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Gidgee Skink (Egernia stokesii)

The Gidgee Skink is a stout, diurnal and highly social skink of semi-arid Australia. It shelters in rock crevices, hollow logs, tree hollows and other cavities, so clearing, removal of woody debris, disturbance of rock outcrops and loss of woodland remnants can affect individuals and family groups on development sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Gidgee Skinks mate mainly from late September to November and give birth from February to March. Clearing can affect adults, gravid females and newborns in different months, while occupied refuges remain a risk throughout the year.

Reproductive mode: Live-bearing, or viviparous. Females give birth to fully formed young.

Litter size: 1 to 8 young, averaging about 5 in South Australian captive records. Another husbandry account reports 1 to 5 young, so litter size varies between records and populations.

Gestation: About 3 to 4 months. A husbandry account reports gestation of up to 3 months.

Size at birth: 65 to 95 mm snout to vent length and 5.8 to 10.5 g.

Age at maturity: Females have been reported breeding from about 18 months to 2 years in captive husbandry information, while males have been reported at about 3 years. Another source reports general sexual maturity at 5 to 6 years.

Birth sites: Secure refuges such as tree hollows, hollow logs, rock crevices, overlapping logs, limestone slabs and cavities in branches or shrubs. No nest is required.

Breeding frequency: Females generally produce one litter per season, but not all mature females breed each year. In one field sample, 26 percent of females were not gravid.

Confirm timing locally before works, particularly where rainfall or temperature changes alter activity, mating or birth dates, and treat all occupied refuges as protected throughout the year.

  • Mating: Mating probably occurs from late September to early November, with peak activity in October and November. Timing can vary between populations.
  • Gravid females: Females carry embryos for about 3 to 4 months after mating. Gravid females may therefore occur from about October to January, with the exact period varying with mating and birth dates.
  • Births: Births are usually recorded from February to March in South Australian and eastern Australian populations, with March the month most often reported. A captive or injured Western Australian female gave birth in August, so this window is not universal.
  • Newborns: Newborns are most likely to be encountered in February and March, following the usual birth period. Young remain with the family group and can use the same refuge as adults.
  • Active period: The species is diurnal and activity peaks from spring to early summer, especially October and November. Activity is reduced from March to May, and animals usually bask and forage close to their refuge.
  • Winter inactivity: Reduced activity is reported from March to May. Wild winter sheltering is not defined by a consistent month range, because activity responds to temperature and animals may remain concealed in refuges when conditions are unsuitable.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk peaks in February and March, when births and newborns are most likely. Risk is also elevated from September to January during mating, gravid periods and increased activity, while occupied refuges remain a clearing risk in every month.

Identification

The Gidgee Skink is a medium to large, heavy-bodied skink with a short, broad, strongly spined tail. It is usually encountered close to a refuge and may retreat rapidly into a log, rock crevice or tree hollow.

Adults have well-developed limbs with five digits, a short strong head, a pronounced brow ridge and a narrow vertical ear opening. Dorsal scales are keeled to spinose. Scales on the centre of the back usually have two short blunt keels, while flank scales have a single spinose keel.

The tail is short, broad at the base and sharply tapered. Its dorsal and lateral scales are long and prickly. If threatened in a refuge, the skink can inflate its body, making it harder for a predator to remove.

Snout to vent length: 81 to 195 mm in adults

Mid-body scale rows: 32 to 38

Tail: Up to a further 45% of snout to vent length, short, broad and strongly spined

Activity: Diurnal, with brief basking and foraging periods near the refuge

Identification: Colour and variation

Colour varies substantially between populations. Animals may be dark brown, black, reddish brown, rusty or patterned with pale cream blotches. The Abrolhos form is dark brown to black with cream blotches, Baudin Island animals are generally dark brown to black with little pattern, and Egernia stokesii badia is often reddish brown with pale blotches or irregular bands.

The black form from the Cue, Yalgoo, Mount Magnet and upper Murchison region is glossy black and may have a less spinose, more agile tail.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

The main identification issue on mainland sites is confusion with the Pygmy Spiny-tailed Skink, Egernia depressa, or with other Egernia species. Egernia stokesii is larger than E. depressa, has nuchal scales and usually has two-spined rather than three-spined dorsal scales. Where spots are present, the spots are paler than the background in E. stokesii.

