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Eastern Mourning Skink (Lissolepis coventryi)

The Eastern Mourning Skink is a medium-sized, secretive skink endemic to south-eastern Australia. It occupies densely vegetated freshwater and saltwater wetlands, wet heaths, sedgelands and saltmarshes, so clearing, drainage, altered water regimes and access through wetland habitat are key project risks.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

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

Breeding season

Eastern Mourning Skinks are live-bearing. Ovulation is recorded in September and October, mating has been reported in November, and births occur from late January to early February. Plan clearing around occupied wetland refuges throughout the year, with particular care during the breeding and birth period and during cooler months when animals may be sheltering and less able to escape machinery.

Reproductive mode: Viviparous, or live-bearing.

Litter size: One to four live young in the conservation advice. Another species profile reports one to six live young, mostly three.

Incubation or gestation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching or birth: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Two to three years, at 70 to 75 mm snout to vent length.

Nest or egg sites: Not applicable for this live-bearing species. Birth-site details are not recorded.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Confirm timing locally before works, because temperature above about 18 degrees Celsius, rainfall, flooding and local wetland conditions can alter activity and refuge use.

  • Mating: Mating is reported in November. Another supplied species account does not state a mating month.
  • Gravid females: Females ovulate in September and October, and births occur in late January or early February. September to February represents the supported period in which females may be carrying developing embryos, but the documents do not directly define the gravid period.
  • Births: Live young are born in late January or early February. Litter size is reported as one to four in the conservation advice and one to six in another species profile.
  • Newborns: Newborns are most likely to be present from late January into February because parturition occurs in late January or early February. The documents do not provide a period of parental dependence or juvenile emergence.
  • Active period: Adults are generally active from early September to May when temperatures exceed about 18 degrees Celsius. A management guideline gives a shorter period, from early September to mid-April, so timing may vary with local temperature and wetland conditions.
  • Winter inactivity: The species is usually inactive during the colder months, particularly June to August, and may shelter in burrows and ground cover. Animals can still move during cold weather to escape flooding, so winter inactivity is not continuous.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from September to February, when females may be carrying embryos and live young are born. Clearing from June to August can also trap animals in winter refuges, while occupied burrows and ground cover remain a risk during the active months.

Identification

The Eastern Mourning Skink is a secretive, moderate-sized skink that usually remains close to dense low vegetation, shelter and wetland margins. It may enter water when disturbed and can swim on the surface or dive.

Adults have a pale greenish-brown, olive-brown or yellow-brown back. The head and limbs are often flecked or streaked with black, the limbs have scattered pale spots, and the lips have a pale stripe. The throat and lower flanks are usually flushed with green, while the underside is whitish.

The species has well-developed limbs. Diagnostic structural features include parietal shields that do not meet behind the interparietal and a fourth toe that is markedly longer than the third.

Adult snout to vent length: About 100 mm

Tail length: About 150 percent of snout to vent length

Maximum recorded adult weight: Up to 35 g

Identification: Sexual differences

Males and females do not differ in snout to vent length in the museum specimen study cited in the conservation advice. Males have longer and broader heads than females, both in absolute size and relative to body size.

Identification: Field recognition and signs

The combination of an olive to greenish-brown body, pale upper lip stripe, black flecking or side markings, pale limb spots and a wetland habitat is useful for field recognition. Individuals retreat rapidly into vegetation, burrows, logs, rocks or other debris when approached.

The supplied documents do not describe diagnostic tracks, scats, calls, nests, eyeshine or externally shed skins. A live capture or clear photograph should be checked against the structural characters above, particularly the fourth toe and head shields. Do not treat a non-detection as evidence of absence: a 2018 targeted survey using Elliott traps for 6 days and motion-sensing cameras for 21 days at three sites recorded no skinks despite recent nearby records.

  • Record the exact shelter or vegetation feature used when an animal is observed.
  • Photograph the dorsal pattern, head, limbs and feet where this can be done without prolonged handling.
  • Keep logs, rocks, driftwood and dense ground cover in place during searches and clearing inspections.

Distribution: States and bioregional settings

The species is endemic to south-eastern Australia and has a highly disjunct distribution. Known records extend from the Mount Gambier region through southern Victoria, with the eastern range probably reaching just beyond the New South Wales border.

