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Great Desert Skink (Liopholis kintorei)

The Great Desert Skink is a large, social, burrowing lizard of the Australian arid zone, occurring in scattered populations across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia. It is listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and may be affected by clearing, infrastructure placement, road mortality, disturbance of burrow systems, altered fire regimes and increased predation after fire.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

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

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Great Desert Skinks mate mainly in September and October, give birth from November to February, and shelter in communal burrow systems during winter. Clearing can harm animals inside burrows even when no animals are visible, so avoid disturbance from September to February and protect burrows during winter works.

Reproductive mode: Viviparous, with live birth.

Litter size: 1 to 7 young.

Gestation: About 10 to 11 weeks.

Size at birth: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Most mature at about 2 years. Males may not breed until their third year.

Nest or egg sites: Young are born in or associated with communal burrow systems. Complexes can be up to 13 m in diameter, with up to 20 entrances, and may contain adults and several generations of young.

Breeding frequency: Females can produce young in successive years, and burrow systems may have annual breeding success.

Confirm timing locally before works, because rainfall and temperature can affect emergence, activity and breeding timing across the arid range.

  • Mating: Mating mainly occurs in September and October. Males move between nearby burrow systems during this period, and their testes are enlarged in September and October.
  • Gravid females: Specific records for gravid females are not available. Based on the reported 10 to 11 week gestation and births from November to February, females may carry embryos from September through February, depending on mating and birth timing.
  • Births: Births occur from November to February, with December to February reported most consistently. Litters contain 1 to 7 young, or 1 to 5 in some sources.
  • Newborns: Newborns are most likely to be present from November to February, following the recorded birth period. Young remain associated with family or communal burrow systems rather than emerging from nests.
  • Active period: The main surface-active period is September to April. Monitoring records describe the species as most active between September and April, with foraging in the evening, after dark and during cooler parts of the day.
  • Winter inactivity: Most animals enter hibernation by the end of May, although some may wait until mid June, and emerge in September or October. Burrows remain occupied and may shelter animals through the cooler months, even when there is no surface activity.
  • Highest clearing risk: September to February is the highest practical risk period because mating adults, pregnant females, births and young may be present around occupied burrow systems. May to August also carries a risk of killing animals sheltering in hibernation chambers, while March and April are the lower-risk months in this seasonal pattern.

Identification

The Great Desert Skink is a large, smooth-scaled skink with a blunt head, a robust body and a contrasting pale to yellow underside. On development sites, burrow systems and communal latrines are often easier to detect than the animals themselves.

Adults are generally orange, reddish brown, dull brown or grey above, with a creamy, lemon yellow or grey underside. Adult males may have blue-grey flanks. Females and juveniles are often brown or barred with orange and cream. The tail may become swollen after good seasons because it stores fat.

Maximum total length: About 440 to 450 mm

Body mass: Up to 350 g

Average snout to vent length: About 200 mm

Identification: Distinguishing features

Adults are larger than other burrowing desert Liopholis and Egernia skinks. The main potential confusion species are the night skink, Egernia striata, Egernia inornata and Slater's skink, Liopholis slateri, especially when the Great Desert Skink is juvenile.

Juveniles and small individuals should be supported by a clear colour photograph and, where necessary, expert or museum confirmation. The Great Desert Skink usually has 43 to 52 longitudinal scale rows at midbody, commonly more than 46, and usually 8 to 9 supralabial scales. The other similar burrowing species generally have 34 to 46 midbody scale rows and usually 7 supralabials.

Identification: Field signs

Look for a large interconnected burrow system with several open entrances, freshly moved sand and a communal latrine close to the entrances. Latrines are usually a distinct 1 to 3 m2 area containing scats. Burrow systems may be up to about 13 m across or long, and are often associated with termite mounds or termite-rich areas.

Tracks may occur around entrances, latrines and tracking areas, but signs can be difficult to interpret without experienced observers. No reliable call, nest, slough or eyeshine feature is described for this species. Do not excavate a burrow system unless there is an approved and necessary animal welfare procedure.