Fresh scat piles or communal latrines outside a refuge are useful presence signs. Scats may contain plant and arthropod remains. Animals are most readily detected by careful searches of likely refuges or by watching for basking individuals beside crevices, hollow logs or other shelters.

The species is generally wary and is rarely seen away from cover. It has no documented call, nest, characteristic slough or reliable eyeshine reported in the supplied documents. New localities, especially around Shark Bay, should be supported by clear photographs and, where appropriate, tissue sampling because the taxonomy of several populations remains uncertain.

  • Record the refuge type, group size, scat pile location and photographs of the animal and shelter.
  • Do not dismantle or damage friable limestone crevices during searches.
  • Treat a suspected record outside the known range or outside the expected form as requiring expert verification.

Distribution: National range

The species complex has a broad but highly discontinuous distribution across semi-arid Australia. Western Australian populations are the focus of the recovery plan and include several geographically isolated management units.

Egernia stokesii is recorded from Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and Queensland. The range extends from far western New South Wales through central and eastern Australia to the south-western interior of Western Australia.

The western Australian populations occur in an arc from the central Wheatbelt to the Shark Bay region, with additional island populations off the mid-west coast.

States and territories: WA, SA, NT, NSW and QLD

Western Australian IBRA regions named in the documents: Avon Wheatbelt, Geraldton Sandplains, Yalgoo and Carnarvon

Mainland WA range: Central and northern Wheatbelt, Yalgoo and Murchison areas, extending to Shark Bay localities

Distribution: Western Australian strongholds and management units

The Houtman Abrolhos population occurs on Tattler, Seagull, Oystercatcher, Pigeon, East Wallabi and West Wallabi islands in the Wallabi Group, and Middle and Murray islands in the Pelsaert Group. The species formerly occurred on Rat Island but disappeared between 1889 and 1913, probably after rats and cats were introduced.

Egernia stokesii aethiops is known only from Baudin Island, approximately 15 hectares in area, in Freycinet Harbour. Egernia stokesii badia formerly occupied a much wider area of the northern and central Wheatbelt, from near Kellerberrin north to Mullewa and east to Mukinbudin and Perenjori.

Other western management units occur around Peron Peninsula, Edel Land, Dirk Hartog Island, Callagiddy and Woodleigh Stations, and in the Cue, Yalgoo, Mount Magnet and upper Murchison region, where the black form occupies granite outcrops and lateritic breakaways.

Recognised WA management units: Six: northern Abrolhos, southern Abrolhos, Baudin Island, Wheatbelt E. s. badia, Shark Bay populations and the Murchison black form

Recorded Abrolhos islands currently occupied: Eight islands

Baudin Island area: About 15 hectares

Distribution: Population size and trend

A national population estimate is not provided. The recovery plan states that all Western Australian populations are important because each management unit has a restricted distribution.

Egernia stokesii badia declined as agricultural clearing removed woodland and fragmented the remaining population. The smallest woodland remnant where the taxon was recorded was 1 hectare, although many other remnants smaller than 5 hectares showed no evidence of the species. More than 70 new locations were identified in Murchison surveys between 2006 and 2010, but this is a record count rather than a population estimate.

Known national population estimate: Not provided in the supplied documents

Smallest occupied woodland remnant reported: 1 hectare

Murchison survey result: More than 70 new locations identified between 2006 and 2010

Historical trend: Decline and fragmentation documented for Wheatbelt woodland populations

Habitat: Overall habitat

Habitat varies between populations, but all forms depend on secure cavities and nearby cover. The species occurs in dry to semi-arid settings, including woodland remnants, shrubland, rock outcrops and islands.

Western Australian populations occur in open eucalypt woodland, Acacia-dominated shrubland, arid low heath, Spinifex longifolius vegetation, granite outcrops, lateritic breakaways and fractured limestone. Eastern and central Australian populations use dry and semi-arid habitats with rock crevices and hollow timber.

Wheatbelt E. s. badia has been recorded in York Gum, Gimlet and Salmon Gum woodland on heavier clay soils, particularly in the Avon Wheatbelt region. The species can persist in very small remnants, but occupied sites are associated with substantial shelter material.

