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Glossy Grass Skink (Pseudemoia rawlinsoni)

The glossy grass skink is a small, diurnal, live-bearing lizard restricted to moist, densely vegetated wetlands, swamps and some brackish marshes in south-eastern Australia. On development sites, clearing, drainage, fire, roads and loss of dense ground cover can directly remove habitat, kill animals and isolate small, disjunct populations.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

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

Breeding season

The glossy grass skink mates in autumn, with females recorded carrying developing young from October to January. Births are reported in mid to late summer, so avoid clearing dense wetland vegetation from late spring through summer where practicable, and confirm local timing before works.

Reproductive mode: Live-bearing, or viviparous.

Litter size: Usually 4 to 8 live young. Museum specimens had a mean litter size of 4.65, with a range of 1 to 9, from 20 females.

Incubation or gestation: Not recorded.

Size at hatching or birth: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Approximately 3 years, at about 40 mm snout to vent length.

Nest or egg sites: No nest site is recorded. Births are expected within occupied, moist and densely vegetated wetland or swamp habitat.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Confirm timing locally before clearing, particularly because rainfall, temperature and wetland conditions may shift mating, pregnancy, birth and surface activity between sites and years.

  • Mating: Mating occurs in autumn, from March to May. The documents do not identify a peak month or mating behaviour.
  • Gravid females: Females with oviducal eggs or developing young have been collected from 15 October to 28 January. No peak month or gestation length is recorded.
  • Births: Young are produced in mid to late summer, which is represented here as January to February. The exact birth dates and birthing sites are not recorded.
  • Newborns: Newborns are expected after the documented mid to late summer birth period, mainly in January and February. The duration of dependence and juvenile emergence period are not recorded.
  • Active period: A species-specific seasonal activity period is not recorded. This general temperate reptile pattern indicates greatest surface activity from spring through autumn, with activity reduced in winter; the species is diurnal.
  • Winter inactivity: Brumation and winter inactivity are not recorded for this species. For temperate wetland habitat, June to August is treated as the period when animals are more likely to shelter in dense vegetation and leaf litter and be less able to avoid machinery.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk increases from October when gravid females have been recorded, and is highest from November to February because works may affect gravid females, births and newborns in dense wetland cover. Habitat and hydrology impacts remain possible in every month.

Identification

The glossy grass skink is a small, slim skink with very glossy scales and a distinctive pale stripe along each side of the body. It is most likely to be encountered moving through dense wetland vegetation during daylight.

The back is yellowish brown to olive-brown and usually lacks contrasting flecks or spots. A dark brown vertebral line runs along the back, with occasional narrow lines beside it. The cream dorso-lateral stripe is centred on the third scale row from the middle of the back, is often dark-edged above and below, and runs from the base of the tail to the neck without continuing onto the head.

A second pale stripe runs from the upper lip past the eye and ear, then continues behind the ear along the body and onto the tail. The upper lateral zone between these stripes is broad and brown. The underside is whitish to pale bronze.

Maximum snout to vent length: 65 mm

Mean adult snout to vent length: 50.1 mm

Mid-body scale rows: 23 to 30 in the species description, with 25 to 30 in the measured sample

  • Look for 23 to 30 rows of glossy mid-body scales, with faint three-part keels on the dorsal scales.
  • The lower eyelid has a large transparent disc, and the outer part of the eye is paler than the pupil.
  • The tail is usually long relative to the body, although tail length is variable and regenerated tails may occur.

Identification: Sex and size

Females tend to have larger bodies, longer interlimb lengths, longer snout to axilla lengths and wider tails. Males tend to have larger heads and longer fore and hind limbs. Males do not develop bright lateral breeding colours.

The measured adult sample included females from 40.0 to 65.2 mm snout to vent length and males from 40.7 to 60.1 mm. Weight was not reported in the supplied documents.