The species is recorded or assessed across Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. South Australian sites include peat swamps, coastal dune spring and soak peat, peat drains, volcanic perched wetlands of the Mount Burr Range, and karst springs and alkaline fens of the Naracoorte Coastal Plain Bioregion.

Most records are from coastal and lowland settings, with fewer inland subpopulations. In Victoria, records include the Mornington Peninsula, Western Port area, South Gippsland, Yellingbo, southern Victoria and East Gippsland. The New South Wales record has an imprecise locality and date, and the identity of the museum voucher has been questioned.

Distribution: Known strongholds and subpopulations

In the 1998 assessment, approximately 77 discrete sites were known: 72 in Victoria, 4 extant sites in South Australia and 1 in New South Wales. More South Australian sites were reported by 2004, bringing the possible state total to 11.

Only 12 of the 72 Victorian sites were considered secure in the 1998 assessment, concentrated in East Gippsland. Many other Victorian sites were very small or possibly no longer viable. The Mornington Peninsula and Western Port area contain records from wetlands, swamp scrub, saltmarsh and associated drainage lines, including Warringine Park, Watsons Creek and Yellingbo.

Distribution: Population status

The national population size is not known. The species is considered to be declining, with a restricted area of occupancy, severe fragmentation and continuing decline in habitat quality, number of subpopulations and mature individuals.

The conservation advice states that all populations should be treated as important populations until further information identifies particular priorities.

Known discrete sites in 1998: Approximately 77 sites nationally

Victorian sites in 1998: 72, including 5 to 6 presumed extirpated and about 38 possibly not viable in the long term

South Australian sites: 4 extant sites recorded in 1998, with a possible 11 sites reported by 2004

New South Wales: One record with imprecise locality and date; the voucher identification is uncertain

Population trend: Declining, but no reliable national population estimate is available

Habitat: Wetland types

Eastern Mourning Skinks occupy densely vegetated wetlands and wetland margins with shelter and a natural or suitable hydrological regime. They usually favour low, dense ground cover with little or no overstorey.

Suitable habitat includes freshwater swamps, peat swamps, low-lying marshes, lagoon margins, sedgelands, wet heaths, saltmarshes and coastal wetlands. The species also occurs in adjacent wet heath and in some drainage lines and watercourses.

Typical substrates are poorly drained peaty soils. Coastal saltmarsh sites may have sandy substrates. In South Australia, habitat includes groundwater-dependent karst springs and alkaline fens, coastal spring and soak peat, peat drains and volcanic perched wetlands.

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

Habitat is commonly dominated by dense hydrophilic sedges and tussocks, Melaleuca or Leptospermum thickets, swamp scrub, wet heath or low marsh vegetation. Fallen timber, driftwood, litter, rocks and other floor debris provide basking and shelter sites.

The species favours dense ground cover and little to no overstorey. It may be excluded where vegetation becomes more than about 2 to 3 m high, because shading and structural change reduce habitat suitability. A small proportion of a broader vegetation community may provide suitable microhabitat.

Preferred overstorey: Little to none

Vegetation height associated with exclusion: Areas may become unsuitable when vegetation exceeds about 2 to 3 m

Substrates: Usually poorly drained peaty soils; coastal saltmarsh may be sandy

  • Retain dense low vegetation, sedges, tussocks, logs, driftwood, rocks and litter within and beside the work area.
  • Avoid placing spoil, mulch, pipes, machinery or access tracks across wetland margins, peat soils, drainage lines or known shelter areas.
  • Treat degraded wetland, weedy dam margins and isolated swamp remnants as potential habitat where the required low, dense structure remains.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The documents describe a cool temperate, low-lying wetland association and do not provide a defined elevation limit. Activity is temperature dependent, generally occurring from early September to May when ambient temperatures exceed about 18 degrees Celsius.

Foraging habitat: Food

The Eastern Mourning Skink is an omnivore that forages within and beside dense wetland vegetation. It normally remains close to cover and uses ground debris and low vegetation for basking and movement between feeding sites.