Climate: Dry to semi-arid; the species is also recorded on arid offshore islands

Named woodland trees: York Gum, Eucalyptus loxophleba; Gimlet, Eucalyptus salubris; Salmon Gum, Eucalyptus salmonophloia

Reported elevation limit: Not provided in the supplied documents

Habitat: Structural habitat features

Important structure includes large fallen logs, overlapping hollow logs, hollow branches, tree hollows, stumps, mallee root piles, rock slabs, limestone caprock, granite crevices and cavities in living shrubs. Accumulations of old corrugated iron, building rubble, railway sleepers, abandoned houses and other structures can provide alternative shelter, although these features should not be removed without a fauna assessment.

In the Wheatbelt, occupied woodland sites had considerable numbers of large fallen logs. Several overlapping logs with multiple openings provide cover and access to a family group.

  • Map all logs, hollow trees, root piles, rock outcrops, limestone slabs and artificial refuge piles before clearing.
  • Retain connected patches of woodland and maintain shelter features within and around the retained patch.
  • Inspect artificial refuges and buildings before demolition or removal.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Gidgee Skink is an omnivore that feeds close to its refuge. It usually makes short excursions rather than travelling widely through open ground.

The diet includes plant material and arthropods. Recorded or reported foods include fruits, seeds, leaves, grasshoppers, grubs, moths, beetles and spiders. Seeds of Nitraria shrubs have been found in Abrolhos faecal pellets.

Juveniles appear to eat a greater proportion of insects than adults. Adult faeces contain more plant material, and the balance can change through summer as food availability changes.

Food types: Vegetation, fruit, seeds and arthropods

Known plant food: Nitraria fruit and seeds; other plant material has been found in faeces

Known animal food: Beetles, grasshoppers, grubs, moths and spiders

  • Retain native shrubs, fruiting plants, leaf litter and ground vegetation around known refuges.
  • Avoid removing logs and rock cover that support the invertebrates used as prey.
  • Treat scat piles as evidence of both refuge occupancy and local feeding activity.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour and range

The species is diurnal and commonly basks beside a crevice, hollow or log before making a short foraging trip. It is wary and may use an ambush strategy, darting from cover to take invertebrates.

Survey guidance states that individuals usually travel only short distances from the refuge for short periods. South Australian family groups have small home ranges. A documented floater moved 300 metres to another outcrop after release, and another movement of at least 350 metres was recorded.

Typical foraging distance: Usually only a few metres from the selected crevice or refuge

Documented longer movement: 300 metres to another outcrop; another individual travelled at least 350 metres

Daily activity: Diurnal, with likely morning and afternoon basking and feeding

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Gidgee Skinks give birth to live young and usually breed within established family groups using secure refuges. Breeding biology is better documented in South Australian populations than in Western Australian populations.

Mating in Western Australia probably occurs from late September to early November. Young are generally born in February and March, although timing varies between locations and a captive or injured Western Australian female gave birth in August. Females may not reproduce every year.

Young are born head first. A female may take from one to several days to complete a litter. Family groups use the same refuges for several years, and sub-adults may remain with the family group for at least three years.

Breeding season: Mating generally late September to early November, with peak activity in October and November

Birth season: Usually February to March in South Australian populations; timing varies by location

Litter size: 1 to 8 live young, average about 5

Gestation: Probably 3 to 4 months

Age at maturity: The supplied documents report females breeding at about 18 months to 2 years and males at about 3 years, based mainly on captive husbandry information

Lifespan: More than 10 years is probable in the wild; captive animals have lived for more than 25 years

Young size: 65 to 95 mm snout to vent length and 5.8 to 10.5 g at birth

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat

Breeding groups require a secure refuge with enough internal space for adults and young, nearby basking sites and access to food. Natural breeding shelters include overlapping hollow logs, tree hollows, rock crevices, limestone slabs and cavities in branches or shrubs.

Because family groups are stable and can occupy a refuge for more than five years, removal of a single occupied log pile, hollow tree or rock shelter can affect adults, juveniles and future recruitment at the same site.

  • Avoid clearing occupied refuges during the late September to March breeding and birth period.
  • Retain several refuge options within each occupied family-group area.
  • Maintain vegetation and woody debris around refuges so young can move between shelters without crossing large areas of open ground.

