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Lancelin Island Ctenotus (Ctenotus lancelini)

The Lancelin Island Skink is a small, surface-active skink known mainly from Lancelin Island in coastal Western Australia, with one historical record from the adjacent mainland. Its very small range, specialised sandy and limestone habitat, and possible presence in mainland Ctenotus populations make correct identification and careful site management important. It is listed as Vulnerable under the Commonwealth EPBC Act and in Western Australia.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The Lancelin Island Skink is most active from September to January, with adult captures peaking in November. Gravid females were recorded in mid to late November, and juveniles were captured from mid-January to April. Timing on the adjacent mainland is poorly known.

Breeding mode: Not recorded.

Breeding timing: Gravid females were captured in mid to late November. The timing of mating and egg laying is not recorded.

Clutch size: Not recorded.

Incubation period: Not recorded.

Breeding sites: Not recorded. Adults shelter beneath exfoliating limestone slabs, but breeding use of these shelters has not been confirmed.

Juvenile period: Juveniles were captured from mid-January to April.

Age at maturity and breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Timing may vary between years with temperature, sunshine, wind, rainfall and local habitat conditions, and the mainland population may not follow the same pattern as the Lancelin Island population.

  • Adult activity and detection: Adults are most likely to be detected from September to January, with the main peak in November.
  • Gravid females and likely breeding activity: Female captures peaked in mid to late November when females were gravid, indicating the main breeding period is centred on November.
  • Juveniles: Juveniles were captured from mid-January to April, so young animals may be encountered during late summer and autumn surveys.
  • Low adult detection: Few or no adults were captured outside the main activity period, particularly from February to August, although this may reflect seasonal activity or detectability.
  • Highest clearing risk: The highest risk period is October to April, when breeding activity and juveniles overlap, and clearing could remove sheltering habitat or affect young animals.

Identification: Appearance and size

The Lancelin Island Skink is a small brown to grey-brown skink with a dappled appearance and yellow hind legs. On Lancelin Island it is unlikely to be confused with other species, but mainland identification is more difficult because several Ctenotus species occur in the region.

The dorsal surface is grey-brown, with indistinct black streaks running from the neck towards the tail. The sides have three prominent grey-white stripes, with grey-white dashes and dots in the darker area between the upper stripes. The tail is grey-brown with mottled black markings, and the hind legs are yellow.

The species has a relatively heavy body, slender head, small eyes and short limbs. These features are consistent with moving through deeper leaf litter. Adults can reach around 220 mm total length and weigh up to about 10 g.

Identification: Similar species

On Lancelin Island, compare it mainly with the Spotted Ctenotus, Ctenotus fallens. The Lancelin Island Skink has two supraocular scales contacting the frontal, three presuboculars, a mottled colour pattern and no narrow dark vertebral stripe.

The Spotted Ctenotus has three supraoculars contacting the frontal, two presuboculars and a narrow dark vertebral stripe. Mainland records need more careful assessment because the Lancelin Island Skink may be confused with Ctenotus labillardieri and other related populations.

Identification: Calls and field signs

A distinctive call or echolocation system is not described. Do not expect calls to be a reliable survey or identification method.

Droppings, nests, whitewash, stains and odour are not reliable field signs for this species. Use direct sightings, pitfall captures and clear photographs instead. Any suspected mainland record should be documented with a close-up colour photograph and, where permitted, a tissue sample submitted to the Western Australian Museum for confirmation.

  • Photograph the whole animal, head, back, flanks and hind legs.
  • Record the exact location, habitat, substrate, shelter feature and time of observation.
  • Avoid lifting or replacing limestone slabs unless this is part of an approved survey method.

Distribution: Range in Australia

The Lancelin Island Skink is restricted to a very small area of coastal Western Australia. The confirmed range is centred on Lancelin Island, with a single historical record from the Lancelin foreshore reserve on the opposite mainland.

The main known population occurs on Lancelin Island, off the town of Lancelin in Western Australia. The island is about 7 to 7.6 ha, with approximately 6.5 ha of vegetated habitat.

One individual was recorded in October 1994 from a mainland foreshore reserve directly opposite the island. Intensive trapping at that locality found no further individuals, so the size and persistence of any mainland population are unknown. Surveys have also considered suitable coastal habitat between Guilderton and Wedge Island, and nearby offshore islands.

  • State: Western Australia.
  • Confirmed region: Lancelin Island and the immediately adjacent Lancelin mainland area.
  • No confirmed populations are recorded from other Australian states or territories.