Recorded or reported animal prey includes spiders, beetles, lepidopterans, ants, hemipterans and aquatic amphipods. Adults also likely consume a substantial amount of plant material, including fruits, seeds and other vegetation.

Aquatic invertebrates may be taken while actively foraging in water or opportunistically when animals are stranded as water levels recede. The species also ingests its own sloughed skin.

Foraging habitat: Foraging locations and behaviour

Foraging occurs in and adjacent to dense hydrophilic sedges, tussocks and other low vegetation. Fallen timber, driftwood, litter and floor debris are used for basking, and individuals rarely venture far from vegetation, burrows or other cover.

The species is generally diurnal and heliothermic. It may become crepuscular during hotter summer months and enters water when disturbed.

Typical individual core activity range: About 10 to 35 square metres around the burrow

Movement from cover: Usually within a few metres; one account describes individuals as rarely moving more than 5 m from initial capture sites

  • Inspect dense sedgeland, tussocks, wet heath, swamp scrub, litter and the edges of logs and driftwood when assessing foraging habitat.
  • Keep wetland hydrology and low vegetation structure intact, as both influence the availability of invertebrate prey and plant food.
  • Avoid disturbing or removing floor debris from potential habitat unless it is part of an approved, supervised fauna management procedure.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Females give birth to live young in late summer. Breeding habitat is likely to be concentrated in dense, low wetland vegetation with nearby burrows and other refuges that provide cover from predators and extremes of temperature.

Females ovulate in September and October. Parturition occurs in late January or early February. The species is viviparous and does not lay eggs.

The supplied sources differ on litter size. The conservation advice reports one to four live young, while a community species profile reports one to six, mostly three. The conservation advice is the preferred source for project planning.

Breeding or ovulation season: September to October

Birth season: Late January to early February

Litter size: One to four live young in the conservation advice; one to six, mostly three, in the community profile

Gestation or incubation: No duration is provided in the supplied documents

Age at sexual maturity: About 2 to 3 years, at 70 to 75 mm snout to vent length

Lifespan: More than 8 years, with some estimates up to 10 years

Generation length: Estimated at 7 years

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding areas occur within the same densely vegetated freshwater or saltwater wetland habitat used for shelter and foraging. Suitable sites have dense low cover, natural or suitable wetland water regimes, and access to burrows, logs, rocks, driftwood or other debris.

Because births occur in late January or early February, clearing and ground disturbance during this period can directly affect females, newborn young and the cover they use.

  • Protect dense low vegetation and all potential refuges through the breeding and birth period.
  • Plan pre-clearing inspections and exclusion zones around known occupied wetland patches, rather than relying only on trapping or searches in open ground.
  • Maintain connectivity between occupied wetland patches and adjacent habitat that can support juvenile dispersal.

Sheltering habitat: Refuges

The species is secretive and uses ground-level refuges rather than tree hollows. It may use the same burrow for several days, but can enter almost any suitable burrow to escape predators or people.

Shelter sites include self-made burrows and burrows made by freshwater crayfish, yabbies and crabs. Individuals also shelter beneath logs, rocks, driftwood, litter and other ground debris, and within dense sedges, tussocks and low vegetation.

An individual may occupy the same burrow for several days. The species lives in areas that are regularly flooded, but is unlikely to remain in a burrow once it has been inundated.

  • Assume that burrows beneath or beside logs, rocks, driftwood, litter, tussocks and sedges may be occupied.
  • Do not collapse, fill or disturb burrows during clearing, drainage works, trenching or machinery access.
  • If a refuge must be moved, stop work and follow the project fauna handling procedure with an appropriately authorised spotter catcher.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and escape behaviour

The species usually remains close to cover and rapidly retreats when disturbed. It may swim on the water surface or dive when pursued. Fallen timber, driftwood, litter and floor debris also provide basking locations and help maintain ground-level cover.

No refuge dimensions are provided in the supplied documents. Juveniles may disperse up to 200 m, so shelter and cover should not be assessed only within the immediate footprint.

Juvenile dispersal distance: Up to 200 m

Reported core activity range: 10 to 35 square metres around the burrow

  • Keep a continuous strip of dense low vegetation and ground debris beside retained wetland habitat wherever practicable.
  • Avoid creating open, linear access routes through dense habitat, as roads, tracks and boardwalks can increase predator access and fragment movement routes.
  • Inspect proposed trench lines, work pads, drainage works and vegetation removal areas for burrows and ground refuges before disturbance.