  • Treat a burrow system as potentially occupied where entrances are open, sand is freshly moved, tracks are present or the nearby latrine contains recent scats.
  • Map each burrow system, record the number and condition of entrances, photograph the latrine and note recent fire history and predator signs.
  • Avoid driving, storing materials or placing infrastructure over burrows or latrines.

Distribution: National range

The Great Desert Skink is endemic to Australia's arid zone. Its current distribution is scattered across the western deserts, with fewer than 100 known localities reported in the monitoring review and evidence of contraction from parts of its former range.

The species occurs in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and South Australia. The broader historical range included the Great Sandy, Gibson, Great Victoria and Tanami Deserts, with records extending from the north-west of Australia through central desert areas to the north-west of South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Recent records are concentrated in the western deserts region of the Northern Territory, from Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park north to Rabbit Flat, in the Gibson Desert and southern Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia, and around Watarru and adjacent areas in north-west South Australia.

  • Western Australia: Gibson Desert, southern Great Sandy Desert, Rudall River area, Ngaanyatjarra Lands, Patjarr or Karilywara and Kiwirrkurra areas.
  • Northern Territory: Tanami Desert, including Rabbit Flat and Sangster's Bore, and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park and adjacent Yulara land.
  • South Australia: Watarru on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, with historical records near Oodnadatta and Innamincka.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

Key strongholds include the north-western Tanami Desert, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, the Kiwirrkurra Indigenous Protected Area, the Southern Tanami Indigenous Protected Area, Watarru, Karlamilyi National Park and the Ngaanyatjarra Indigenous Protected Area.

Genetic evidence indicates three main regional groupings: Uluru and the south-east, Newhaven and Sangster's Bore in the north, and Watarru, Docker River and Warburton in the south-west. Uluru should be treated as a distinct management unit when considering translocation or captive breeding.

Distribution: Population information

The species has declined in parts of its former range, including areas of the Gibson Desert, Great Victoria Desert and Great Sandy Desert. The total population is not known, and estimates from different sources use different methods and dates.

Known localities: Fewer than 100 localities reported in the 2024 monitoring review

Indicative population estimate: About 2,700 in Western Australia, 4,500 in the Northern Territory and 50 to 100 in South Australia

Older estimate: More than 5,000 individuals across seven isolated populations

Extent of occurrence: About 770,000 km2 in the 2024 monitoring review, following surveys that extended the known range

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Great Desert Skinks occupy arid sandplains, sand ridges, swales and selected lateritic or gravelly sites. Suitable habitat usually contains spinifex, scattered shrubs and a patchwork of burnt and unburnt vegetation with substantial bare ground.

The most common habitat is red sandplain or sand ridge with Triodia hummock grassland and scattered Acacia, Eremophila, Grevillea, Hakea, Eucalyptus or Allocasuarina. Gibson Desert sites may occur on lateritic downs and plains with Triodia basedowii. Tanami and Great Sandy Desert sites may occur along old drainage lines with lateritic soils, Melaleuca shrubs, spinifex, Woollybutt Grass and Mulga.

The Watarru population occurs in open Mulga and Minyura woodland over Woollybutt Grass and spinifex. Karlamilyi sites include lateritic sandplains near saline drainage areas.

Habitat: Structural requirements

Regenerating vegetation appears to provide foraging resources, while older unburnt patches provide cover around burrows. A mosaic of vegetation ages is preferred over extensive areas of uniformly old or recently burnt vegetation.

Occupied sites commonly have at least 50 percent bare ground. Burrows are often close to termite mounds or other areas with reliable invertebrate prey.

Bare ground: Preferred sites have at least 50 percent bare ground

Burn history: Sites used by the species have been reported as burnt about 3 to 15 years previously, although other sources describe occupied burrows in areas burnt within about 25 years

  • Retain unburnt cover around known or suspected burrow systems.
  • Avoid removing spinifex, shrubs, surface soil or termite mounds within and around occupied habitat unless the impact has been assessed and authorised.
  • Record vegetation age, bare ground, spinifex cover, termite mounds, burrows and fire history during site inspections.

Habitat: Elevation and climate

The species is restricted to the Australian arid zone. Modelling reported in the monitoring review indicates that detections are typically associated with elevations greater than 350 m, average daily temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius and sandy, nutrient-poor soils derived from sandstone or quartzite. Where soils are not sandy, occupied sites may have light gravel.

