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Kowari (Dasyuroides byrnei)

The Kowari is a small, nocturnal, ground-dwelling carnivorous marsupial restricted to scattered sites in south-west Queensland and north-east South Australia. It shelters in multi-entrance burrows on gibber plains and associated sandy or clayey patches, so clearing, earthworks, livestock access, roads and introduced predators can affect both animals and their habitat on development sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Endangered.

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

Breeding season

The timing below describes a typical pattern across the current range. Rainfall can shift breeding activity, prey abundance, detectability and population density, so project timing should also consider recent seasonal conditions.

Months are January to December. The timing is indicative because reproduction is rainfall-linked and may vary between sites and years.

  • Breeding and mating: Breeding may occur from April to December. Mating is locally synchronised, and most females give birth from May to July, with a possible second litter in November.
  • Young dependent: Young remain attached to the teat for about 56 days, open their eyes at about 74 days and become independent at about 95 to 110 days. Young born in May to July may remain dependent into spring, while a November litter remains dependent into the following summer.
  • Rainfall-linked movement and detectability: Abundance and activity can increase after successive years of above-average rainfall. Individuals usually have restricted ranges and strong site fidelity, so broad seasonal migration is not expected.
  • Torpor and winter shelter use: Kowaris use burrows and may enter torpor when temperatures are cold or food is scarce. They may bask at burrow entrances on cold winter days.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing risk is highest from May to September when births, pouch young, nest-dependent young and winter torpor may overlap. November also carries elevated risk because a second litter may be present. Active and potential burrows should be protected in every month.

Identification

The Kowari is a small, stocky dasyurid with grey to brown fur, a pale underside, large eyes and a pointed head. It is fast-moving and may be difficult to see directly, so burrows, tracks and camera records can be important during site inspections.

The coat is mainly grey with brown tones and fades to white on the belly. The tops of the feet and tail are lighter grey, the ears and nose may be pink, and each eye has a narrow dark ring.

The tail is distinctive: the basal section is thick and reddish, while the terminal half has a dense black brush. The tail accounts for almost half of the total body length.

Male head and body: Average 165 mm

Female head and body: Average 150 mm

Male tail: Average 120 mm

Female tail: Average 115 mm

Maximum weight: 175 g for males and 140 g for females

Identification: Distinguishing similar species

The Kowari may occur with, or near, mulgaras. The dense black brush on the distal half of the tail is the main field character separating it from the otherwise similar Brush-tailed Mulgara and Crest-tailed Mulgara.

The Kowari has four toes on each hind foot. Mulgaras have five hind toes. Where a reliable identification is important, use clear photographs, hair or tissue samples and an appropriately permitted specialist identification, because small dasyurids can be difficult to separate in the field.

  • Look for the Kowari's thick, uniformly bushy black tail tip rather than a less densely brushed mulgara tail.
  • Check hind-foot prints for four toes, but have tracks confirmed by an experienced identifier.
  • Do not rely on a brief night-time sighting alone where a mulgara is also possible.

Identification: Field signs and detection

Kowaris use several burrows, each commonly having multiple entrances and opening into a sand mound or softer soil patch. Active burrows may show fresh excavated soil, footprints or scats, but small burrows can be difficult to locate.

The species is primarily nocturnal and may be detected by eyeshine during spotlighting. It can also bask at a burrow entrance on cold winter days. Kowaris forage alone and may carry larger prey away from the capture site.

  • Search systematically for small, multi-entrance burrows in sand mounds, sand lenses, river channels, ephemeral swamps and soft patches within gibber plains.
  • Record fresh soil, tracks and scats at burrow entrances, and photograph or cast unclear tracks with a scale.
  • Use nocturnal spotlighting, baited camera traps, Elliott trapping and raked soil or predator pads where a formal survey is required.
  • For sites up to 5 hectares, the published predator-pad method uses 3 m diameter cleared and raked pads with a tuna-oil-scented stone, checked overnight by experienced personnel.
  • Treat low detectability as a survey limitation. Absence from a short survey does not demonstrate absence from suitable habitat.

Distribution: Current national range

The Kowari is now restricted to the Channel Country of the Lake Eyre Basin in south-west Queensland and north-east South Australia. It formerly occupied a much larger part of central Australia and is extinct in the Northern Territory.