Threats: Clearing, fragmentation and roads

Project risks are greatest where works remove dense wetland vegetation, alter water movement or isolate small subpopulations. The species has a restricted and fragmented distribution, so impacts at a single wetland can affect an entire local subpopulation.

Removal and drainage of swamps, wet heath, riparian vegetation and saltmarsh for urban development and agriculture are major range-wide threats. Roads, tracks, bridges, pipelines and drains remove habitat, divide wetland patches and can alter local hydrology.

Construction corridors can also reduce ground cover, increase access for cats and foxes, introduce weeds and disease, and create firebreaks or other changes to water movement.

  • Avoid occupied wetland habitat and retain dense low vegetation, peat soils, shelter sites and connecting habitat.
  • Use trenchless methods or narrow work areas where this avoids direct disturbance to known wetland habitat, and confirm that entry pits, access routes and spoil placement do not damage retained habitat.
  • Maintain hydrological connections and prevent temporary roads, tracks and drains from diverting, ponding or drying water in adjacent habitat.
  • Treat all populations as important during impact assessment unless current information demonstrates otherwise.

Threats: Fire and vegetation change

Fire regimes that reduce biodiversity can kill skinks and remove food, shelter and thermoregulatory sites. Peat fires may burn slowly for long periods, including for months. Post-fire succession can also make formerly open habitat unsuitable if trees and shrubs establish and shade the ground layer.

Approximately 9 percent of the modelled distribution was burnt in the 2019 to 2020 bushfires. Expert estimates projected a population reduction of up to 32 percent over the following three generations if no further fire impacts occurred.

Distribution burnt in 2019 to 2020 fires: Approximately 9 percent

Projected reduction over three generations after those fires: Up to 32 percent under the stated no-further-fire assumption

  • Keep fire planning, fuel reduction and burning proposals away from peat wetlands and occupied dense low vegetation unless they have been assessed for species impacts.
  • Prevent post-fire access, weed invasion and altered drainage from compounding damage to burnt wetland habitat.

Threats: Predators, weeds and grazing

Feral cats, European Red Foxes and possibly Black Rats prey on the species. Roads, tracks, boardwalks and loss of dense ground cover can give predators easier access to refuges and movement routes.

Weeds, including blackberry, sweet pittosporum and radiata pine, can change vegetation structure and shade occupied habitat. Feral deer, feral pigs and domestic stock can damage swamp, wet heath and coastal habitat through grazing, trampling, soil disturbance and nutrient enrichment.

  • Control weed invasion without removing occupied ground cover or applying chemicals where skinks, burrows or wetland water may be affected.
  • Prevent stock, deer and pigs from entering retained wetland habitat where fencing or access control is practicable.
  • Keep construction waste, food and carcasses away from work areas to avoid attracting predators.

Threats: Hydrology, pollution and disease

Changed water regimes caused by drains, dams, impoundments, tracks and firebreaks can alter inundation, vegetation and soil moisture. Groundwater extraction can dry peat and reduce or stop spring discharge in South Australian habitat.

Fertiliser, agricultural runoff, waste, transport and industrial pollution can alter wetland vegetation, nutrient levels, salinity and water quality. Phytophthora dieback may also change the vegetation structure that the species requires, and can spread in water or contaminated soil carried by vehicles, animals and people.

  • Keep clean water separate from dirty water and prevent sediment, nutrients, fuels, chemicals and concrete washout from entering wetlands or drainage lines.
  • Use clean-down and hygiene procedures for machinery, footwear and equipment moving between wetlands, especially where Phytophthora is a risk.
  • Do not assume that temporary dewatering or drainage is benign. Assess the effect on peat moisture, spring discharge, inundation timing and adjacent low vegetation before works begin.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment and habitat mapping

Survey this secretive, wetland-dependent skink in dense low vegetation, wet heath, sedgeland, swamp margins and saltmarsh. Prioritise the active season, when temperatures exceed about 18°C, and use cameras with habitat searches rather than relying on Elliott traps alone.