Distribution: Range limits and survey implications

The species is not known to migrate between the island and mainland. Nearby coastal dunes, swales, limestone areas and offshore islands may warrant targeted survey where habitat is suitable, especially where a project could affect a small or isolated population.

Some northern mainland populations currently identified as Ctenotus labillardieri may require genetic and morphological review. Treat unusual Ctenotus records near the Lancelin area with care.

Distribution: Conservation status

The Lancelin Island Skink is Vulnerable under the Commonwealth EPBC Act and Vulnerable in Western Australia. A clearing or construction proposal in suitable habitat should be assessed early, with the relevant approvals and species management requirements checked before works begin.

Commonwealth: Vulnerable under the EPBC Act.

Western Australia: Vulnerable.

Habitat: Landforms and substrates

Look for this skink in low coastal vegetation on white sand, dunes, swales and shallow soil over limestone. It uses more of the island than the exposed limestone outcrops alone, so surveys should cover all suitable vegetated habitat rather than only visible rock.

Suitable landforms include coastal dunes, the sandy swales behind beaches and shallow soils over limestone. On Lancelin Island the species has been captured on deep sand, white beach sand and shallow limestone soils.

Small limestone outcrops and areas with exfoliating slabs remain important features, particularly where they retain sand, leaf litter and sheltered depressions.

  • Warm north to north-east facing slopes.
  • Dune swales with deeper leaf litter.
  • Ecotones between limestone and heath.
  • Vegetated sandy areas near the coast.

Habitat: Vegetation structure

Habitat is generally low, with shrubs and other vegetation less than 1 m high in many areas. Relevant vegetation includes low shrubland, open heath, winter annuals, perennial trailing plants and woody coastal shrubs.

The species has been recorded across the island's main vegetation types. Dense weeds can alter the amount of open ground, litter and available shelter, so both weed-dominated and relatively intact patches should be checked.

  • Low coastal shrubs, including Nitraria billardieri, Scaevola crassifolia, Acacia cyclops, Helichrysum cordatum and Atriplex isatidea.
  • Winter annuals and grassland on sand or shallow limestone soil.
  • Deep leaf litter in dune swales.
  • Vegetated limestone herbfields.

Habitat: Site inspection guidance

Before clearing, map limestone outcrops, exfoliating slabs, sandy depressions, dune swales, leaf litter and north to north-east facing areas. Do not assume that apparently open sand is unsuitable, as pitfall trapping recorded the species across all main island habitat types.

For a Vulnerable species, retain connected patches of suitable habitat where possible and avoid unnecessary disturbance to limestone and sandy nesting areas. Include nearby occupied or potentially occupied habitat in the work exclusion planning.

Foraging habitat: Where to search

The Lancelin Island Skink is surface-active and appears adapted to forage through leaf litter and from sheltered positions into nearby open ground. Its diet is reported as insects and larvae, but detailed dietary information is limited.

Search around the edges of leaf litter, low shrubs, open sandy patches and limestone slabs. Areas with a warm, sheltered aspect may produce higher captures during the active season, although differences in trapping rates may also reflect seasonal activity rather than a strict habitat preference.

The species may forage under shelter. On Lancelin Island, pitfall traps were covered with plywood, both to provide cover and to reduce predation by seabirds.

  • Leaf litter in dune swales.
  • Open ground between low shrubs.
  • Edges of limestone slabs and shallow depressions in sand.
  • Warm, sheltered north to north-east facing habitat.

Foraging habitat: Likely food and behaviour

Insects and larvae are reported as food items. The related Ctenotus labillardieri is described as darting from cover into open areas, and the Lancelin Island Skink may use a similar strategy.

Most Ctenotus are active by day, particularly in sunny conditions. For field work, prioritise late morning to afternoon in temperate months, with earlier morning and possibly late afternoon activity in hotter conditions.

Foraging habitat: Survey methods

Use a combination of active searching and pitfall trapping under an approved survey plan. Active searches can include careful inspection of suitable shelter, while pitfall grids can sample sandy, limestone and swale habitats.

On Lancelin Island, a field study used square grids of nine buckets spaced 10 m apart. Drift fences were not used there because of seabird activity and burrows. Any trapping program must address animal welfare, seabird predation, heat, shade, shelter and frequent checking.

  • Survey during the known active period, from mid September to mid January, with attention to the November peak.
  • Record habitat and weather conditions with every capture or sighting.
  • Use appropriate cover over traps where seabirds or other predators are present.
  • Obtain specialist advice before trapping or lifting slabs on an island reserve or construction site.

