Highest ranked roost threats in the Southern Region assessment: Disturbance to maternity sites and disturbance to over-wintering sites, both rank 1.

  • Fence or otherwise control access to known roost entrances during construction.
  • Do not use caves, mines or tunnels for storage, access or plant movement.
  • Assess vibration, dust, lighting, airflow and drainage effects before works near a roost.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

Habitat clearing and fragmentation remove roost surroundings and nearby feeding habitat. The species has limited dispersal, reported as less than 60 km, and avoids open areas, so breaks in forest may restrict movement between roosts and feeding sites.

Clearing of moist forest, understorey and vegetation corridors can reduce insect prey and alter the microclimate around roosts.

Dispersal: Less than 60 km reported in the Southern Region habitat assessment.

Listed habitat threats: Habitat clearing rank 2 and habitat fragmentation rank 2 in the Southern Region assessment.

  • Retain continuous forest around known and potential roosts.
  • Avoid clearing moist gullies, riparian vegetation and understorey linked to roost entrances.
  • Treat isolated records as evidence that a nearby roost may still be present.

Threats: Fire, hydrology and predators

Inappropriate fire regimes can remove understorey and reduce food supply. Changes to hydrology or local microclimate can be especially damaging at maternity sites, where warm and humid conditions are specific requirements.

Predation by dogs, cats and foxes is listed as a threat, with cats specifically noted in the Southern Region assessment. The supplied documents do not identify a species-specific disease impact.

Fire and understorey loss: Rank 3 listed threat in the Southern Region assessment.

Altered hydrology and microclimate: Rank 3 listed threat, especially at maternity sites.

Predation: Dogs, cats and foxes are listed; cats are specifically identified as a concern.

Disease: No species-specific disease impact is described in the supplied documents.

  • Keep fire, drainage, dewatering and water diversion away from roost entrances and moist forest unless impacts have been assessed.
  • Retain understorey around roosts and feeding areas.
  • Prevent domestic and feral cats and dogs from entering roost structures or accessing emergence areas.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop habitat and roost assessment

Survey this species by combining passive acoustic detection with targeted searches of caves, mines, tunnels, culverts and suitable forest foraging areas. Treat roosts as sensitive sites, particularly maternity and winter roosts, because entry or other disturbance can cause abandonment.

Before fieldwork, review geological and topographic mapping, vegetation mapping, previous records and aerial imagery for warm, humid caves, mines, tunnels, rocky cracks, culverts, drains, bridges and moist tree hollows.

Contact relevant state agencies, local councils, caving groups, mining operators, bat researchers, Traditional Owners and nearby landholders for information about known roosts.

Map retained forest, gullies, riparian corridors and moist vegetation connecting potential roosts with feeding habitat. The species is more common in moister forest types and avoids open areas when dispersing.

Known roost settings: Warm, humid caves and mines, plus holes and cracks in rocks, old tunnels, culverts, drains, bridges and occasionally buildings.

Typical colony size: Usually 10 to 50 bats, with occasional colonies of up to 2,000 individuals.

Dispersal guidance: Dispersal is limited to less than 60 km and animals avoid open areas.

  • Record the location, apparent condition and access status of every potential subterranean roost.
  • Do not enter caves or mines during a fauna survey unless separately authorised under workplace, safety, heritage and wildlife requirements.

Survey methodology: 2. Passive acoustic detection

Use unattended electronic bat detectors overnight at potential cave, mine, tunnel and culvert entrances, and at likely foraging sites such as forest tracks, vegetation corridors and watercourses.

Place detectors so that the entrance or flight path is covered without entering or obstructing the roost.

Use recordings that can be independently checked. The survey guidance identifies echolocation calls as diagnostic but warns that calls can be confused with Rhinolophus megaphyllus when the fundamental frequency is emitted.

Overnight effort: Leave unattended detectors overnight.

Identification check: Rhinolophus megaphyllus has a fundamental frequency of about 34 to 37 kHz in the cited guidance, so confirmation should use spectrographic analysis where calls may be confused.

  • Record detector type, settings, calibration information, deployment location, start and finish times, weather and any equipment failure.
  • Retain the original sound files and spectrograms for verification by a suitably experienced bat ecologist.
  • Use a calibration tone for analogue recordings or state the division or time expansion ratio for transformed recordings.

Survey methodology: 3. Active acoustic transects and emergence watches

Conduct walking transects from dusk along established tracks, watercourses, forest edges, rocky outcrops and other routes linking potential roosts with forest feeding habitat.

Include culverts, boulder piles and other likely roost features in the survey design. Observe subterranean roost entrances from outside during emergence rather than entering them.

Keep a GPS track and record the full survey effort so that a negative result can be interpreted against the area and habitat searched.