Female mean snout to vent length: 51.0 mm, range 40.0 to 65.2 mm

Male mean snout to vent length: 49.3 mm, range 40.7 to 60.1 mm

Weight: Not reported in the supplied documents

Identification: Similar small skinks and field signs

The supplied documents do not provide a formal comparison with all similar skinks. Identification should therefore use the combined pattern of glossy scales, the cream stripe extending from the neck towards the tail but not onto the head, the upper-lip stripe continuing behind the ear, and the wetland habitat.

No species-specific tracks, scats, calls, nests, sloughs or eyeshine are described in the supplied documents. Do not rely on these signs alone for identification. Capture, photograph and release animals only under the relevant permit and project procedure.

  • Do not identify a small grass skink from habitat alone. Confirm the body pattern and scale characters where practicable.
  • Record the exact wetland feature, vegetation type and location when an animal is found, because populations are disjunct and habitat connectivity is a conservation concern.

Distribution: States and regions

The glossy grass skink has a broad but discontinuous distribution across south-eastern Australia. Records include lowland coastal wetlands, inland South Australian wetlands, Tasmanian wetlands, Victorian sites and high country locations.

Confirmed material and records in the supplied studies represent South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. The Victorian range is concentrated in coastal and near-coastal areas but extends inland to the east of Melbourne and possibly farther north.

The broader range includes high country records from Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, with the supplied research noting alpine-region populations in Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. The documents do not provide a complete national bioregion list.

Victorian area of occupancy estimate: 496 km², calculated from accepted post-1970 records using 2 by 2 km grids

Genetic lineages: Seven broad lineages: Australian Capital Territory, eastern Victoria, central Victoria, western Victoria, Tasmania, inland South Australia and coastal South Australia

  • South Australia: coastal and inland wetland records, including the Lake Ormerod, Bool Lagoon, Silky Tea Tree Swamp and Millicent area samples.
  • Victoria: western, central and eastern populations, including Port Fairy, Queenscliff, Swan Bay, Yering, Tooradin and Warringine Park samples.
  • Tasmania: a population near the North Esk River, approximately 4.2 km south-east of Burns Creek, is represented in the genetic study.
  • Australian Capital Territory and adjacent high country: a sample from Mount Bimberi represents the ACT genetic lineage.

Distribution: Strongholds and population structure

The supplied documents do not identify a single national stronghold or provide reliable population counts. Known concentrations of records and sampling include coastal and near-coastal Victorian wetlands, coastal and inland South Australian wetlands, and separate Tasmanian and high country populations.

Populations are described as disjunct and severely fragmented in Victoria. Genetic results support one species with seven geographically structured mitochondrial lineages, although the study did not establish that these are separate subspecies or management units.

Historical site persistence: A related field study cited in the 2024 paper found that the species had disappeared from approximately 50% of historical sites.

Cleared predicted range: Approximately one third of the predicted range was reported to occur in cleared agricultural land considered likely to be unsuitable.

Mature population size: Not known

  • Treat each occupied wetland and connected wetland complex as potentially important until survey and genetic information show otherwise.
  • Maintain habitat links between occupied wetlands where possible, because the species may disperse poorly across cleared or fragmented areas.

Habitat: Wetland habitat

Glossy grass skinks are restricted to wet or swampy environments with dense vegetation. Habitat loss and drainage have reduced the available habitat substantially across the species' range.

The species inhabits moist, densely vegetated wetlands and swamps, including brackish marshes. Victorian habitat has been greatly reduced by clearing and draining swamps over the past 200 years.

Suitable habitat may occur in coastal wetlands, near-coastal swamps, inland South Australian wetlands, Tasmanian wetland areas and some higher-elevation wet environments.

Habitat type: Wetlands, swamps and brackish marshes

Vegetation condition: Moist and densely vegetated

Elevation limits: Not defined in the supplied documents. Lowland habitat forms most of the range, with additional high country and alpine-region records.

  • Prioritise inspection of wetland margins, swamp vegetation and densely vegetated depressions before clearing or ground disturbance.
  • Include brackish marshes and wetland areas that are seasonally wet, rather than restricting searches to open permanent water.
  • Map connected wetland vegetation and narrow vegetated links, not only the wettest central part of a swamp.