Modelled elevation association: Typically greater than 350 m

Modelled temperature association: Average daily temperatures greater than 20 degrees Celsius

Substrate: Usually sand, or light gravel where sandy substrate is absent

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Great Desert Skink is an omnivore that feeds mainly on termites and other invertebrates, but also takes small vertebrates and plant material. It usually forages near its burrow and may ambush prey from an entrance.

Harvester termites, particularly Drepanotermes, are the main food source. Other recorded prey include beetles, cockroaches, ants and spiders, as well as small vertebrates that fit in the mouth. Plant foods include Bush Tomato fruit, Parakeelya leaves and Paper Daisy flowers, especially after good seasons.

Primary prey: Harvester termites, especially Drepanotermes perniger

Other animal food: Beetles, cockroaches, ants, spiders, other invertebrates and small vertebrates

Plant food: Leaves, flowers and fruit, including Solanum, Calandrinia and Leucochrysum

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour and range

Individuals bask near burrows in the early morning and late afternoon, then forage further away during the evening or at night. They may wait at a burrow entrance and ambush passing prey, or travel through surrounding spinifex and regenerating vegetation.

Most foraging occurs near the home burrow, but individuals have been observed travelling up to 100 to 150 m from a burrow to obtain food. Food availability is associated with burrow location and may influence abandonment or construction of new burrows.

Observed foraging distance: Up to 100 to 150 m from the burrow

Peak daily activity: Early morning, late afternoon and evening, with some night foraging

  • Keep termite mounds, regenerating vegetation, spinifex cover and bare foraging areas connected to known burrow systems.
  • Inspect the full area around a burrow system, not only the entrances, before clearing or ground disturbance.
  • Use local Indigenous ecological knowledge when identifying likely foraging areas and active burrow systems.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding occurs within social burrow systems. Females give birth to live young, and several generations may use the same complex, so an apparently unoccupied entrance can still be part of a breeding site.

Mating mainly occurs in September and October. Gestation lasts about 10 to 11 weeks, with births reported from November to February. Females can produce young in successive years. Males may mate with females in several nearby burrow systems and move between them during the breeding season.

Mating season: Mainly September to October

Birth period: November to February, with some sources giving December to February

Reproductive mode: Viviparous, with live birth

Litter size: 1 to 7 young, with some sources reporting 1 to 5

Gestation: About 10 to 11 weeks

Age at maturity: Most mature at about 2 years; males may not breed until their third year

Lifespan: May live to about 20 years

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding burrow systems are generally communal and may contain an adult pair and young from more than one breeding event. Burrows with active entrances, fresh sand, recent tracks or a fresh communal latrine should be treated as potential breeding habitat, particularly from spring through summer.

Reproductive output has been reported as highest in areas burnt in the previous 10 years. Breeding habitat still requires nearby unburnt cover, suitable soil for tunnelling, food resources and protection from predators.

  • Avoid clearing, vibration, excavation and vehicle access near active burrow systems during the breeding and birth period.
  • If works cannot be avoided, obtain species-specific ecological advice and use an approved exclusion, salvage or translocation procedure rather than disturbing burrows directly.
  • Monitor known burrow systems for occupancy and young before and during works.

Sheltering habitat: Burrow systems

The main refuge is a long-lived communal burrow system. It provides shelter from heat, cold, fire and predators, and may be occupied and maintained by several generations.

Burrow systems contain interconnected tunnels and multiple entrances. They may be up to 13 m long or across, extend about 0.8 to 1 m below ground and have up to 20 entrances, although 5 to 10 entrances within a 10 m radius are also reported. Groups of up to 10 animals may share a system.

Complexes can remain occupied for up to seven years, with several generations contributing to construction and maintenance. Animals may abandon a system when resources decline or when the burrow is disturbed.