Minimum active transect: 2 hours from dusk.

Boulder pile point spacing: At least 150 m.

  • Run each active transect for at least 2 hours, beginning at dusk.
  • Use attended detectors and head torches, and record throughout the transect rather than relying only on brief listening points.
  • Where a boulder pile is surveyed, space point locations at least 150 m apart and cover as much of its circumference as practicable.
  • Use driving transects only as an additional method, not as a replacement for walking transects.

Survey methodology: 4. Harp trapping and non-invasive confirmation

Use harp traps overnight in forest flyways, riparian zones and over watercourses where subterranean roosts are unknown or not expected and acoustic results require confirmation.

Prefer harp traps to mist nets for this species group. Do not trap at cave or mine entrances.

Use trapping as part of a suitably approved bat assemblage survey, with an experienced handler, weather checks, regular welfare checks and a release plan.

  • Do not capture bats solely to compensate for inadequate acoustic effort.
  • Identify captured animals promptly, minimise handling time, and release them at the capture site unless an authorised wildlife professional directs otherwise.
  • Suspend trapping if conditions create a foreseeable risk of hypothermia, overheating, wet fur, exhaustion or other harm.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

Treat the survey as habitat and roost assessment rather than a simple presence or absence check. A negative result does not demonstrate that a roost is absent where suitable caves, mines, tunnels, culverts or moist forest remain unsurveyed.

There is no published seasonal period identified in the cited survey guidance as a universally suitable time for surveys. Plan repeat methods around project risk, known breeding or wintering use, weather and access constraints.

Submit confirmed records, including negative evidence where required by the project approval, to the relevant state wildlife database and provide the state regulator with the survey report and original acoustic evidence where requested.

  • Report survey dates, observers, qualifications, equipment, detector settings, calibration, trap locations, trap nights, transect length, transect hours, weather, habitat, call files, identifications, photographs and limitations.
  • Record all potential roosts and any evidence of maternity use, hibernation or colony size without entering the roost.
  • Check the current Commonwealth and state species status, survey requirements, permits and database submission requirements before fieldwork.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid impacts by retaining roosts, moist forest and sheltered flight paths in place. Eastern Horseshoe Bats are dependent on suitable caves or mines, use nearby forest for feeding and may abandon roosts after human disturbance.

Redesign the project to retain all known and potential warm, humid caves, mines, tunnels, rock cracks, culverts, drains and moist tree hollows.

Retain forest around roosts, including moist eucalypt forest, rainforest and swamp-associated vegetation, because the species hunts aerial and non-flying insects close to the ground, foliage and understorey.

Retain connected vegetation between roosts and feeding areas, particularly riparian corridors, gullies and sheltered forest routes. Avoid creating open breaks across likely flight paths.

Do not seal, fence, light, ventilate, drain, fill or modify a cave, mine, tunnel, culvert or drain until a qualified bat ecologist has assessed its use and the required approvals are in place.

Roost dependence: Distribution is largely dependent on suitable cave and mine roosts.

Foraging habitat: Aerial insects in a range of forest types, with greater use of moister forest and understorey.

  • Use the smallest practicable clearing footprint and keep machinery, spoil, lighting and access tracks away from roost entrances.
  • Avoid night lighting near roost entrances, forest edges and retained corridors.
  • Retain moist understorey and avoid disturbance that dries the roost or feeding habitat by changing drainage, canopy cover or local microclimate.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and planning

Confirm the current EPBC Act listing before works begin. The supplied profile identifies the species as not nationally listed, but state status must also be checked because the Victorian subspecies is identified as Endangered and the user-supplied listing records Victoria as Endangered.

Obtain all required state wildlife permits, cave or mine access approvals, heritage approvals, vegetation clearing approvals and animal ethics or handling approvals before survey, capture, exclusion or relocation.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies roosts, exclusion zones, pre-clearance methods, stop-work triggers, authorised handlers, veterinary contacts, weather limits, reporting and rehabilitation requirements.

  • Refer the action under the EPBC Act if the current Commonwealth assessment indicates that referral is required.
  • Nominate a suitably experienced bat ecologist to approve survey design and interpret acoustic records.
  • Nominate the fauna spotter catcher and any wildlife carer or veterinarian before clearing starts.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation and staging

Complete the pre-clearance survey before finalising access tracks, crane pads, laydown areas, blasting zones, trench alignments and temporary lighting.

Mark approved clearing limits and all retained roosts, moist forest, riparian vegetation, hollow-bearing trees, logs, rock piles, culverts and drains before machinery arrives.

Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains connected and animals can move towards nearby retained forest rather than into active work areas.

Install exclusion fencing where it will protect a roost, retained forest, drainage line or other habitat feature without blocking bat flight or roost access.