Review recent records and map all potentially suitable habitat within and adjacent to the project footprint before selecting survey sites.

Target densely vegetated freshwater and saltwater wetlands, peat swamps, wet heath, Melaleuca or Leptospermum thickets, low marsh, lagoon margins, sedgelands and saltmarsh.

Map shelter features including burrows, fallen timber, driftwood, rocks, litter and dense tussocks, and identify habitat links between occupied or potentially occupied patches.

Known activity period: Generally early September to May, when ambient temperatures exceed about 18°C

Typical core activity range: 10 to 35 square metres around a burrow

Juvenile dispersal: Up to 200 metres

Survey methodology: 2. Camera trapping and bait stations

Use infra-red, motion-sensing cameras as the primary targeted detection method where access and project timing allow, because cameras have been reported as more reliable than Elliott traps for this species.

Place cameras facing bait stations approximately 2 metres away, while retaining fallen timber and other cover at the station.

Run cameras continuously for at least 21 days at each selected site, as used in the Crib Point to Pakenham survey.

Use enclosed PVC bait tubes containing bait balls, and minimise disturbance when checking or servicing the stations.

Documented camera effort: 21 continuous days at each site

Documented bait placement: Enclosed PVC tube, approximately 2 metres in front of the camera

Documented bait: Sardines, peanut butter and rolled oats

Survey methodology: 3. Elliott trapping and shelter searches

Do not rely on Elliott trapping alone, because the survey report cites evidence that Elliott traps can be ineffective for swamp skink detection.

If Elliott traps are used, set them in suitable dense vegetation and beside cover, check them after dawn and again in the late afternoon, and run them for six days as documented for the species.

Search slowly through dense low vegetation and around burrows, logs, driftwood, rocks, litter and tussocks, especially during warm conditions in the active season.

Record potential burrows and shelter features without opening, flooding or damaging them.

Documented Elliott trap effort: Six days, with checks twice daily

Documented large trap grid: 25 traps at approximately 10 metre spacing within rows, with rows approximately 50 metres apart, covering just over 1 hectare

Detection behaviour: The skink is secretive, usually remains close to cover and may enter water when disturbed

Survey methodology: 4. Survey conditions and detection records

Schedule searches and camera deployment in the active period, preferably during warm conditions above about 18°C, and record temperature, rainfall, inundation, wind and recent fire or disturbance.

Inspect both wetland interiors and margins because individuals forage in dense vegetation and use adjacent logs, rocks, litter and burrows for shelter and basking.

Treat a negative result as site-specific evidence only, particularly where habitat remains suitable or recent records occur nearby.

Record the survey date, start and finish times, methods, trap and camera locations, effort, habitat condition, weather, photographs and all detections or signs.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a desktop habitat and records assessment before field work.
  • Where targeted detection is required, use cameras continuously for 21 days at each selected site and supplement them with habitat searches.
  • If Elliott traps are used, operate them for six days and check them after dawn and in the late afternoon each day.
  • Survey during the active period, generally early September to May, and record conditions including whether temperatures exceeded about 18°C.
  • Submit confirmed records, negative survey results where relevant, photographs and spatial data to the relevant state wildlife database and notify the project regulator or approval authority as required.
  • Report the limitations of the method, including the possibility of false negatives in dense habitat and the limited reliability of Elliott traps for this species.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Treat all suitable swamp skink habitat as potentially important until surveys and approvals establish otherwise. The species has a restricted, severely fragmented distribution, and all populations are considered important pending better population information.