Burrow extent: Up to about 13 m long or across

Burrow depth: About 0.8 to 1 m

Entrances: Up to 20 entrances; commonly 5 to 10 within a 10 m radius

Group size: Up to about 10 individuals

Occupation period: Up to seven years

Latrine size: About 1 to 3 m2 near the entrances

  • Search methodically for entrances, fresh spoil, tracks and communal latrines before any clearing, grading, trenching or vehicle movement.
  • Fence or otherwise protect occupied burrow systems and nearby latrines from machinery, stockpiles, spoil placement and repeated pedestrian traffic.
  • Do not collapse, fill, excavate or modify a burrow system as part of routine site preparation.

Sheltering habitat: Seasonal shelter use

Great Desert Skinks hibernate in burrow chambers during the cooler months, with most entering hibernation by late May or mid June and emerging in September or October. A burrow can therefore be important even when no animals are visible at the entrance.

  • Treat apparently inactive burrows as potentially occupied during winter and do not use lack of surface activity as evidence that a burrow is vacant.
  • Maintain surface cover and soil stability over the tunnel network, especially during excavation, road construction and utility installation.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main documented threats are severe fire regimes and predation by feral cats and foxes, especially after vegetation cover has been removed. Clearing and infrastructure can directly destroy or isolate burrows and foraging habitat, even where the species is not seen during a site inspection.

Clearing can remove burrows, latrines, spinifex cover, termite resources and regenerating foraging habitat. Roads and infrastructure near active burrows have been associated with burrow abandonment and mortality. Construction activity may also divide habitat and reduce movement between burrow systems.

The species is difficult to detect by trapping, and an absence of captures does not demonstrate absence. Burrow searches by experienced observers are the preferred first-line method.

  • Complete a desktop assessment and targeted field search before clearing, including searches of likely sandplain, spinifex, paleodrainage and lateritic habitat.
  • Map all burrow systems, latrines, termite mounds, fire history and predator signs within and around the work area.
  • Set out exclusion zones around occupied or potentially occupied burrows and keep machinery, access tracks, spoil and materials outside them.
  • Use fauna spotter catchers familiar with Great Desert Skink burrows and local Indigenous knowledge during ground disturbance.
  • Do not rely on pitfall or box trapping alone to clear a site of the species.

Threats: Fire and predators

Large, frequent and high-intensity fires remove ground cover and create open habitat in which skinks are more exposed to feral cats, foxes and possibly dingoes and raptors. Fire can also reduce food resources, breeding success and the connectivity of occupied habitat.

Feral cats are the main documented predator threat. Foxes also prey on skinks, particularly when individuals forage away from burrows. Predator control is especially important after severe fire.

  • Prevent ignition and manage fire so that key sites retain unburnt cover and a mix of vegetation ages.
  • After a severe fire, assess occupied sites for loss of cover and implement approved predator control where appropriate.
  • Record fire intensity, fire extent, time since fire and predator activity during ecological monitoring.

Threats: Introduced herbivores and other pressures

Rabbits may enter and take over active burrow systems, causing abandonment. Camels and rabbits can damage burrows and degrade habitat. Buffel Grass can smother foraging and basking habitat and increase fire size, intensity and frequency.

Tourism infrastructure and activities, spinifex harvesting and increased groundwater extraction have been identified as local pressures, particularly around Yulara. Climate change may compound fire, food and habitat pressures.

  • Control rabbits and camels around occupied habitat where authorised and feasible.
  • Prevent buffel grass spread along access tracks, disturbed ground and firebreaks, and control infestations using approved methods.
  • Assess water extraction, road construction, lighting, traffic and visitor infrastructure for effects on nearby burrows and vegetation.

Threats: Disease and hydrology

The supplied sources do not identify a specific disease as a demonstrated major threat to the Great Desert Skink. They do identify concern about groundwater extraction around the Yulara borefields, but do not provide a quantified hydrological threshold for population effects.

  • Record sick, injured or dead skinks and seek advice from the relevant state or territory wildlife authority.
  • Avoid changing drainage, concentrating runoff, dewatering excavations or altering groundwater recharge near occupied burrow systems without a site-specific assessment.
  • Treat burrow collapse, changes to soil moisture and loss of termite or plant food resources as potential indirect impacts of hydrology change.