In Queensland, records extend between the Simpson Desert and the Diamantina River, south of Boulia. In South Australia, the species occurs mainly in the Sturt Stony Desert on Crown land and pastoral leases.

The relevant bioregional setting is the Channel Country in Queensland and the adjoining desert country of the South Australian Lake Eyre Basin, including the Sturt Stony Desert. The species is associated with the Desert Channels region of Queensland and the South Australian Desert Lands natural resource management region.

  • Queensland records include Diamantina and Astrebla Downs National Parks, the Birdsville region and Coorabulka pastoral station.
  • South Australian records include Mulka, Cowarie, Pandie Pandie, Innamincka, Cordillo Downs and Clifton Hills stations.
  • The species has not been recorded in the Northern Territory since 1901 and is considered extinct there.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The two known populations are considered important to the survival of the species because recolonisation capacity is low. Known sites occur in protected reserves in Queensland and on Crown land and pastoral leases in South Australia.

Clifton Hills Station is identified as one of the last refuges. Astrebla Downs National Park still supports Kowaris, while no individual has been detected at the monitored Diamantina National Park sites since 2012.

  • Treat all records and suitable habitat in Queensland and South Australia as high conservation priority.
  • Maintain habitat connections between suitable patches because individuals show strong site fidelity and have limited capacity to recolonise empty sites.

Distribution: Population size and trend

Former range remaining: About 20 percent of the former geographic range

Estimated extent of occurrence: 70,300 to 99,252 km²

Estimated area of occupancy: 324 to 808 km²

Known and likely habitat combined: About 18,487 km²

Estimated current population: 1,200 to 5,000 individuals

Population trend: Declining, with strong fluctuations after rainfall and during dry periods

Recorded local decline: About 90 percent at Astrebla Downs National Park between 2012 and 2018; no detections at monitored Diamantina sites since 2012

Habitat: Habitat types

Kowaris occupy open, sparsely vegetated arid habitats where hard gibber surfaces are interspersed with softer soils for burrowing. Suitable habitat can occur in both stony plains and areas with little stone cover where Mitchell grass and cracking claypan features provide shelter and prey resources.

The main habitat is stony gibber plain with patches of softer soil, often between braided river channels, sand dunes and ephemeral swamps. Burrows may be in sand mounds, deeper sand lenses, river channels or beneath shrubs.

In Astrebla Downs and Diamantina National Parks, Kowaris also occupy ashy downs and claypan habitat with low stone cover, cracking claypan plains and Mitchell grass as dominant vegetation.

  • Prioritise surveys in gibber plains with more than 80 percent small stone cover where softer soil patches occur.
  • Also assess ashy downs and claypan habitat with 20 percent or less stone cover in the Channel Country.
  • Include adjoining patches that could support population expansion or dispersal, even if Kowaris have not been recently recorded there.

Habitat: Vegetation and structural features

Suitable sites commonly have sparse chenopods, dwarf shrubs, ephemeral herbs and xerophytic Mitchell grasses. Plant species richness and the number of habitat patches are useful predictors of presence during drought.

Sand mounds and other vegetated soft-soil patches are important because they support burrow construction and may provide food for invertebrate prey. Vegetation also provides some cover from predators.

  • Map sand mounds, sand islands, sand lenses, shrub bases, ephemeral drainage features and burrow entrances before clearing or earthworks.
  • Retain and protect suitable habitat between known sites where it may provide dispersal or population connectivity.
  • Avoid assuming that apparently bare gibber is unsuitable, because burrowing habitat may be concentrated in small, patchy soft-soil features.

Habitat: Climate and site limits

The Kowari is an arid-zone species exposed to rainfall variability, temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in summer and temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius in winter. It uses burrows and torpor to cope with these conditions.

No elevation limit is provided in the supplied documents. Habitat suitability is described by soil, vegetation, drainage and rainfall conditions rather than elevation.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Kowaris are solitary, opportunistic predators that forage mainly at night across open gibber, sandy patches, claypans and associated drainage features. They obtain most of their water from prey rather than by drinking.

The diet consists mainly of invertebrates, including grasshoppers and other arthropods. Kowaris also take rodents, reptiles, birds and their eggs, and may eat carrion.