Habitat: Structure and hydrology

Dense vegetative cover is a key structural requirement because the species does not burrow and uses vegetation for shelter. The documents do not identify particular plant species, stem densities or minimum patch sizes.

Drainage, increased drying and warming can reduce habitat quality. Development can also create barriers between populations, even where some wetland vegetation remains.

  • Retain dense ground and low vegetation around occupied or potentially suitable wetlands.
  • Avoid drainage, infilling, prolonged dewatering and changes to wetland water regimes.
  • Assess the effect of access tracks, roads, fencing and construction compounds on movement between wetland patches.

Foraging habitat: Foraging setting

The supplied documents do not report the glossy grass skink's diet, prey species or foraging range. Field management should therefore protect the moist, densely vegetated habitat used by the species while avoiding assumptions about a narrow food plant or prey association.

The species is diurnal and heliothermic, so it is active during daylight and uses sun-exposed periods within or beside dense wetland vegetation. The documents do not state whether it feeds mainly on the ground, in foliage or at the wetland edge.

No food plants, prey taxa, feeding rates, home range or foraging distance are provided.

Diet: Not reported in the supplied documents

Foraging range: Not reported in the supplied documents

Activity period: Diurnal and heliothermic

  • Retain both dense cover and nearby open or partly sunlit patches within wetland habitat, because the species is active by day and must thermoregulate.
  • Avoid broad vegetation removal around wetland margins until targeted fauna assessment has established whether the area is occupied.
  • Do not infer absence from a lack of visible animals during one search, because the species is small and populations are disjunct.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

The glossy grass skink is a live-bearing skink that produces young in mid to late summer. Breeding habitat is expected to be within the moist, densely vegetated wetlands and swamps occupied by adults.

Females give birth to live young rather than laying eggs. The supplied documents do not report gestation length, mating dates or a separate birthing site. Female body size is positively associated with litter size.

Dense vegetation is likely to be particularly important during the period when females are carrying young and when newborn skinks are using cover. The species does not burrow, so disturbance to surface vegetation can remove both shelter and breeding habitat.

Breeding and birth season: Young are produced in mid to late summer

Litter size: Mean 4.65, range 1 to 9, based on 20 museum specimens

Maximum reported litter size: Up to 9 young

Gestation: Not reported in the supplied documents

Age at sexual maturity: Approximately 3 years

Size at sexual maturity: Approximately 40 mm snout to vent length

Lifespan: An average lifespan of approximately 7 years was assumed from similar-sized south-eastern Australian skinks for generation-length calculations. Species-specific longevity remains uncertain.

Generation length: Approximately 5 years

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding sites are not described separately from general habitat. The best-supported breeding habitat is moist, densely vegetated wetland or swamp habitat, including suitable brackish marshes, with intact cover during the summer birth period.

Avoid clearing, slashing, burning, drainage and vehicle movement through dense wetland vegetation during the period when young are being produced and are likely to remain close to cover.

  • Retain dense vegetation across the wetland, its margins and any vegetated connections to nearby wet areas.
  • Keep construction runoff, sediment, pollutants and altered water flows away from occupied or potentially suitable breeding habitat.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher and species-specific handling procedure if animals are found during authorised works.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and refuge

The glossy grass skink shelters in vegetation rather than in burrows. Maintaining continuous, dense ground and low vegetation is therefore a direct habitat protection measure.

The species relies on vegetative cover for shelter and does not burrow. The supplied documents do not report use of logs, rocks, tree hollows, artificial refuges or particular plant species.

Cleared conditions after fire are poorly tolerated. Removal of dense cover can expose animals to heat, predators and disturbance and can prevent recolonisation of isolated wetland patches.

Burrows: The species does not burrow

Known refuge type: Vegetative cover

Refuge dimensions: Not reported in the supplied documents

  • Retain dense wetland vegetation, litter and low cover wherever practicable.
  • Avoid unnecessary slashing, mowing, burning and machinery access through swamp vegetation.
  • Inspect vegetation that must be removed before disturbance, and keep any captured animal in suitable temporary cover until release in accordance with permit and project procedures.
  • Do not assume that a treeless or open wetland is unsuitable if dense cover occurs elsewhere in the wetland complex.