Sheltering habitat: Natural refuges

Sheltering habitat is the defining site feature for this species. Individuals spend much of the day concealed and usually remain close to the same refuge.

Refuges include narrow limestone and granite crevices, loose limestone slabs, fractured caprock, rock overhangs, hollow logs, overlapping log piles, hollow branches, tree hollows, stumps and piles of mallee roots.

Abrolhos and Baudin Island animals are closely tied to limestone slabs and solution crevices. Wheatbelt animals are most often associated with large fallen timber and hollow roots. The Murchison black form uses horizontal granite crevices and lateritic breakaways.

Family group size: Up to 17 individuals

Reported occupied outcrop: 17 family groups in a 1.5 hectare rock outcrop in South Australia

Refuge size: No standard refuge dimensions are provided

  • Search all potential refuges before ground disturbance, including logs, root piles, hollow trees, rock slabs, breakaways and old structures.
  • Do not roll, split, lift or remove a potential refuge unless the action is covered by an approved fauna management procedure.
  • Keep overlapping logs and multiple openings together because family groups use complex refuge piles.

Sheltering habitat: Artificial and modified refuges

The species may use abandoned houses, cupboards, woodpiles, corrugated iron, building rubble and railway sleepers. These sites can be important where natural woodland structure has been reduced.

Communal scat piles are usually located outside the refuge. They are a useful sign of repeated occupancy and may be used for territory or group scent marking.

  • Inspect abandoned buildings, iron sheets, rubble piles, sleeper stacks and woodpiles before removal.
  • Mark and protect scat piles during site works where they occur beside a potential refuge.
  • If a refuge must be disturbed, obtain species-specific advice and keep the family group together where authorised relocation is required.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main project risks are loss of refuge structure, clearing of woodland remnants and fragmentation of occupied habitat. Risks apply even where only a small patch or a single large log is removed.

Agricultural clearing removed much of the former Wheatbelt woodland habitat and isolated remaining populations. Continuing clearing for farming, mining, roads, rail, ports, power infrastructure and construction can remove both shelter and feeding habitat.

Small remnants may still support family groups. Clearing can also interrupt movement between log piles and reduce genetic exchange and recolonisation after fire, drought or other disturbance.

  • Avoid clearing occupied woodland remnants, large fallen logs, hollow trees, rock outcrops and connected refuge areas.
  • Treat remnants smaller than 5 hectares as potentially suitable habitat rather than assuming they are too small.
  • Map the wider refuge network, not only the location where an animal is first found.

Threats: Woody debris and hydrology

Firewood collection, removal of fallen timber and clean-up of woodlots remove primary shelter. Rising water tables and salinity can prevent recruitment of trees and reduce the future supply of hollow logs.

Changes to fire regimes, grazing, weed encroachment, soil compaction and loss of understorey can reduce both refuge quality and invertebrate food resources.

  • Retain large fallen logs, hollow branches, stumps and root piles in place.
  • Prevent stock, rabbits and feral goats from degrading occupied woodland refuges where practicable.
  • Manage drainage and water movement so that retained woodland and refuge piles are not salinised, waterlogged or eroded.

Threats: Predators, collection and construction disturbance

Known or likely predators include cats, foxes, dingoes, carpet pythons, Woma Pythons, elapid snakes, goannas and birds of prey. Cats have been recorded taking juvenile skinks. Rats and cats caused the loss of the Rat Island population after their introduction.

Illegal collection for the pet trade is a potential threat. Construction traffic and access tracks can increase direct disturbance and predator access, although the supplied documents do not provide a species-specific road mortality rate.

  • Control or exclude introduced predators from island populations and manage domestic cats near occupied mainland sites.
  • Prevent unauthorised collection and do not advertise locations of sensitive groups.
  • Use fauna spotter catchers and exclusion controls when disturbing occupied refuges.

Threats: Fire and disease

Fire can remove logs, hollows and shrub cover, while altered fire regimes can prevent regeneration of woodland structure. The documents identify fire as a pressure but do not define a species-specific fire interval.

The Australian Museum reports the tick Amblyomma vikirri from Gidgee Skinks, with larvae and nymphs commonly attaching around the ears and digits and adult ticks on the posterior back and tail. No disease outbreak affecting wild populations is identified in the supplied documents.