Survey methodology: 1. Plan the survey and select timing

Survey the Great Desert Skink by searching for its distinctive communal burrow systems and signs of activity before relying on trapping or direct observation. Treat apparently suitable sandplain, spinifex, lateritic drainage line and open mulga habitat as potentially occupied, particularly where burrows, fresh excavated soil or communal latrines occur.

Review current records, predictive mapping, aerial imagery, fire history and local First Nations knowledge before fieldwork.

Prioritise sandplains and swales with Triodia, lateritic palaeodrainage lines with Melaleuca, and open mulga or Minyura woodland over Woollybutt grass and spinifex.

Survey during the warmer active period, generally November to March, with late summer and early autumn preferred because more individuals may be using burrow systems before winter hibernation.

Search during cooler parts of the day, around dawn and dusk, and at night where direct observation or spotlighting is proposed. Avoid treating winter non-detection as evidence of absence.

Allow at least a fortnight for monitoring known colonies where the project requires population assessment, noting that the species is elusive and trap-avoidant.

Typical burrow system: Around 10 m in diameter, up to about 1 m deep, with multiple entrances and a nearby communal latrine

Active period for monitoring: Generally November to March, with late summer and early autumn preferred

Known foraging distance: Usually near the burrow, but individuals may travel up to 150 m for food

Survey methodology: 2. Walked transects and active burrow searches

Use experienced observers to walk systematic transects through suitable habitat and record every potential burrow system, entrance, latrine, track, scat and fresh excavation.

Use local Aboriginal ecological knowledge and experienced local observers to distinguish Great Desert Skink burrows from burrows of other reptiles and mammals.

For a repeatable colony survey, use five people walking in a line across a 500 by 200 m area, with observers 20 m apart, and map each burrow system with its condition and activity signs.

Record burrow entrances, fresh sand, open or blocked entrances, tracks, scat or latrine condition, vegetation cover, bare ground, recent fire, predator signs and nearby termite mounds.

Do not excavate burrows. They may be used by family groups for many years and excavation can damage the burrow system and animals.

Example search effort: Five observers, 20 m apart, searching a 500 by 200 m area

Characteristic signs: Multiple entrances, freshly dug soil and a communal latrine near the entrances

Suggested survey season in the national recovery monitoring approach: March

  • Map each burrow system with a unique identifier and take photographs of representative entrances and latrines.
  • Classify a burrow as potentially occupied only when the field evidence and observer experience support that conclusion, because an old burrow may indicate presence within the previous 10 years rather than current occupancy.
  • Inspect known burrows repeatedly rather than relying on one visit when the project decision depends on confirming occupancy.

Survey methodology: 3. Observation, spotlighting and cameras

Observe active burrows from a distance during the cooler parts of the day, around dawn and dusk, and after dark when animals may forage away from the burrow.

Use spotlighting as a supplementary method rather than the sole presence or absence method, because individuals spend much of their time underground and may forage up to 150 m from the burrow.

Use remote cameras at burrow entrances or observation hides where repeated visits could disturb animals, and record date, time, weather, burrow identifier and observed age class if visible.

Use tracking rings, fresh tracks and latrine checks only as supplementary activity measures, and relate results to fire history and habitat condition.

Do not shine lights into burrows, block entrances or handle animals solely to confirm a burrow record.

  • At known colonies, repeat observations across several suitable nights or mornings and record the actual hours searched rather than reporting only the number of visits.
  • Treat a camera record, direct sighting or fresh activity sign as evidence for the mapped burrow system, not as a direct estimate of the total population.
  • Record non-detection with the search area, observer numbers, search duration, weather, fire history and method used.

Survey methodology: 4. Trapping and individual assessment

Use trapping only when the project requires capture for marking, health assessment, genetic sampling or mark and recapture, and obtain all relevant animal ethics and wildlife approvals before trapping.

Place Elliott or similar box traps at active burrow entrances, or use approved pitfall arrangements only where the design, welfare controls and site conditions are suitable.

Check traps early each morning and more often where required by the permit, weather or animal welfare plan, and provide appropriate shelter and temperature protection.

Record trap effort as trap nights, including the number of traps, locations, dates and checking times. Published work includes 3,064 trap nights per season at 31 active burrow systems and 330 PIT-reader nights at Newhaven.