  • Redesign the footprint to retain densely vegetated wetlands, wet heath, sedgeland, saltmarsh, peat soils, wetland margins and adjacent shelter features.
  • Avoid draining, filling, compacting or changing the inundation pattern of wetlands, swamps, drains, creeks and groundwater-dependent peat habitats.
  • Retain habitat links between disjunct patches and avoid new roads, drains, pipelines, tracks and hardstand areas that would remove habitat or obstruct dispersal.
  • Retain low vegetation structure and avoid unnecessary clearing of fallen timber, driftwood, rocks, litter, tussocks and burrows.
  • Keep machinery, spoil, washdown areas, fuels, chemicals and sediment away from wetlands and potential habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Check whether the proposed action may significantly impact this EPBC Act Endangered species and obtain project-specific advice on referral and approval requirements before work starts.
  • Confirm the current state listing, permit, wildlife handling and clearing requirements with the relevant state authority in Victoria, South Australia or New South Wales.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat, survey results, exclusion areas, authorised handlers, stop-work triggers, wetland controls, incident reporting and rehabilitation commitments.
  • Stage works so that the smallest practicable area is disturbed at one time and retained habitat remains connected and protected.
  • Where practicable, schedule clearing outside the main activity period of early September to May, but do not treat winter as a no-risk period because animals may shelter in burrows or ground debris.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

Adult size: About 100 millimetres snout to vent length, with a tail around 150 percent of snout to vent length

Adult mass: Up to 35 grams

  • Complete a pre-clearance survey of all suitable habitat and inspect the proposed disturbance area for skinks, burrows, logs, rocks, driftwood, litter, dense cover and wetland features.
  • Mark no-go habitat, retained vegetation, drainage controls, access routes and habitat features on plans and on the ground before machinery enters.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can be secured to wetland edges and maintained without blocking natural drainage or trapping animals.
  • Brief all workers and machinery operators on the species appearance, its use of cover and water, the limits of their authority and the stop-work procedure.
  • Check fencing, silt controls, access routes and retained habitat immediately before clearing and after rainfall or flooding.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Use a controlled clearing sequence that keeps the spotter catcher ahead of machinery and protects wetland structure. Stop work when an animal, occupied shelter feature or unexpected habitat condition is found.

  • Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the approved footprint, exclusion zones, weather, wetland controls, fauna contacts and stop-work triggers.
  • Keep the fauna spotter catcher in a position where the next area to be disturbed can be inspected before machinery enters.
  • Clear slowly in short sections, maintain visual contact with the spotter catcher and stop immediately when directed.
  • Keep machinery out of retained wetland vegetation, burrows, logs, rocks, driftwood, litter and marked exclusion areas.
  • Use designated access routes and prevent sediment, fuel, oil, concrete washout, fertiliser and other pollutants from entering wetlands or drainage lines.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and wetland protection

  • Inspect dense ground cover, burrows, fallen timber, driftwood, rocks, litter, tussocks and wetland margins before removal.
  • Do not collapse, excavate, flood or fill a burrow until the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist have assessed it.
  • Retain logs, rocks and driftwood in place wherever possible; if approved removal is unavoidable, inspect them carefully and relocate them intact to nearby retained habitat under the fauna management plan.
  • Protect natural water levels and flow paths, and stop work if excavation, traffic or temporary works cause unexpected drying, inundation, sediment movement or polluted runoff.
  • Treat peat, wet heath, saltmarsh, sedgeland and dense swamp vegetation as habitat even if no skink is seen during the inspection.

During habitat disturbance: Animal found, injury and relocation

  • Stop work in the immediate area and keep people, vehicles and machinery away from the animal.
  • Allow the fauna spotter catcher or other person authorised under the relevant approval to handle the skink; untrained workers must not catch, chase or move it.
  • Use the least stressful handling method available and keep the animal shaded, secure and cool while advice is obtained.
  • Release the animal only to nearby suitable retained habitat with dense low vegetation, cover and shelter, and only where this is permitted by the approval and fauna management plan.
  • Take injured animals promptly to an approved wildlife carer or veterinarian and record the incident, treatment advice, release outcome and any mortality.
  • Do not assume that a skink has left a burrow because it is not visible, and do not pour water, smoke, chemicals or other material into a burrow.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if a swamp skink is found, if an occupied or potentially occupied burrow cannot be inspected safely, or if the approved exclusion area is breached.
  • Stop work if clearing exposes unexpected wetland habitat, changes drainage or water levels, causes sediment or pollution, or threatens connectivity to retained habitat.
  • Record the date, time, location, habitat, activity, personnel, photographs, animal condition, handling, relocation or veterinary outcome and the area cleared.
  • Notify the project ecologist, environmental manager, approval authority and relevant land manager in accordance with the fauna management plan and approval conditions.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

The end of clearing is not the end of the risk. Check the disturbed edge, maintain wetland controls and use follow-up records to confirm that retained habitat remains suitable and connected.