  • Brief all workers on the species, exclusion zones, lighting controls, stop-work procedure and the requirement to report bats immediately.
  • Use a pre-start inspection each day to confirm that fencing, signs, covers, roost barriers and access controls remain effective.
  • Do not install exclusion devices over a roost entrance without a species-specific design and approval from a qualified bat ecologist.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and supervision

Keep disturbance controlled and predictable. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to stop work, but must not enter caves or mines or handle bats beyond their training, authorisation and equipment.

Inspect the work area before each shift for bats, roost access, damaged fencing, newly exposed hollows, rock cracks, culverts and other habitat features.

Keep machinery inside marked limits and prevent unnecessary vibration, dust, smoke, lighting and noise near retained roosts.

Maintain a trained fauna spotter catcher in the active clearing zone whenever habitat is being removed or a roost feature could be affected.

Keep a clear communication channel between the spotter catcher, machine operator, supervisor, ecologist and environmental officer.

  • Stop work immediately if a bat, occupied roost, maternity colony, hibernating animal or previously unidentified cave, mine, tunnel or rock crack is found in or near the work area.
  • Do not restart until the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist have inspected the feature, set controls and confirmed that the work method is approved.
  • Keep workers and machinery away from a roost entrance unless a written method has been approved by the responsible ecologist and regulator.

During habitat disturbance: Safe interaction with machinery

Direct the operator to lower or stop the machine when the spotter catcher identifies a hollow, rock feature, culvert, drain, log or other habitat feature that needs inspection.

Clear vegetation progressively from the retained side towards the open work area so animals have an opportunity to move into retained habitat, while avoiding driving animals towards roads, open cleared ground or machinery.

Use a staged approach around caves, mines, tunnels, culverts and drains, with acoustic monitoring or emergence observation where the feature could be a roost.

  • Never push, roll, crush or bury an uninspected hollow-bearing tree, log, rock pile, culvert or drain.
  • Do not use smoke, water, noise, dogs or direct lighting to flush bats from a roost.
  • Do not remove a roof, gate, mesh or obstruction from a mine or cave to improve access without specialist approval and a safe work method.

During habitat disturbance: Animal found, handling and relocation

If a bat is found, stop nearby work, protect the animal from machinery and people, and contact the authorised fauna handler or project ecologist.

Do not handle a bat unless you are trained, authorised and equipped for bat handling. Avoid direct contact because bats can bite and may carry zoonotic disease.

Allow a healthy, mobile bat to leave voluntarily where it is safe to do so. If capture is necessary, use an authorised wildlife professional and release the animal into nearby retained habitat at the direction of the project ecologist.

Send an injured, grounded, exhausted or entangled bat to a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer through the project emergency contact. Do not release an injured animal without professional advice.

  • Use appropriate bite-resistant gloves and follow the approved rabies and Australian bat lyssavirus exposure procedure.
  • Do not relocate a maternity colony or move a bat into an unassessed cave, mine or artificial roost.
  • Record the species, location, condition, action taken, handler, release location, time and photographs where this can be done safely.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

Stop work for any bat in the clearing footprint, any evidence of an occupied roost, any maternity or winter colony, any previously unmapped cave or mine, or any damage to a retained roost or exclusion zone.

Stop work if clearing exposes a warm, humid cavity, deep rock crack, tunnel, culvert, drain or moist hollow that could provide roosting habitat.

Stop work if the project causes flooding, drying, collapse, blockage, lighting or human access at a retained roost.

  • Record daily inspections, weather, work areas, cleared area, habitat features inspected, animals found, incidents, captures, releases, injuries, mortality, stop-work events and corrective actions.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and ecologist immediately, then notify the regulator or approval authority where required.
  • Keep acoustic files, photographs, GPS points, fauna handling forms and chain-of-custody records with the project environmental records.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must confirm that no animal or roost feature was left at risk and that retained habitat remains functional. Monitor any site where a roost, moist forest corridor or artificial structure was disturbed or modified.

Inspect the cleared area, retained vegetation edge, exposed rock, logs, tree hollows, culverts, drains and work platforms after clearing and before demobilisation.

Recheck any retained cave, mine, tunnel, culvert or drain for damage, altered airflow, new lighting, flooding, drying, blockage or unauthorised access.

Use passive acoustic detection at retained roost entrances and nearby forest foraging areas where the project could have affected roost access, colony use or connectivity.

  • Complete a final fauna inspection with the spotter catcher and project ecologist.
  • Remove temporary materials, waste, mesh and barriers that could entangle bats or block flight paths.
  • Repair damaged exclusion fencing and maintain signs and access controls for as long as the approval or fauna management plan requires.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Set monitoring locations at retained roosts, nearby forest corridors and representative feeding habitat where the project changed vegetation, drainage, lighting or access.