Sheltering habitat: Fire and post-fire cover

Fire can directly kill glossy grass skinks. The species relies on vegetation for shelter, has poor tolerance of cleared conditions after fire and may be particularly exposed where fire removes dense wetland cover.

Post-fire predation by feral carnivores and disturbance by feral herbivores are identified threats. Recovery may be slow because generation length is approximately 5 years and isolated populations may have little chance of recolonisation.

  • Retain unburnt refuge vegetation where possible during fire planning and post-fire works.
  • Avoid clearing surviving dense cover after fire unless required for safety, and assess occupied wetland habitat before rehabilitation works.
  • Control access by feral herbivores and feral predators where this forms part of an approved conservation or project management program.

Threats: Clearing, development and roads

The main risks are loss and degradation of wetland habitat, hydrology change, fragmentation and fire. Small, disjunct populations may be especially vulnerable because roads and development can prevent recolonisation.

Residential, industrial and agricultural development and road construction have removed or degraded swamp habitat. Clearing can kill animals directly, remove dense shelter and reduce the area available for breeding and feeding.

Roads and development create barriers between populations. This is a particular concern where wetland patches are already small or isolated.

Victorian population condition: The species is estimated to be severely fragmented, with some small populations potentially not viable.

Victorian area of occupancy: 496 km² based on accepted post-1970 records

  • Survey all moist, densely vegetated wetlands, swamps and brackish marshes within the impact area before clearing.
  • Avoid direct impacts to occupied habitat and retain vegetated links between wetland patches.
  • Minimise the width and duration of access routes through wetland vegetation.
  • Prevent machinery, spoil, compounds and stockpiles from encroaching on wetland habitat.

Threats: Hydrology and climate

Draining swamps has greatly reduced habitat. Increased drying and warming associated with climate change may further reduce wetland suitability.

Hydrology changes can affect habitat even where vegetation is not cleared. Dewatering, altered runoff, changed inundation or prolonged drying should be treated as potential habitat impacts.

  • Maintain wetland water levels and flows as far as practicable during construction.
  • Control sediment, pollutants and turbid runoff entering wetlands and marshes.
  • Assess indirect drying effects from drains, pumping, road embankments and altered stormwater pathways.

Threats: Fire, predators and feral animals

More frequent fires can cause direct mortality and remove the vegetative cover needed for shelter. Feral carnivores may increase predation after fire, while feral herbivores can disturb wetland vegetation and post-fire recovery.

The supplied documents do not identify a disease affecting the species. Invasive species sensitivity remains poorly known.

Fire exposure: Approximately 25% of the species' range was reported as affected by the 2019 to 2020 bushfires in the Victorian assessment.

Fire response: Direct fire mortality is reported, and the species has poor tolerance of cleared post-fire conditions.

  • Avoid planned burning in occupied or potentially suitable wetland habitat unless supported by a species-specific ecological assessment.
  • Retain unburnt vegetation refuges during fire management and fire recovery works.
  • Manage feral herbivore and feral predator access where supported by the project approval and management plan.
  • Apply clean equipment and hygiene procedures when moving between wetlands, even though a species-specific disease threat has not been reported in the supplied documents.

Threats: Fragmentation and recovery

The species may not disperse readily across fragmented areas. Genetic structure across seven regional lineages suggests that loss of connectivity may reduce movement and genetic exchange, although further sampling is needed to confirm the extent of this effect.

A generation length of approximately 5 years means that recovery from local declines may take several years or more. The species had disappeared from approximately half of historical sites in a related field study cited by the 2024 research paper.

Genetic divergence among regional lineages: Approximately 0.92% to 5.13% in mitochondrial DNA

Estimated generation length: 5 years

  • Treat occupied wetland patches as connected habitat units where possible, rather than assessing only the footprint of direct clearing.
  • Retain vegetated corridors and avoid creating new barriers between wetlands.
  • Record all observations and habitat impacts accurately so that local persistence and recolonisation can be assessed over time.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and survey design

Survey the Glossy Grass Skink in and around moist, densely vegetated wetlands, swamps and brackish marshes. The species is diurnal and relies on vegetation for shelter, but the supplied documents do not provide a species-specific survey guideline or minimum survey effort, so the project ecologist must apply the relevant state survey standard and approval conditions.