  • Complete a final inspection of the cleared area, retained habitat edge, exclusion fencing, access routes, drainage controls and spoil areas before demobilisation.
  • Search the cleared area and adjacent retained habitat for injured or trapped skinks, damaged burrows, displaced logs and rocks, sediment movement and unintended drainage changes.
  • Remove temporary materials, bait stations and traps only after checking that no animal is sheltering in or beneath them.
  • Repair damaged fencing, erosion controls and wetland margins immediately, and escalate any habitat loss or pollution incident.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained habitat and wetland water conditions during construction and after major rainfall, flooding, fire or other disturbance.
  • Repeat camera monitoring or targeted habitat searches where the project removes or changes known or potential habitat, or where approval conditions require follow-up surveys.
  • Compare records with the pre-clearance baseline, including habitat condition, camera effort, detections, injuries, mortalities, relocations and weed or predator activity.
  • Submit required records to the relevant state wildlife database and provide incident, compliance, monitoring and rehabilitation reports to the approval authority.

After habitat disturbance: Connectivity, offsets and ongoing controls

Juvenile dispersal distance: Up to 200 metres

Known fragmentation issue: The current distribution is disjunct, with continuing decline in habitat, subpopulations and mature individuals

  • Maintain fencing, no-go areas, drainage controls and access restrictions for as long as construction activity could affect retained habitat.
  • Keep retained patches linked wherever practicable because the species is severely fragmented and juveniles may disperse up to 200 metres.
  • Assess residual loss of habitat, wetland function and connectivity against the approval conditions and arrange any required offset, restoration or conservation measure.
  • Do not use an offset or future rehabilitation commitment as a substitute for avoiding and minimising direct disturbance.

Rehabilitation actions: Wetland structure and shelter

Rehabilitation should restore wetland function and the low, dense structure used for basking, foraging and shelter. Set measurable targets before works start and manage the site for the long term.

Preferred habitat structure: Dense ground cover with little to no overstorey

Vegetation height concern: The species may be excluded where vegetation cover exceeds 2 to 3 metres in height

  • Restore natural water levels, surface flow and groundwater dependence where works have altered drainage, inundation or peat moisture.
  • Re-establish dense low wetland vegetation, including sedgeland, wet heath and suitable Melaleuca or Leptospermum thickets, while avoiding excessive tree or shrub growth that shades out open ground cover.
  • Retain or reinstate suitable fallen timber, driftwood, rocks, litter and tussocks as basking and shelter features.
  • Protect and, where appropriate, create stable burrow opportunities without excavating into occupied habitat or changing wetland hydrology.
  • Keep restored areas free of stock, vehicles, recreational trampling and construction access until vegetation and shelter features are established.

Rehabilitation actions: Planting, weeds, predators and fire

  • Use locally appropriate wetland, wet heath, sedge, Melaleuca and Leptospermum species selected for the site’s natural water regime and soil conditions.
  • Control blackberry, sweet pittosporum, radiata pine and other weeds that alter vegetation structure or shade suitable ground cover.
  • Prevent revegetation from becoming a dense tall canopy over habitat, while retaining enough cover for shelter and thermoregulation.
  • Control feral cats, red foxes, black rats and feral herbivores where they threaten the restored site, using approved programmes and methods.
  • Plan fire management to avoid peat fires and fire regimes that remove shelter, food resources or low open vegetation, and inspect restored habitat after any fire.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

  • Monitor wetland water levels, soil moisture, vegetation cover and height, weed cover, shelter features, erosion, predator activity and stock or vehicle access.
  • Use repeat camera surveys and habitat searches during the active period, generally early September to May, to test whether restored habitat is being used.
  • Set project-specific success measures for retained wetland area, hydrological function, dense low vegetation, connected habitat, shelter feature retention and absence of uncontrolled weeds.
  • Continue monitoring for long enough to detect establishment of habitat and any use by swamp skinks, and adapt weed, water, fire or predator management when targets are not met.
  • Report monitoring results, failed targets, corrective actions, records of skinks and any mortality to the relevant approval authority and wildlife database.

Sources