  • Inspect refuge piles and retained woodland after fire and before machinery re-enters the area.
  • Avoid burning or mechanically removing log piles, hollow trees and shrub cover at occupied sites.
  • Record ectoparasites and signs of illness during authorised handling and seek veterinary or wildlife authority advice for abnormal findings.

Survey methodology: 1. Map habitat and refuges first

Survey design must follow the habitat and refuge use of the Gidgee Skink, rather than relying on broad-area trapping. Western Australian populations are difficult to detect because animals usually stay close to shelter sites and may occur in small, isolated groups.

Define the project area and map native vegetation, rock outcrops, limestone, woodland remnants and all potential shelter sites before selecting survey methods.

Prioritise hollow logs, piles of timber or mallee roots, hollow trees and branches, tree stumps, rock crevices, limestone slabs, lateritic breakaways, granite outcrops and abandoned structures.

Record the condition, size and connectivity of each habitat patch, because the species has been recorded in remnants as small as 1 hectare and may occupy human-made refuges such as corrugated iron, rubble and railway sleepers.

Survey methodology: 2. Search shelter sites by hand

Undertake slow, targeted searches of likely refuges, including hollow logs, overlapping log piles, timber roots, hollow branches, rock crevices and exfoliated rock.

Search around the refuge entrance and nearby basking points, then replace or stabilise any cover that is lifted.

Do not break or lever friable limestone, particularly on Baudin Island, and avoid dismantling a refuge unless it is necessary for an approved fauna management action.

Allow extended search time because an intensive survey of 27 days produced only one individual in the Western Australian Wheatbelt.

Best detection locations: Shelter sites and the ground immediately around them

Typical movement from refuge: Usually only a few metres during brief foraging periods

Survey methodology: 3. Observe basking animals and record scats

Conduct direct searches during daylight, particularly in the morning and afternoon when animals are likely to bask close to crevices or other refuges.

Search close to shelter sites rather than walking evenly across unsuitable ground, because the species is wary and usually forages for short periods near its refuge.

Record communal scat piles outside refuges as evidence of use, but treat scats as an indication of presence rather than a population estimate.

Use photographs and precise refuge descriptions for records, and obtain a tissue sample for genetic verification where a record is outside the expected range or could be confused with another taxon.

Likely activity: Diurnal, with morning and afternoon basking and brief foraging periods

Communal evidence: Scat piles commonly occur outside refuges

Survey methodology: 4. Use traps only beside known refuges

Do not rely on broad-area cage trapping, because the species is not readily trapped and generally moves only short distances from shelter.

If trapping is required under an approved survey or fauna management plan, place Elliot traps immediately beside known or strongly suspected shelter sites.

Check the suitability, welfare controls and inspection frequency of any trap method with the relevant state authority and the project fauna specialist before deployment.

Treat a negative trapping result as inconclusive where suitable refuges have not been searched or where the survey has not allowed for the species' low detectability.

Documented trap method: Elliot traps placed close to known individual shelter sites

Survey limitation: Very few individuals may be detected even after intensive searching

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a habitat-led survey that covers every potential refuge within the disturbance footprint and a suitable retained-habitat area around it.
  • Repeat searches when initial results are negative if suitable refuges remain, because the survey guideline records very low detection rates for this subspecies.
  • Record survey dates, start and finish times, weather, observers, search hours, areas searched, refuges inspected, traps and trap nights, animals or signs detected, photographs, tissue samples and habitat condition.
  • Record the taxon or management unit where known, and flag uncertain records for expert identification because Western Australian populations have unresolved taxonomic boundaries.
  • Submit verified records, including reliable negative survey information where requested, to the relevant state wildlife database and provide records to the project approval authority.
  • Report any proposed capture, tissue sampling, translocation or collection under the permits and conditions applying in the relevant state or territory.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat all Western Australian populations and management units as important for project planning. Avoid removing the refuges and woodland structure on which the species depends, especially where habitat is fragmented or occurs on private land.