Do not interpret a failure to capture Great Desert Skinks as evidence that the species is absent. The species is trap-avoidant and trapping methods have not been adequately compared.

Published intensive trapping effort: 3,064 trap nights per season at 31 active burrow systems

Published PIT reader effort: 330 reader nights

Published pitfall example: Six plots, 12 sampling occasions and 18 pit traps at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

  • Use trained and authorised personnel for restraint, marking, sampling and release.
  • Release animals at their capture burrow or an approved nearby location in retained habitat unless the permit and veterinarian or wildlife authority direct otherwise.
  • Stop trapping if heat, cold, flooding, fire, predator activity or animal distress creates an unacceptable welfare risk.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Complete a desktop assessment and a field search of all suitable habitat within the proposed disturbance area and an appropriate surrounding area before clearing.
  • Use walked transects and active burrow searches as the primary method, with timing in the warmer active months and repeated observations where occupancy is uncertain.
  • Record survey dates, start and finish times, weather, observers, search tracks, area searched, transect spacing, burrow locations, activity signs, fire history, habitat condition and predator signs.
  • Report every confirmed or probable record, including photographs and coordinates, to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and the Australian Government species database where required.
  • Provide the survey design, effort and limitations in the project environmental documentation, and state clearly when non-detection cannot demonstrate absence.
  • Follow the current Australian Government survey guidance, project approval conditions and state or territory fauna requirements.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid disturbing Great Desert Skink burrow systems and the surrounding food and shelter resources wherever practicable. The species has a scattered distribution, restricted dispersal between regions and strong site fidelity in females and juveniles, so small losses can affect an entire family group.

Burrow occupancy: A system may be occupied continuously for up to seven years by several generations

Movement pattern: Females and juveniles show high natal-site fidelity, while males disperse further and use more burrow systems

Preferred habitat structure: A mosaic of burnt and unburnt vegetation, with at least about 50 percent bare ground reported in suitable habitat

  • Redesign the project to retain mapped burrow systems, communal latrines, termite mounds, regenerating spinifex, unburnt cover and nearby foraging habitat.
  • Retain a connected area around occupied or potentially occupied burrows rather than isolating individual entrances within a cleared corridor.
  • Keep vehicle routes, laydown areas, compounds, drainage works and stockpiles away from burrows and latrines.
  • Avoid broad removal of vegetation cover, because fire or clearing that leaves skinks exposed can increase predation by feral cats, foxes and possibly dingoes.
  • Avoid disturbing known colonies during the active breeding period from spring to summer and live births from about November to February where the work program can be staged.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

Commonwealth status: Vulnerable under the EPBC Act

State status: Vulnerable in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, Endangered in South Australia

  • Check whether the action requires referral under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act because the species is nationally listed as Vulnerable.
  • Obtain the relevant state or territory approvals, fauna permits, animal ethics approvals and spotter catcher authorities before survey, trapping, handling or relocation.
  • Prepare a species-specific fauna management plan covering survey limits, exclusion areas, machinery controls, handling, release sites, injury response, stop-work triggers, fire, feral predators and reporting.
  • Engage Traditional Custodians and local ranger groups early, particularly where local knowledge can improve burrow detection, fire planning and ongoing monitoring.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat and mapped exclusion areas remain undisturbed until the fauna spotter catcher has completed the required checks.

Before habitat disturbance: Prepare the site

  • Complete a pre-clearance search in suitable habitat using walked transects and active burrow searches before machinery enters the work area.
  • Mark burrow systems, communal latrines, termite mounds, retained vegetation, exclusion zones and approved access routes on plans and in the field.
  • Install durable exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery, vehicles, workers and materials entering retained habitat without blocking animal movement between retained areas.
  • Brief all operators and crew on the species, burrow appearance, exclusion markings, speed limits, lighting restrictions and the stop-work procedure.
  • Check that the fauna spotter catcher has the required authority, equipment, holding containers, shade, temperature controls, first aid arrangements and contact details for a veterinarian and wildlife carer.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Treat every mapped or newly detected burrow system as a live fauna risk until the authorised fauna spotter catcher has assessed it. Clearing must proceed slowly, with direct communication between the spotter catcher and machinery operators.