Breeding habitat: Breeding timing

Breeding sites are not well defined, but continued survival appears to depend on retaining a limited area of suitable sandy and limestone nesting habitat. Plan works conservatively around occupied habitat, sandy depressions, leaf litter and slabs until site-specific breeding information is available.

Female captures peak in mid to late November, when females are gravid. Juveniles have been captured from mid January to April, indicating recruitment after the spring to early summer adult activity period.

During this period, avoid clearing, soil disturbance and removal of slabs in occupied or potentially occupied habitat unless the work is approved and supported by an appropriate management plan.

Gravid females: Peak captures occur in mid to late November.

Juveniles: Recorded in pitfall traps from mid January to April.

Breeding habitat: Likely breeding features

The precise nest or breeding place has not been defined. Suitable nesting habitat is thought to be associated with sand and limited areas around limestone, including sheltered depressions beneath or near exfoliating slabs.

Do not treat a lack of visible nests as evidence that an area is not used for breeding. Retain natural sand depth, leaf litter, slabs and low vegetation around known records.

  • Sandy depressions beneath or beside limestone slabs.
  • Dune swales and white sand with leaf litter.
  • Shallow soils over limestone with suitable shelter.
  • Undisturbed edges of low shrubland and heath.

Breeding habitat: Works planning

Where clearing is proposed, arrange a targeted pre-clearance survey during the active season and have a fauna spotter catcher present for authorised works. Mark occupied habitat and retain suitable breeding features in place.

There are no established clutch size, incubation, maturity or nest dimension figures to use for setback calculations. Setbacks should therefore be based on the actual record, the habitat footprint and advice from the relevant Western Australian threatened fauna authority.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter features

The species shelters in depressions in sand beneath exfoliating limestone slabs and may also forage under cover. Shelter features can be small and easy to overlook, particularly where weeds, leaf litter or seabird disturbance have changed the ground surface.

Earlier records found individuals beneath limestone slabs. The species has also been associated with sand depressions under exfoliating limestone and with leaf litter in dune swales.

On Lancelin Island, the species was later captured across sandy and limestone habitats, so shelter surveys should not be limited to isolated rock outcrops.

  • Loose or exfoliating limestone slabs on sand.
  • Depressions beneath slabs.
  • Deep leaf litter in dune swales.
  • Sheltered edges of low shrubs and heath.

Sheltering habitat: Handling and pre-clearance

Before ground disturbance, inspect and map shelter features in the work area. If a slab must be moved under an approved procedure, lift it carefully, check the underside and replace it in its original position where safe to do so.

Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher for any authorised relocation or handling. Keep animals shaded, cool and secure, and follow the project approval and animal welfare conditions.

  • Do not stockpile or crush limestone slabs before inspection.
  • Avoid driving plant over slabs, litter banks and sandy depressions.
  • Keep excavations and temporary materials away from retained shelter habitat where practicable.
  • Check trenches and other open excavations regularly for trapped fauna.

Sheltering habitat: Trapping considerations

Pitfall traps can capture this skink, but traps need suitable cover and frequent checking. On Lancelin Island, plywood covers were used to provide shelter and reduce predation by seabirds.

Do not install drift fences or traps without considering seabird burrows, heat, flooding, access, animal welfare and the approvals applying to the site.

Threats: Habitat clearing and fragmentation

The main development risks are loss or degradation of a very small amount of suitable habitat, disturbance to sandy and limestone shelter features, and incorrect identification of mainland animals. Manage the species at Vulnerable listing level, with early survey, avoidance and documented controls.

The known range is extremely small, and the island has limited suitable nesting and shelter habitat. Clearing, excavation, road construction, laydown areas and access tracks can remove sandy depressions, leaf litter, low shrubs and limestone features.

Avoid clearing occupied habitat wherever possible. Keep work areas compact, retain connected vegetation and protect habitat outside the approved footprint from indirect damage.

  • Fence and clearly mark no-go areas before plant enters the site.
  • Keep access tracks and stockpiles off limestone slabs, dune swales and deep litter.
  • Prevent accidental widening of the approved clearing footprint.
  • Rehabilitate disturbed ground with locally appropriate native coastal vegetation where required.

Threats: Weeds and altered ground cover

Rye Grass, Wild Oats and other introduced plants can change open foraging areas, leaf litter and shelter around limestone. Dense weed growth may also hide slabs and make animals harder to detect during searches.