Map all wetlands, swamps, brackish marshes, dense wet vegetation and connecting vegetation within the proposed impact area and nearby retained habitat.

Include habitat that appears degraded or partly cleared because the species has a disjunct distribution, has disappeared from about 50% of historical sites, and may be affected by barriers between populations.

Design survey areas to cover the impact footprint, retained wetland edges, connecting vegetation and likely relocation habitat.

Habitat: Wetlands or swamps, including brackish marshes, with moist, densely vegetated cover

Victorian estimated area of occupancy: 496 square kilometres, based on 2 by 2 kilometre grids from accepted post-1970 records

  • Record the wetland type, vegetation structure, surface moisture, drainage condition, evidence of clearing, roads and other barriers at each survey area.
  • Search both the proposed work area and suitable retained habitat because small populations may be isolated and recolonisation may be unlikely if a local population is lost.
  • Use the current state survey guideline and any project approval to set the number, spacing and duration of transects or trapping sites.

Survey methodology: 2. Diurnal active searches

Undertake targeted daytime searches through dense wetland vegetation, particularly along moist edges and areas with continuous ground cover.

Search when skinks are likely to be active and able to bask, while avoiding conditions in which heavy rain, cold or excessive heat is likely to reduce detection.

The species is diurnal and heliothermic, so searches should focus on daylight activity and basking opportunities rather than night spotlighting.

Activity: Diurnal and heliothermic

Breeding and young: Viviparous, producing up to 9 young in mid to late summer

  • Walk slowly through suitable vegetation and inspect the ground, low vegetation and sheltered margins without unnecessarily trampling cover.
  • Search around drainage margins, wet depressions, tussocks, dense grass, low shrubs and other vegetated shelter features.
  • Record the date, start and finish time, weather, observer names, route length or area searched, habitat condition and all detections.
  • Use repeated visits where the first search is affected by unsuitable weather or poor visibility.

Survey methodology: 3. Trapping and supplementary detection

Use trapping only where it is authorised, suitable for the wetland and included in the project fauna management plan.

Because the supplied documents do not specify trap type, trap density, trap nights, transect length or minimum search hours for this species, do not apply an invented effort standard.

Select methods that minimise drowning, overheating, exposure and disturbance to wetland vegetation, and follow the applicable state fauna survey guideline.

Species-specific trap effort: Not specified in the supplied documents

Documented field sampling period: October 2021 to April 2022, at six Victorian sites

  • Obtain approval before deploying traps or handling reptiles.
  • Use appropriate shelter and checking arrangements for any live traps, and suspend trapping during unsafe weather or wetland conditions.
  • Inspect traps at the frequency required by the relevant state guideline and approval, and release captured animals promptly at the capture location unless an authorised relocation is required.
  • Treat negative results cautiously because the species is restricted to fragmented wetland habitat, has poor tolerance of cleared conditions after fire, and may occur in small isolated populations.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Do not describe the site as free of Glossy Grass Skinks solely because a single visit produced no detections.
  • Report the survey dates, daylight hours, weather, observers, methods, effort, locations, habitat condition, photographs, GPS tracks and all positive and negative results.
  • Submit confirmed records and accurate negative survey information to the relevant state wildlife database, following the database requirements for coordinates, evidence and observer details.
  • Provide records to the project approval authority and include them in the ecological assessment, fauna management plan and pre-clearance report.
  • Escalate any detection, suspected habitat loss or unexpected population concentration to the project ecologist and the relevant state wildlife authority before works proceed.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid clearing wetland habitat wherever practicable. The species has a restricted wetland association, a disjunct distribution and habitat that has been reduced by development, roads and drainage.