Small prey are eaten where captured. Larger prey, such as long-haired rats or house mice, may be carried to another place for consumption.

Main prey: Invertebrates, especially grasshoppers and other arthropods

Additional prey: Rodents, reptiles, birds and eggs

Water source: Mostly food; the species generally does not need to drink

  • Assess prey-bearing habitat, including sparsely vegetated shrub patches, Mitchell grass areas, ephemeral herbs and sites that respond to rainfall.
  • Consider long-haired rat and other small-mammal boom and bust cycles when interpreting survey results and predator risk.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour and range

Kowaris use smell to find prey and forage alone. Their average home range is about 3 km², but recorded ranges vary from 0.3 to 17.5 km² for males and 3 to 25.5 km² for females.

Home ranges may overlap, but individuals show strong site fidelity and restricted ranging, particularly when population density is high after good rainfall.

  • Consider the wider home range around burrows when defining the area affected by clearing, roads, lighting, fencing and construction activity.
  • Maintain access between burrow patches and nearby prey habitat rather than retaining isolated burrows within cleared areas.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding is associated with the arid-zone rainfall cycle and occurs over a broad part of the cooler and warmer months. Females need secure burrows and a nest site where young can remain after leaving the pouch.

Breeding season: Generally April to December; most births occur from May to July, with a possible second litter in November

Litter size: 3 to 7 young, averaging about 5.8 in the wild

Gestation: 30 to 36 days

Age at sexual maturity: 7 to 9 months, although breeding usually occurs from the second year

Young become independent: About 95 to 110 days after birth

Lifespan: Possibly a little over 1 year in the wild; some individuals live more than 2 years, and captivity records reach 8 years

Generation length: Estimated at 2 years

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Females use burrows and build nests from leaves and other soft material. After leaving the pouch, young shelter in a nest and remain dependent on the mother until they can eat solid food and move independently.

Breeding success appears to be higher when prey is abundant. Burrows that provide protection from temperature extremes and predators are therefore important during mating, birth and juvenile development.

  • Protect active and potentially active burrows from vehicle movement, excavation, stock access, vibration and collapse.
  • Retain nearby soft-soil patches, sparse vegetation and prey habitat used by females while raising young.
  • Avoid clearing during the breeding and dependent-young period where possible, and require a species-specific fauna management response if suitable burrows are present.

Sheltering habitat: Burrows and nests

Burrows are the main shelter resource for Kowaris. They provide daytime refuge, protection from predators and insulation from severe desert temperatures, and may be used for sleeping, torpor, mating and raising young.

A single Kowari may use several burrows. Burrows are usually multi-entrance structures opening into a sand mound or other soft-soil feature, and individuals may dig their own or use abandoned Kowari or other animal burrows.

Inside, Kowaris construct nests from leaves and other soft materials. Burrows may occasionally be shared by individuals or used by a colony during the short, locally synchronised mating period, although the species is otherwise solitary.

  • Search sand mounds, sand islands, deeper sand lenses, river channels, ephemeral swamps and beneath shrubs for burrows.
  • Record every burrow entrance and associated fresh soil, tracks and scats before work starts.
  • Do not fill, collapse or block burrows unless authorised under the relevant wildlife and project approvals.

Sheltering habitat: Thermal and predator refuge

Burrows buffer temperatures that can exceed 40 degrees Celsius in summer and fall below 5 degrees Celsius in winter. Kowaris also enter daily torpor when food is scarce or conditions are cold, and may bask at the entrance on cold winter days.

Open gibber habitat can increase exposure to feral cats and other predators. Loss of vegetation around burrows can reduce cover and may increase predation risk.

  • Keep machinery, spoil, lighting and stored materials away from burrow entrances and the soft-soil features supporting them.
  • Control introduced predators and prevent new access tracks or water points from concentrating predators near burrow sites.
  • Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher and ecologist to inspect any burrow habitat that cannot be avoided.

Threats: Predation

The Kowari has a restricted range, low recolonisation capacity and continuing population decline. Threats often interact: grazing and trampling remove burrowing habitat and ground cover, while drought and rainfall-driven predator outbreaks increase exposure to predation.

Feral cats are the highest documented predation threat and occur across the range. Cat numbers can increase after wet periods, then switch from long-haired rats to Kowaris when rat numbers fall.