  • Complete a daily pre-start inspection of exclusion fencing, mapped burrows, access routes, weather, fire conditions and any new predator or fauna signs.
  • Keep machinery and vehicles to approved routes and maintain the project speed limit, particularly near retained habitat and known burrows.
  • Use the fauna spotter catcher to inspect each work area immediately before disturbance and remain able to direct the operator to stop or change position.
  • Clear progressively in small sections, working away from retained habitat where practicable and leaving a clear escape route towards retained habitat.
  • Do not allow workers to enter, fill, drive over, probe, hose, smoke or place materials over a Great Desert Skink burrow system or latrine.

During habitat disturbance: Burrows and habitat features

Recorded burrow extent: Tunnels may be up to 13 m long, with up to 20 entrances

Typical shared group: Up to about 10 individuals may share a burrow system

Nearby latrine: Usually a communal area of about 1 to 3 m2 near burrow entrances

  • Stop work and reassess if clearing exposes a burrow entrance, fresh excavated soil, a communal latrine, a skink, tracks or other evidence of current use.
  • Do not excavate or collapse burrows to search for animals, because systems can extend up to 13 m and may be used by several generations.
  • Retain nearby spinifex, shrubs, termite mounds, bare ground and unburnt cover wherever possible, because food and shelter resources occur around the burrow system.
  • Do not apply standard hollow-tree, log, rock or wetland relocation procedures to this species unless those features are also habitat for another protected fauna species. The primary feature requiring protection here is the burrow system and its surrounding vegetation.
  • Prevent sediment, spoil, water diversion, dust, chemicals and fire from entering retained burrow habitat.

During habitat disturbance: If an animal is found

  • Stop machinery and all disturbance within the immediate work area, keep people and vehicles back, and notify the site environmental officer and fauna spotter catcher.
  • Allow only an authorised and appropriately trained person to handle the animal, and do not chase it into a burrow or restrain it unnecessarily.
  • Keep the animal shaded, quiet and at a stable temperature in a suitable ventilated container, with handling time kept as short as practicable.
  • Release the animal into nearby retained habitat associated with its capture location, only where this is authorised by the permit and directed by the fauna spotter catcher.
  • Do not move an animal across roads, cleared corridors, fire boundaries or between genetically differentiated regions unless a specific authority and ecological assessment approve that action.
  • Take an injured animal to an appropriately qualified veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer, and record the finder, time, location, condition and action taken.
  • Treat a live sighting, fresh burrow activity, an occupied burrow, an injured animal or an animal that cannot be safely removed as a stop-work trigger until the fauna spotter catcher and approval holder provide direction.

During habitat disturbance: Records and stop-work reporting

  • Record each fauna interaction, burrow system, latrine, handling event, relocation, injury, mortality and stop-work event with coordinates, photographs and the associated work activity.
  • Record the machinery used, area cleared, date, weather, personnel, search effort and whether the animal was released, transferred to care or not located.
  • Notify the approval holder, relevant wildlife authority and project regulator of incidents within the time required by approval conditions.
  • Update the project map and fauna register daily so that all crews use the current exclusion areas and access routes.
  • Report confirmed records to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and to the Australian Government database where required.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work should confirm that no burrow systems were overlooked, maintain retained habitat and test whether the project has increased fire, predator or access risks. Monitoring should use the same mapped locations and methods over time.

  • Inspect the cleared edge, access routes and retained habitat for new burrow exposure, collapsed entrances, vehicle damage, fresh tracks, scats, predator signs and changes in vegetation cover.
  • Complete a follow-up walked search after clearing and after major ground disturbance, particularly where the pre-clearance search identified suitable habitat nearby.
  • Repair exclusion fencing, barriers and drainage controls promptly if they are damaged or allow vehicles, stock or feral animals into retained habitat.
  • Remove spoil, waste, temporary materials and redundant fencing from retained habitat without driving over burrows or latrines.
  • Report any mortality, injury, burrow damage or newly located colony under the project incident and approval reporting process.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and controls

Recommended population indicator: Burrow system occupancy

Threats to monitor: Fire, feral cats, foxes, rabbits, camels, buffel grass and loss of vegetation cover