Compare post-work acoustic detections and roost observations with the pre-work baseline, while recognising that the species can use roosts irregularly and may abandon a site after disturbance.

Report any mortality, injury, roost abandonment, colony change, habitat loss, non-compliance and corrective action to the project environmental officer and relevant regulator.

  • Submit confirmed occurrence records and material survey results to the relevant state wildlife database.
  • Provide monitoring dates, detector effort, weather, equipment, call identifications, roost observations, habitat condition and limitations in the final report.
  • Continue monitoring for the period specified in the approval or fauna management plan, with extra monitoring after work near maternity or winter roosts.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

Reassess the residual impact if the project removes roosting habitat, moist forest, understorey or connected vegetation after avoidance and mitigation are applied.

Use an approved offset or conservation measure where required by Commonwealth or state law, approval conditions or the project impact assessment.

Prioritise protection and management of suitable caves, mines, tunnels and associated forest feeding habitat because the species has a high reservation priority in the cited regional planning work.

Regional reservation priority: Rank 2 for roost habitat in the Southern Region and rank 2 for roost habitat in both UNE and LNE in the cited regional planning documents.

  • Do not treat a nest box or artificial structure as a substitute for protecting an existing occupied cave, mine or maternity roost.
  • Document the area, condition and management actions for any offset or conservation site.
  • Include predator, weed, fire, drainage, access and lighting controls in the management schedule for the offset site.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore forest and flight habitat

Rehabilitation should restore sheltered, moist forest connected to retained roosts and should not disturb the roosts it is intended to protect. The first priority is to retain existing caves, mines, tunnels, culverts and moist tree hollows.

Re-establish locally appropriate moist eucalypt forest, rainforest-associated vegetation, swamp vegetation and riparian understorey around retained roosts and along connecting corridors.

Use locally indigenous plant species suited to the pre-clearing vegetation community, with enough canopy, mid-storey and understorey structure to support flying and ground-associated insect prey.

Restore drainage and microclimate so rehabilitation does not dry a humid roost, flood a mine or cave, or create open gaps that interrupt movement between roost and feeding habitat.

  • Stage planting and weed control to avoid night lighting and repeated human entry near roost entrances.
  • Keep rehabilitation machinery, irrigation infrastructure and stock exclusion fencing away from cave, mine, tunnel and culvert entrances.
  • Maintain retained understorey unless an ecologist confirms that a specific access or safety treatment is needed.

Rehabilitation actions: Replace lost habitat features

Retain and reinstate natural logs, rock piles, rocky cracks, hollow-bearing trees and moist tree hollows wherever safe and permitted.

Use artificial roost structures only where a qualified bat ecologist identifies a demonstrated need, selects a suitable design and confirms that installation will not alter an existing roost.

Do not block or seal a cave, mine, tunnel, culvert or drain as part of rehabilitation until its bat use, safety risks and regulatory requirements have been assessed.

Known artificial and natural roosts: Caves, mines, tunnels, culverts, drains, bridges, rock holes and cracks, moist tree hollows and occasionally buildings.

  • Place retained logs and rocks in sheltered positions connected to forest understorey, without blocking bat flight paths or drainage.
  • Do not enter or modify subterranean roosts to install boxes, gates, lighting or monitoring equipment unless specifically authorised.
  • Inspect artificial structures and reinstated features for use, damage, overheating, flooding, obstruction and entanglement risk.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and predators

Manage weeds so that dense invasive growth does not dry, obstruct or alter the understorey and roost microclimate.

Plan fire management to retain moist understorey and avoid inappropriate fire regimes that remove the understorey or reduce insect food supply.

Control feral cats, foxes and dogs around retained roosts and rehabilitation areas, particularly where bats emerge close to the ground.

  • Do not burn, slash or clear near a roost entrance without a site-specific ecological and fire risk assessment.
  • Keep rehabilitation lighting away from roost entrances and flight paths.
  • Use fauna-safe fencing and remove loose netting, wire and other materials that could entangle bats.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

Monitor plant survival, canopy and understorey development, weed cover, soil moisture, drainage, roost access, artificial feature condition and connectivity to retained forest.

Use overnight acoustic detectors at selected roost entrances and foraging corridors to assess continued use, with repeat effort and consistent equipment settings where possible.

Treat rehabilitation as successful only when the habitat is stable, connected, free of avoidable hazards and continues to provide suitable roost access and insect foraging habitat.

  • Set measurable project targets for planted area, plant survival, weed cover, retained feature condition, drainage and acoustic monitoring effort in the rehabilitation plan.
  • Inspect after major storms, floods, fires, earthworks and maintenance activities.
  • Report monitoring results, failures and corrective actions to the approval authority and relevant state wildlife database where required.

Sources