Red foxes, dingoes, wild dogs and hybrids may also prey on Kowaris. Native birds of prey, including barn owls and letter-winged kites, may take Kowaris, particularly when rodent numbers crash.

  • Do not create food, water or waste sources that attract feral cats, foxes or wild dogs to work areas.
  • Plan predator monitoring and control with the relevant land manager where work is near known or potential Kowari habitat.
  • Consider predator risk when vegetation is removed, burrows are exposed or construction lighting changes nocturnal activity.

Threats: Grazing, trampling and habitat degradation

Cattle trampling can deflate sand lenses, damage burrows and erode sand mounds. Grazing can reduce plant cover and invertebrate prey, while rabbits and goats can also reduce food and cover.

Water points can concentrate livestock and predators near burrowing sites. Kowaris on some South Australian pastoral sites were more likely to occur farther from water points.

  • Avoid placing temporary compounds, access tracks, laydown areas or water points near sand mounds, burrow clusters and soft-soil patches.
  • Fence or otherwise exclude livestock from retained burrow habitat where the land manager and approvals support that action.
  • Rehabilitate compacted, eroded or disturbed burrowing habitat using methods suitable for the local gibber and claypan system.

Threats: Clearing, roads and fragmentation

Clearing can remove burrows, soft-soil patches, sparse shrub cover and prey habitat. Roads and construction can cause localised road deaths, remove gibber used for road base and interrupt movement between habitat patches.

The species has a low capacity to disperse and recolonise empty sites. Fragmentation is therefore a concern even where only a small part of a broader habitat patch is disturbed.

  • Complete a habitat and burrow search before clearing, not only a search for live animals.
  • Avoid clearing known and likely habitat, and retain connections between burrow patches wherever practicable.
  • Use low-speed vehicle controls, wildlife awareness measures and night-work restrictions near known sites.
  • Do not source gibber or sand from occupied or suitable Kowari habitat without site-specific assessment and approval.

Threats: Climate, fire and hydrology

Longer dry periods, warming and increased rainfall variability can reduce vegetation, prey and shelter quality, and can increase the risk of local extinction. Large rainfall events can produce short periods of high productivity followed by prey and predator population crashes.

The supplied documents identify hydrology change, altered water flows, changed water table levels, run-off, sedimentation and pollution as management concerns. They do not provide a species-specific fire regime or a quantified fire threshold.

  • Avoid altering drainage, ephemeral water flows, groundwater discharge areas or sediment movement near Kowari habitat.
  • Assess whether roads, culverts, borrow pits and drainage works could concentrate water, erode sand mounds or change claypan and gibber habitat.
  • Manage fire so that retained burrow and vegetation patches are not unnecessarily exposed, while following the local fire authority and land manager's ecological fire requirements.
  • Record rainfall and seasonal conditions when interpreting monitoring results, because detectability and abundance fluctuate strongly with rainfall.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat and burrow searches

The Kowari is a small, ground dwelling, primarily nocturnal marsupial of south western Queensland and north eastern South Australia. Surveys must target sparsely vegetated gibber plains, ashy downs and cracking claypans with sand mounds, softer soil patches, river channels, ephemeral swamps and burrows.

Search systematically during daylight before ground disturbance. Kowari burrows are often in sand mounds, sand islands, deeper sand lenses and softer soils within gibber plains, and may occur near braided channels, ephemeral swamps and Mitchell grass habitat.

Burrows are small and may be difficult to detect. Record entrances, freshly moved soil, tracks, scats, nests and other signs, and map each feature for later inspection or protection.

Relevant habitat: Sparsely vegetated gibber plains, ashy downs and cracking claypans, with sand mounds, dunes, river channels or other softer soil patches

Recommended small-site transect spacing: 50 to 100 metres

  • Use aerial photographs, satellite imagery and vegetation mapping to stratify searches across gibber plains, ashy downs, cracking claypans, sand dunes, river channels and ephemeral wet areas.
  • For small sites, search along transects spaced 50 to 100 metres apart or within representative quadrats.
  • Search all potential habitat within the project area, rather than only locations with previous records.
  • Mark active or potentially active burrows and retain the surrounding habitat where practicable.