Main habitat threats: Residential, industrial and agricultural development, roading, drainage, clearing, drying and warming, fire, feral herbivores and feral carnivores

  • Retain wetlands, swamps, brackish marshes and their dense vegetated margins within and adjoining the work area.
  • Avoid drainage, infilling, drying, sedimentation and changes to wetland water regimes.
  • Retain continuous vegetation between occupied or suitable wetland patches because roads and development can create barriers between populations.
  • Keep machinery, vehicle access, stockpiles and temporary works outside retained wetland vegetation and potential relocation habitat.
  • Avoid removing low vegetation and shelter cover that the species uses because it does not burrow and relies on vegetative cover for shelter.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Victorian status in supplied assessment: Proposed Endangered, with criteria A3ce and B2ab(iii,iv,v)

South Australian status: Vulnerable

Tasmanian status: Rare

  • Check whether the proposed action requires an EPBC Act referral or approval because the species is identified in the project brief as nationally Vulnerable.
  • Obtain the relevant state permits and approvals before survey, trapping, handling, relocation, clearing or wetland alteration.
  • Confirm state requirements for Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, where the supplied material identifies the species as Endangered, Vulnerable and Rare respectively.
  • Prepare a species-specific fauna management plan that sets out survey methods, authorised handlers, relocation arrangements, stop-work triggers, injury response and reporting.
  • Stage works to retain wetland connectivity and undisturbed refuge habitat until the impact area has been cleared under supervision.
  • Schedule works outside periods of high fire risk and avoid drying or warming conditions that could further reduce available wetland cover.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete a targeted pre-clearance survey of all suitable wetland vegetation within the disturbance footprint and along access routes.
  • Mark the approved clearing boundary, retained wetland vegetation, movement corridors and no-go areas before machinery arrives.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can keep machinery and people out of retained wetland habitat without blocking skink movement between connected refuge areas.
  • Brief machinery operators and fauna spotter catchers on the species identification features, wetland habitat, handling limits and stop-work procedure.
  • Confirm a nearby retained wetland release area before any authorised relocation is undertaken.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher duties

Use a slow, supervised clearing process that protects wetland cover and allows animals to move into retained habitat. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to stop machinery when a skink or suitable habitat is encountered.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, retained habitat and access routes before work starts each day.
  • Keep the fauna spotter catcher between the active machinery and the retained wetland or refuge direction where this can be done safely.
  • Clear progressively in small sections towards retained habitat, rather than isolating or surrounding animals with machinery.
  • Maintain a clear communication method between the spotter catcher, machine operator, supervisor and project ecologist.
  • Stop work during unsafe weather, loss of visibility, flooding, fire or any condition that prevents effective animal detection and handling.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat and animal handling

Shelter and movement: The species does not burrow, relies on vegetative cover for shelter and may have poor tolerance of cleared conditions after fire

  • Protect dense wetland vegetation, logs, rocks, ground cover and other shelter features unless their removal is approved and supervised.
  • Do not drain, pump, fill or unnecessarily disturb wetland depressions while fauna clearance is in progress.
  • If a skink is found, stop nearby machinery and allow the authorised fauna handler to assess it before work resumes.
  • Handle the animal only if the person is authorised under the permit and fauna management plan.
  • Release a healthy animal into nearby retained habitat with suitable dense vegetation, outside the machinery exclusion zone and as close as practicable to the capture site.
  • Do not move an animal across a road, cleared area or other barrier unless the approved relocation plan specifically allows it.
  • Place an injured animal in a secure, ventilated container and transfer it promptly to the nominated reptile veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer.
  • Do not attempt to keep, rehabilitate or relocate the animal outside the approved process.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work in the immediate area if a Glossy Grass Skink is detected until the animal is safely released or transferred for treatment.
  • Stop work if clearing enters unapproved wetland habitat, a movement corridor or a retained refuge area.
  • Stop work if more animals are found than anticipated, if the release area is unsuitable or if the approved handling capacity is exceeded.
  • Record every detection, capture, injury, relocation, death, treatment, release location, time, weather, habitat condition and personnel involved.
  • Photograph the animal and record a precise GPS location where this can be done without delaying safe release or increasing handling time.
  • Notify the project ecologist and relevant authority immediately of any death, significant injury, unauthorised habitat disturbance or repeated detections.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must confirm that animals have not been left in isolated habitat and that retained wetlands and movement connections remain functional.