  • Map and revisit retained burrow systems using consistent observers, search areas, dates and recording fields so that changes in burrow occupancy can be compared.
  • Monitor burrow occupancy as an index of abundance, together with fire history, habitat condition, predator signs, vegetation cover and nearby development pressure.
  • Continue monitoring during the warmer active months, preferably including late summer or early autumn, and do not interpret winter non-detection as local extinction.
  • Maintain fire controls, predator controls, weed controls, access restrictions and exclusion fencing for the period specified in the fauna management plan and approval conditions.
  • Use additional trapping or mark and recapture only when needed and authorised, because trapping is not a reliable presence or absence test for this trap-avoidant species.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and offsets

  • Provide the approval holder with a completion report that includes cleared area, retained habitat, mapped burrows, incidents, fauna interactions, monitoring results and any non-compliance.
  • Submit required records and significant incident reports to the relevant state or territory authority and the Commonwealth under the applicable approval conditions.
  • Assess offsets, restoration obligations or other compensatory measures only under the relevant approval and offset policy, with priority given to protecting and managing occupied Great Desert Skink habitat.
  • Do not use an offset or payment as a substitute for avoiding damage to an occupied burrow system or its surrounding habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should rebuild the habitat structure used by Great Desert Skinks rather than simply revegetating the cleared footprint. The main outcomes are connected burrow habitat, suitable food resources, shelter from predators and a fire regime that maintains a mosaic of vegetation ages.

Common habitat: Spinifex dominated sandplains and swales with scattered shrubs

Other documented habitat: Lateritic palaeodrainage lines with Melaleuca, and open Mulga or Minyura woodland in South Australia

Bare ground reference: At least about 50 percent bare ground has been reported in suitable habitat

  • Recontour disturbed ground to match surrounding sandplain, swale or lateritic drainage conditions and prevent erosion or ponding around retained burrows.
  • Re-establish locally appropriate Triodia spinifex and associated Acacia, Eremophila, Grevillea, Hakea, Eucalyptus or Melaleuca vegetation according to the local habitat type.
  • In South Australian habitat, restore open Mulga and Minyura woodland over Woollybutt grass and spinifex where that is the local reference community.
  • Retain or reinstate scattered shrubs, regenerating vegetation and open bare ground rather than creating dense, uniform cover.
  • Do not construct artificial burrows unless a species specialist, Traditional Custodian group and approving authority identify a clear need and approve the design.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and introduced animals

Fire management objective: Reduce fire frequency, intensity and size while retaining suitable areas of regenerating and unburnt vegetation

Predation risk after fire: Feral cat and fox predation increases when fire removes vegetation cover

  • Prepare a site-specific fire plan that reduces the risk of large, frequent, high intensity fires and maintains a mix of burnt and unburnt patches.
  • Use traditional fire management and prescribed burning with Traditional Custodians and fire authorities where appropriate, while protecting occupied burrow systems from severe fire.
  • Control buffel grass and other invasive grasses, especially along vehicle tracks and breakout areas, because they can increase fuel loads and fire size, intensity and frequency.
  • Control feral cats and foxes around rehabilitated and retained habitat, with particular attention after severe fire when loss of cover can increase predation.
  • Reduce rabbits and feral camels where they damage burrows or degrade vegetation, and prevent domestic animals from entering the site.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Primary monitoring index: Occupied or active burrow systems

Additional measures: Habitat condition, fire history, predator signs, vegetation composition, bare ground and new burrow records

  • Monitor restored and reference areas using mapped burrow searches during the warmer active months, with repeat surveys in late summer or early autumn.
  • Use burrow establishment or occupancy, fresh entrances, communal latrines, tracks and direct observations as indicators of use, while recognising that burrow presence alone may reflect use within the previous 10 years.
  • Measure survival and cover of planted or naturally regenerating Triodia and associated shrubs, bare ground, weed cover, fire history and predator signs.
  • Set success criteria in the rehabilitation plan for vegetation establishment, weed reduction, fire management, predator control, erosion control and protection of retained burrows.
  • Continue monitoring for the period required by the approval, and adapt fire, weed, access and predator management when monitoring shows declining burrow activity or habitat condition.

Sources