Survey methodology: 2. Tracks, sand plots and predator pads

Use tracks and sand plots as supplementary detection methods in open gibber habitat. Kowari tracks can be difficult to distinguish from those of other small mammals, so identification requires experienced personnel or confirmation from photographs, casts or an appropriate specialist.

The Kowari predator pad method uses a cleared circular pad in gibber habitat and an attractant placed at the centre. It can detect Kowaris and predators that visit the pad overnight.

Survey area basis: Up to 5 hectares

Survey sites: At least three one hectare sites

Plots per site: At least two plots, each one metre wide

Plot duration: Three consecutive nights

Predator pad size: About 3 metres diameter

  • For a subject area up to 5 hectares, use a stratified design with at least three one hectare survey sites where this method is selected.
  • At each survey site, establish at least two one metre wide raked soil plots across vehicle tracks, animal pads or other suitable surfaces.
  • Set the plots for three consecutive nights and identify and record tracks each morning before raking the plots smooth again.
  • Add fine grain sand where required to improve track definition.
  • Photograph or cast prints that cannot be identified in the field, including a scale in every photograph.
  • Use experienced personnel who can distinguish target and similar species tracks, and compare difficult prints with reference casts where available.
  • For a Kowari predator pad, clear a circular pad about 3 metres in diameter, rake it smooth and place a stone covered in tuna oil at the centre.
  • Check pads each morning and record Kowari, cat, fox, wild dog and other predator tracks separately.

Survey methodology: 3. Spotlighting and cameras

Spotlight at night because Kowaris are primarily nocturnal and shelter in burrows during the day. They may bask at burrow entrances during cold weather, but daytime activity should not be relied on for detection.

Spotlighting can be used on foot or from a vehicle along suitable tracks and clearings. Record the route, search time, weather, observers, distance searched and all observations.

Activity pattern: Primarily nocturnal

Spotlighting repeat effort: Two nights where possible

Seasonal repeat effort: Across all seasons where possible

  • Survey after sunset when animals are active, and avoid heavy rain, strong wind and extreme temperatures that can reduce activity or visibility.
  • Repeat spotlighting over two nights where possible, and repeat across seasons where the project schedule allows.
  • Target burrow complexes, sand mounds, gibber patches between channels and other mapped habitat features, while recording the actual area searched.
  • Use baited camera traps at suitable habitat or predator-pad locations when animals are expected to occur at low density or are difficult to observe directly.
  • Treat a negative spotlighting result as inconclusive where detectability is low, because the species is difficult to find and recent records are sparse.

Survey methodology: 4. Elliott trapping and supporting evidence

Elliott A trapping is listed as a recommended method for Kowari detection on sites up to 5 hectares. Use it only under the relevant state or territory approvals, animal ethics requirements and permit conditions.

Predator scats, owl pellets, remains from predatory bird nests or mammal dens, and community or Traditional Owner knowledge can provide supporting evidence. These methods should not replace targeted searches and direct confirmation where a construction decision depends on presence or absence.

Small-site method basis: Sites up to 5 hectares

Bait specified in the survey guideline: Dog biscuits soaked in tuna oil

  • Use dog biscuits soaked in tuna oil as the bait where this method is approved and specified in the survey plan.
  • Follow the current state or territory trapping, animal welfare and heat management requirements for trap placement, checking, shelter and closure.
  • Use a stratified design that represents all relevant habitat types, and increase replication across larger project areas rather than treating a 5 hectare guideline as sufficient for the whole project.
  • Have suspected Kowari tissue or hair identifications confirmed by an appropriately qualified specialist where the species could be confused with a Mulgara.
  • Consult local landholders and Traditional Owners about recent records, habitat and culturally appropriate access to information.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Complete a desktop assessment using current records, habitat mapping and the project footprint before selecting survey locations.
  • Use more than one detection method, combining habitat and burrow searches with nocturnal spotlighting and, where approved, trapping, camera traps or sand plots.
  • Survey both known or likely habitat and areas that could provide dispersal between habitat patches.
  • Document dates, start and finish times, weather, observers, transects, area searched, trap effort, camera effort, plot effort, locations and detection results.
  • Record all Kowari observations, burrows, tracks, carcasses, predator signs and habitat disturbance with coordinates and photographs.
  • Submit confirmed records and relevant negative survey results to the relevant Queensland or South Australian wildlife database, and provide records required by the project approval or permit.
  • Report any reliable potential record from outside the current range promptly to the relevant wildlife authority.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat all suitable Kowari habitat as potentially occupied where records are old, detectability is low or survey conditions were unsuitable. The two known populations are considered important to the species because its ability to recolonise sites is low.