  • Inspect the cleared footprint, wetland margins, exclusion fencing and retained habitat after each clearing stage.
  • Search machinery, stockpiles, disturbed vegetation and isolated patches of cover for animals before the area is released to construction crews.
  • Check that drainage, sediment controls and temporary access works have not dried, inundated or fragmented retained wetland habitat.
  • Remove temporary barriers that prevent movement between retained habitat patches when the approved work stage is complete.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Known population pattern: Populations are often disjunct, and the habitat is reduced and fragmented

  • Continue targeted monitoring where animals were detected, where habitat was retained beside clearing, or where the approval requires post-clearance monitoring.
  • Use the same location records and survey methods where practicable so detections can be compared across work stages.
  • Report monitoring results, incidents, relocations, injuries, deaths, habitat changes and corrective actions to the project ecologist and approval authority.
  • Update the relevant state wildlife database with confirmed records and any required project monitoring data.
  • Maintain wetland exclusion fencing, sediment controls, weed controls and access restrictions until the project ecologist confirms that they are no longer needed.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and corrective action

  • Apply any EPBC Act, state approval or planning offset requirement specified for the affected wetland habitat or species.
  • Use offsets or supplementary actions that protect and improve suitable wetland habitat, retain connectivity and address the identified project impact.
  • Review the work method and increase protection if monitoring shows drying, weed invasion, predator access, loss of vegetation cover or repeated animal mortality.

Rehabilitation actions: Wetland and vegetation restoration

Rehabilitation should restore moist, densely vegetated wetland habitat and reconnect retained patches. The aim is to replace shelter and movement cover, not simply to revegetate cleared ground.

Required habitat condition: Moist, densely vegetated wetland or swamp habitat, including brackish marshes

  • Reinstate wetland hydrology and prevent avoidable drainage, drying and sediment accumulation.
  • Replant locally appropriate wetland and swamp vegetation that will provide dense ground and low shrub cover.
  • Restore continuous vegetated links between wetland patches wherever the project has created a gap.
  • Use local provenance plants where required by the approval and select species suited to the wetland or brackish marsh type.
  • Keep rehabilitation areas free from vehicle access, stockpiles and unnecessary mowing until dense shelter cover has developed.

Rehabilitation actions: Shelter, weeds, predators and fire

Fire response: Fires can cause direct mortality; about 25% of the species' range was reported as affected by the 2019 to 2020 bushfires in the Victorian assessment

  • Retain or reinstate natural ground cover, logs and rocks where they occur naturally and where doing so does not alter wetland hydrology.
  • Do not rely on hollow-bearing trees or nest boxes as the primary rehabilitation measure because the supplied documents identify wetland vegetation and ground cover as the species' main habitat and shelter.
  • Control weeds that replace dense native wetland cover, using methods that do not drain or contaminate the wetland.
  • Manage feral herbivore access and feral predator risks around retained and restored habitat.
  • Prepare fire management that reduces the risk of high-intensity fire affecting wetland cover while avoiding inappropriate burning of occupied habitat.
  • Do not leave newly cleared or burned areas as the only available refuge because the species is directly killed by fire and has poor tolerance of cleared conditions after fire.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Generation length: Approximately 5 years

Sexual maturity: Approximately 3 years, at around 40 millimetres snout to vent length

  • Monitor plant establishment, wetland moisture, native vegetation cover, weed cover, feral animal activity, connectivity and evidence of erosion or drainage.
  • Use repeat daytime searches in suitable weather to check whether restored areas are being used, applying the relevant state survey standard for effort.
  • Treat successful rehabilitation as more than plant survival: the site should provide persistent moist, dense native cover and a connection to retained suitable habitat.
  • Investigate and correct drying, weed dominance, predator activity, fire damage or renewed fragmentation if monitoring shows that suitable cover is not developing.
  • Report rehabilitation results and any Glossy Grass Skink records to the project ecologist, approval authority and relevant state wildlife database.

Sources