  • Redesign the disturbance footprint to retain occupied and potential habitat, including hollow logs, overlapping log piles, hollow trees and branches, rock crevices, limestone slabs, granite outcrops, lateritic breakaways and old structures used as refuges.
  • Retain woodland remnants and links between patches, particularly York Gum, Gimlet and Salmon Gum woodland associated with *E. stokesii badia*.
  • Do not remove fallen timber, old root piles, tree stumps, abandoned buildings, corrugated iron or railway sleepers unless they have been assessed and managed under the approved fauna plan.
  • Prevent unnecessary soil compaction, salinity impacts, weed spread and grazing damage around retained habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: Confirm approvals and plan the works

  • Check the current EPBC Act listing for the taxon or subspecies that may occur and refer the action if it may significantly affect nationally listed habitat or individuals.
  • Check Western Australian or other relevant state fauna legislation, survey requirements, collection rules and permits before searching, capturing, handling, sampling or relocating animals.
  • Prepare a species-specific fauna management plan that identifies habitat, survey methods, authorised personnel, exclusion areas, relocation rules, injury response, stop-work triggers and reporting requirements.
  • Stage clearing so retained refuges and nearby habitat remain available while fauna searches, salvage and construction controls are completed.
  • Schedule works with regard to local conditions and the breeding period, noting that Western Australian breeding information is limited, while related records indicate mating in late September to early November and births commonly from February to March.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare and mark the site

  • Complete the pre-clearance survey immediately before disturbance using targeted refuge searches and direct observation.
  • Mark all known and potential refuges, retained woodland, rock features, log piles and no-go areas on plans and on the ground.
  • Use exclusion fencing where it can keep machinery and workers away from retained refuges and direct animals towards safe retained habitat, but have the fauna specialist confirm that fencing will not trap or isolate animals.
  • Brief machine operators and supervisors on the species' appearance, refuge use, handling limits and the stop-work procedure.
  • Photograph and map habitat before removal so that retained and disturbed features can be checked during rehabilitation.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery coordination

Clearance must be supervised where suitable refuges occur. The fauna spotter catcher should control the sequence of inspection, removal and machinery movement, with work stopping when an animal or an unassessed refuge is encountered.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, retained habitat and access routes at the start of each workday and after heavy weather or vehicle damage.
  • Keep machinery outside marked habitat until the fauna spotter catcher has inspected the work area and released it for clearance.
  • Clear progressively in small sections, moving from the disturbed edge towards retained habitat so animals have an opportunity to remain in or move into safe refuges.
  • Require the operator to stop immediately when the spotter catcher identifies a skink, a potential refuge, a log pile, a rock feature or another unassessed habitat element.
  • Do not allow workers to chase animals, dismantle refuges without direction, or place spoil, vehicles or materials against retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: Manage logs, rocks and other refuges

  • Inspect hollow logs, timber piles, mallee roots, tree hollows, stumps, rock crevices, limestone slabs, granite outcrops, lateritic breakaways and human-made refuges before they are moved or destroyed.
  • Where a refuge must be removed, have the fauna spotter catcher direct its careful dismantling and retain suitable logs, rocks and other materials for placement in nearby habitat.
  • Replace lifted cover and stabilise retained rocks so that refuges remain secure and cannot collapse onto animals.
  • Do not damage friable limestone while searching or handling habitat features.
  • Keep salvaged material within the same local habitat where practicable, and document its original and replacement locations.

During habitat disturbance: If a Gidgee Skink is found

  • Stop work within the immediate area and keep people, vehicles and machinery away from the animal and its refuge.
  • Allow the animal to retreat into a retained refuge where this can occur safely and the work area can be redesigned or excluded.
  • Only an appropriately authorised and experienced person may capture or handle the skink, and handling must be limited to what is required for safety, identification, approved salvage or veterinary treatment.
  • Keep the animal with its original family group and associated refuge material where an approved translocation is necessary, because the species lives in stable groups of related individuals.
  • Relocate only under the approved plan and permit, to nearby suitable retained habitat with shelter, and record the release location and habitat condition.
  • Place injured animals with a veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer as soon as possible, and record the incident and treatment pathway.
  • Do not retain, collect or transport an animal for private keeping or public display.

During habitat disturbance: Stop work and record events

  • Stop work if an animal is found, if a previously unmapped refuge is identified, if exclusion fencing fails, or if the approved fauna management controls cannot be followed.
  • Escalate any suspected death, injury, unauthorised capture, unexpected locality or possible taxonomic mismatch to the project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority.
  • Record the date, time, coordinates, observer, activity, habitat feature, animal condition, photographs, identification evidence, action taken, release or treatment location and names of authorised personnel.
  • Update the site map daily to show cleared areas, retained refuges, relocated materials, exclusion zones and any outstanding searches.