First avoid clearing gibber plains, ashy downs, cracking claypans and sand mound complexes. Retain the habitat features that provide burrows, prey resources and movement between occupied patches.

Kowari habitat critical to survival includes current occupied areas, potential habitat, former habitat that may support recovery and areas used for dispersal between habitat patches.

Known current range: South western Queensland and north eastern South Australia

Estimated area of occupancy: 324 to 808 square kilometres

Known populations: Two

  • Redesign the footprint to retain the largest practicable connected areas of suitable habitat, including sand mounds, deeper sand lenses, river channels, ephemeral swamps and burrow complexes.
  • Keep construction traffic, laydown areas, spoil, fencing and water points away from burrow sites and soft soil patches.
  • Avoid new water points near burrowing habitat because livestock and predators may concentrate around them and damage burrows.
  • Avoid removing or crushing gibber where it forms part of a known or potential habitat patch.
  • Do not assume that a protected area removes the need for species assessment or work controls.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

The Kowari is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act and in Queensland and South Australia. A project that may significantly impact the species or its habitat must be assessed against the EPBC Act and relevant state legislation before works begin.

EPBC status: Endangered

Queensland and South Australia status: Endangered

Reported birth periods: May to July and November

Reported breeding period: April to December

  • Check whether the action requires an EPBC Act referral and obtain any required approval before clearing or construction.
  • Obtain state or territory wildlife permits for survey, trapping, handling, relocation or rehabilitation, including permissions required for work in protected areas.
  • Prepare a species specific fauna management plan covering survey results, exclusion zones, daily inspections, stop work triggers, handling, relocation, incident response and reporting.
  • Schedule works to avoid the period when females may be carrying or raising young, particularly the main birth periods from May to July and November, unless the approved fauna management plan provides additional controls.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat and escape routes remain available and each stage can be checked before machinery enters.
  • Consult Traditional Owners and relevant landholders about species records, access and culturally appropriate information sharing.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete the approved pre-clearance survey using habitat searches, burrow searches and nocturnal detection methods appropriate to the site.
  • Have a suitably experienced fauna ecologist inspect the area immediately before clearing, particularly where previous surveys were more than 10 years old or conditions have changed.
  • Map and flag active and potential burrows, sand mounds, soft soil patches, ephemeral wetlands, access tracks and retained habitat before machinery arrives.
  • Fence or otherwise mark exclusion zones around occupied or potentially occupied habitat where this is practical and effective.
  • Brief machinery operators on the species, exclusion zones, daily communication procedures and the stop work response.
  • Confirm the contact details and availability of the authorised fauna spotter catcher, project ecologist, wildlife carer and veterinary clinic before works begin.
  • Inspect proposed access routes and remove avoidable traffic from gibber habitat and known burrow areas.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher duties

Kowaris are small, nocturnal and difficult to detect. The fauna spotter catcher must work ahead of machinery, maintain clear communication with the operator and stop work whenever a Kowari, active burrow or unexpected sign is found.

The fauna spotter catcher should inspect the active work area before clearing each day and after breaks, overnight shutdowns or changes in the work footprint.

Use a staged, slow clearing sequence that allows the spotter catcher to inspect ground features before machinery enters them.

  • Confirm that exclusion fencing, habitat markings and the approved clearing limits remain intact before machinery starts.
  • Search visible sand mounds, burrow entrances, soft soil patches, grass clumps, channels and refuge areas within the daily work area.
  • Keep machinery stopped while the spotter catcher is out of the operator's line of sight or is inspecting a feature close to the machine.
  • Clear from the least disturbed edge towards retained habitat where the approved plan identifies a safe escape direction.
  • Keep dogs, unnecessary personnel and vehicles away from retained habitat and any animal that is being assessed.
  • Maintain a live record of cleared areas, inspections, fauna sightings, burrows, captures, injuries, relocations and stop work events.

During habitat disturbance: Burrows and habitat features

Kowaris use multiple burrows with several entrances, and burrows provide shelter from heat, cold and predators. A burrow must not be treated as empty solely because no animal is visible.

The main habitat features requiring protection are sand mounds, sand islands, deeper sand lenses, softer soil patches, sparse chenopod or shrub cover, Mitchell grass habitat, river channels and ephemeral swamps.

  • Stop machinery before entering a mapped or newly found burrow complex and have the ecologist assess whether it is active or likely to be occupied.
  • Do not collapse, fill, drive over or remove a burrow unless the approved fauna management plan and the relevant authority allow the action.
  • Retain logs, leaf litter, low shrubs, rocks and other ground cover that can provide shelter or support prey, unless their removal is authorised and assessed.
  • Prevent spoil, sediment, concrete washout, fuel and other pollutants from entering channels, claypans, ephemeral swamps or other wet areas.
  • Do not create new livestock or construction water points beside retained Kowari habitat.
  • If clearing exposes an occupied burrow, stop work and obtain direction from the authorised ecologist before proceeding.

During habitat disturbance: Animal found, injury and stop work response

Only a person authorised under the relevant permit and fauna management plan should capture, handle or relocate a Kowari. Minimise handling, noise, heat exposure and time in a container.

Relocation should be to nearby retained suitable habitat identified in advance by the ecologist, not to an isolated or unsuitable site. The location, reason, method and outcome must be recorded.

  • Stop work immediately within the defined exclusion area if a Kowari is seen, captured, found injured or located in a burrow threatened by the works.
  • Keep machinery and personnel clear while the fauna spotter catcher assesses the animal and contacts the project ecologist.
  • Do not chase, corner, feed or handle the animal unless the authorised fauna handler determines that intervention is necessary.
  • Place an injured Kowari in a secure, quiet, temperature appropriate container and transfer it as soon as possible to an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian.
  • If a female or dependent young is found, stop work and obtain specialist direction before any relocation or further disturbance.
  • Restart work only after the ecologist confirms that the animal has been safely moved or that the area is clear and the approved controls are in place.
  • Treat an unconfirmed but credible Kowari record, fresh diagnostic tracks or an occupied burrow as a stop work trigger until assessed.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance checks are needed because Kowaris can remain hidden in burrows and because construction can damage habitat without an immediate animal observation. Keep protection measures in place until the ecologist confirms that the work area is stable.

  • Inspect the completed clearing edge, retained habitat and all mapped burrow areas for animals, fresh tracks, disturbed soil, collapsed entrances, carcasses and predator signs.
  • Check that machinery has not entered exclusion zones and that no spoil, sediment or waste has been deposited in retained habitat, channels or ephemeral wetlands.
  • Record the final cleared area, retained habitat, damaged burrows, rehabilitation areas and any fauna incidents with photographs and coordinates.
  • Arrange a follow-up spotlighting, camera or sand plot check where a Kowari was detected, a burrow was disturbed or the works occurred beside important habitat.
  • Keep temporary fencing, signs and access controls in place until the risk of further construction disturbance has ended.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitoring should focus on retained habitat, dispersal connections and sites where works could reduce burrowing opportunities or increase predator access. Rainfall can cause large changes in Kowari abundance, so survey results should record recent rainfall and site conditions.

Population pattern: Abundance fluctuates with rainfall and rainfall associated prey availability

Monitoring priority: Retained habitat, movement connections and disturbed burrow areas

  • Compare post-work detections with the pre-work baseline using the same methods, locations and recording standards where possible.
  • Continue monitoring where the project approval, fauna management plan or offset condition requires it.
  • Report all confirmed records, injuries, deaths, relocations, damaged burrows and breaches to the project ecologist and relevant authorities within the required timeframe.
  • Submit verified records to the relevant Queensland or South Australian wildlife database.
  • Review controls after every incident and change the work method if the project is causing repeated disturbance or fauna mortality.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

  • Assess residual impacts under the EPBC Act approval process and relevant state requirements after avoidance, minimisation and rehabilitation have been applied.
  • Use any required offset or conservation arrangement to protect or improve suitable Kowari habitat, support connectivity or address the approved residual impact.
  • Do not treat an offset as a substitute for retaining occupied habitat, burrows or the two known populations.
  • Include offset boundaries, management actions, monitoring indicators and reporting responsibilities in the project environmental documentation.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate the open, sparsely vegetated habitat structure used by Kowaris and restore the burrowing and prey resources affected by the project. Success depends on retaining connected habitat, suitable softer soils and low predator and grazing pressure.