After habitat disturbance: Complete post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must confirm that no animals or usable refuges were left within the disturbance area and that retained habitat remains functional. Monitoring should focus on refuge use, habitat condition and any new threats created by the project.

  • Inspect the cleared footprint and the edges of retained habitat after machinery leaves, focusing on remaining logs, roots, rocks, rubble, corrugated iron and tree hollows.
  • Check exclusion fences, access tracks, spoil areas and drainage works for trapped, injured or displaced skinks.
  • Confirm that all approved salvaged refuges were placed as planned and that machinery has not crushed or buried them.
  • Report any animal, scat pile or damaged refuge found after clearance under the project's stop-work and incident procedure.

After habitat disturbance: Monitor retained habitat

  • Repeat targeted searches of retained refuges and nearby habitat at intervals set by the approval or fauna management plan.
  • Use direct observation of basking animals, refuge inspections where safe, and searches for communal scat piles as monitoring methods.
  • Compare post-work records with the pre-clearance map, including the number and condition of refuge sites, woodland area, connectivity and signs of grazing, weeds, fire or predation.
  • Treat a lack of detections as inconclusive unless the approved monitoring effort and habitat coverage have been completed, because detection can be very low.

After habitat disturbance: Maintain controls and report outcomes

  • Maintain exclusion fencing, no-go markers, access controls and retained habitat protection for the period specified in the approval.
  • Control introduced predators, rabbits, goats, domestic stock and other threats where they affect retained habitat or relocated animals.
  • Provide the approval authority and relevant wildlife database with survey, incident, relocation, monitoring and rehabilitation results.
  • Apply any required offset or conservation agreement where residual impacts remain after avoidance, minimisation and rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild refuge habitat

Rehabilitation should restore the refuge structure and woodland function used by the species. Planting alone is not enough where the project has removed the logs, hollows, rocks and connected habitat that provide shelter.

  • Retain and reinstate large fallen logs, overlapping log piles, mallee roots, tree stumps, hollow branches, rocks and slabs in stable arrangements that provide multiple openings and cover.
  • Use local rock and timber material where available, and place refuges close to retained woodland or rock habitat rather than in exposed cleared areas.
  • Protect hollow-bearing trees and retain suitable dead timber for future refuge formation.
  • Install artificial refuges only where the fauna specialist and approval authority consider them suitable, and do not treat nest boxes as a substitute for retaining natural logs, hollows and rock crevices.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore vegetation and connectivity

  • Re-establish open woodland and shrub structure appropriate to the local population, including York Gum, Gimlet, Salmon Gum or Acacia-dominated vegetation where those communities are naturally present.
  • Link isolated remnants where the project has created a gap, while retaining access to logs, tree hollows and rock features.
  • Control weeds and prevent soil compaction around regenerated woodland and refuge piles.
  • Manage grazing by domestic stock, rabbits and feral goats so that seedlings, ground cover and future fallen timber can develop.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage fire, predators and other threats

  • Develop fire management that protects refuge piles, hollow trees and woodland regeneration while maintaining appropriate local ecological processes.
  • Prevent domestic cats, foxes, rats and other introduced predators from entering retained or rehabilitated habitat, with particular attention to island populations where rats and cats have previously been associated with loss of a population.
  • Prevent new roads, stock access, rubbish removal or clean-up activities from removing replacement refuges after rehabilitation.
  • Monitor salinity, rising water tables, erosion and drainage changes where they may reduce woodland condition or the supply of fallen timber.

Rehabilitation actions: Measure rehabilitation success

  • Set success measures for survival of planted woodland, retention and condition of refuge piles, weed and grazing control, connectivity, predator control and evidence of skink use.
  • Inspect rehabilitated habitat after establishment and after major disturbance events, and repair collapsed refuges, damaged fencing or failed plantings.
  • Use direct sightings, basking observations and communal scat piles as indicators of use, while recognising that absence of detection does not by itself demonstrate failure.
  • Continue monitoring until the approval authority accepts that habitat structure and threat controls are stable.

Sources