Kowaris use gibber plains with patches of softer soil, sand mounds, dunes, river channels and ephemeral swamps. In Queensland they also use ashy downs and cracking claypan plains with Mitchell grass.

Restoration should match the local reference community and should not introduce dense vegetation where open gibber or open claypan structure is the natural condition.

Vegetation associated with habitat: Sparse chenopods, dwarf shrubs, ephemeral herbs and Mitchell grasses

Typical stony cover in some gibber burrowing habitat: More than 80 percent small stones

Queensland reserve habitat: Ashy downs and claypans with 20 percent or less stone cover and Mitchell grass

  • Remove temporary construction surfaces and reinstate natural soil profiles without compacting or sealing sand mounds, sand lenses or burrowing substrates.
  • Use locally appropriate native chenopods, dwarf shrubs, ephemeral herbs and xerophytic Mitchell grasses where these occur in the local reference habitat.
  • Retain and reconnect patches of suitable habitat rather than creating isolated planting islands.
  • Reinstate natural drainage and ephemeral wetland function where roads, pads or earthworks have altered runoff or water flow.
  • Do not plant non native species or create artificial water points that could increase livestock, cat or fox activity near restored habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Reinstate shelter and movement features

  • Protect existing burrows wherever possible and repair only under ecologist direction, using local sand or soil and avoiding collapse of connected entrances.
  • Retain or reinstate natural sand mounds and deeper sand patches within gibber areas to provide burrowing opportunities.
  • Retain natural logs, leaf litter, low shrubs and other ground shelter where they occur, while avoiding the introduction of material that could harbour predators or weeds.
  • Maintain unobstructed connections between retained habitat patches, former occupied areas and potential habitat.
  • Use nest boxes only if a site specific ecologist confirms that they are appropriate, because Kowaris normally shelter in ground burrows rather than tree hollows.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage grazing, predators, weeds and fire

Livestock grazing and trampling can remove prey resources, deflate sand lenses and damage burrows. Reduced ground cover can also increase exposure to introduced predators.

Feral cat control is a high priority across the range. Foxes, wild dogs, rabbits and goats also require site specific management.

Primary introduced predator concern: Feral cats

Other introduced threats: European red foxes, wild dogs, rabbits, goats and livestock

  • Exclude livestock from restored burrow areas until vegetation and soil structure have recovered, and manage stocking and water point placement to avoid renewed trampling.
  • Implement approved feral cat, fox, wild dog, rabbit and goat control around important habitat, using methods that comply with animal welfare and land management requirements.
  • Control weeds before they alter the open gibber, claypan or ephemeral wetland structure, and prevent weed spread through machinery hygiene.
  • Prepare a fire plan that protects burrows and retains the habitat structure and ground cover required by Kowaris and their prey.
  • Coordinate predator and herbivore control with rainfall conditions, because wet periods can increase prey and predator numbers and the following dry period can intensify predation pressure.

Rehabilitation actions: Rehabilitation monitoring and success measures

  • Inspect restored areas after rainfall and at regular intervals for plant establishment, erosion, soil compaction, burrow formation and weed invasion.
  • Use repeat burrow searches, sand plots, camera traps and spotlighting to assess whether Kowari habitat use returns, applying the same methods used for the baseline where possible.
  • Measure success by retained or recreated connected habitat, stable sand mounds and soft soil patches, functioning drainage, increasing native ground cover appropriate to the reference habitat, low weed cover and no ongoing burrow damage.
  • Record Kowari detections, diagnostic tracks, predator activity, grazing pressure and rainfall so that results can be interpreted against natural population fluctuations.
  • Adapt planting, erosion control, access restrictions and pest management if monitoring shows that burrowing habitat or prey resources are not recovering.
  • Report rehabilitation outcomes through the project approval, state permit and relevant wildlife database processes.

Sources