Control weeds using methods approved for the site and species. Avoid herbicide drift, soil disturbance and timing that could damage retained habitat. Monitor whether weed control leaves suitable shelter and open ground rather than creating bare, unstable surfaces.

Threats: Human access and construction disturbance

Trampling, vehicle movement, informal tracks, rubbish, lighting and changes to dune surfaces can degrade habitat. Seabird burrows and nesting areas may also constrain access and trapping, particularly on Lancelin Island.

Use marked access routes, limit personnel movement and brief all workers about the species and its exclusion areas. Coordinate works with reserve managers and seabird management requirements.

  • Use low-impact access routes and prevent off-track driving.
  • Keep materials and equipment out of retained habitat.
  • Control dust, runoff and sediment entering sandy swales or limestone areas.
  • Stop work and seek advice if an unexpected animal or potential occupied habitat is found.

Threats: Predation and survey-related risk

Silver Gull activity has been suggested as a possible pressure, and seabirds may prey on lizards caught in traps. Trapping, handling and relocation can also injure animals if equipment is poorly placed or checked too infrequently.

Use an approved, species-appropriate trapping and handling plan. Cover traps where appropriate, provide shelter, check them at suitable intervals and stop trapping if heat, flooding, predation or animal welfare conditions become unsafe.

Management level: Use Vulnerable species survey, avoidance and approval controls.

Main precaution: Protect sandy and limestone shelter and nesting habitat, especially during the spring to summer activity and recruitment period.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

The Lancelin Island skink is a surface-active skink with a very restricted known range. Surveys should focus on warm, sunny conditions during its active season and use both active searching and trapping where access and approvals allow.

Confirm whether the works occur on Lancelin Island, the adjacent Lancelin foreshore reserve, or other coastal habitat requiring taxonomic confirmation.

Map coastal dunes, swales, white sand, shallow soil over limestone, low shrubland, grassland, deep leaf litter and areas with exfoliating limestone slabs.

Check for weed-dominated areas, seabird colonies and burrows, visitor access, proposed clearing limits, vehicle routes and likely construction disturbance.

Treat mainland records cautiously. Mainland identification is difficult because several Ctenotus species occur in the region.

Known range: Lancelin Island and one recorded mainland locality near Lancelin, Western Australia

Known active period: Adults, mid-September to mid-January. Juveniles, mid-January to April

  • Review current Commonwealth and Western Australian threatened-species requirements before fieldwork.
  • Contact the Western Australian Museum about identification requirements for any mainland record.
  • Plan survey access around seabird burrows and other constraints on Lancelin Island.

Survey methodology: 2. Active searching

Search beneath loose, exfoliating limestone slabs and through suitable sand and leaf-litter habitat. Replace every slab carefully in its original position.

Search in warm, sunny weather when skinks are likely to be active. In temperate conditions, concentrate on late morning to afternoon. In hotter conditions, also search early morning and late afternoon.

Give particular attention to north to north-east facing areas that are sheltered from prevailing southerly winds and receive early sunlight.

Do not rely only on visible basking. The species may forage or shelter under loose sand, litter and slabs without being exposed.

Best general survey period: Mid-September to April, with adult captures highest from mid-September to mid-January

Likely daily activity: Late morning to afternoon in cooler months, shifting towards early morning and late afternoon in hotter months

  • Record search time, observers, weather, ground temperature if measured, cloud cover, wind, recent rain and habitat conditions.
  • Record each animal's location, behaviour, substrate, shelter type, vegetation structure and whether it was an adult, subadult or juvenile.
  • Avoid excessive lifting or rearrangement of slabs, especially where seabirds are nesting or burrowing.

Survey methodology: 3. Pitfall trapping

Use pitfall trapping as a supplementary method where a suitably qualified ecologist has approval and can manage animal welfare, seabird risks and weather exposure.

The documented island design used square grids of nine buckets spaced 10 m apart. Buckets were 19 cm deep and 18 cm wide, and were covered with plywood sheets measuring 30 by 30 cm.

Use cover over traps to provide shelter and reduce predation by seabirds. Do not install drift fences on Lancelin Island unless the relevant land manager and fauna authority approve a method that will not disrupt seabird burrows.

Trap during the active season and inspect traps frequently enough to prevent heat stress, drowning, predation and prolonged confinement. Set a written inspection schedule before trapping begins.

Documented trapping design: Thirteen grids across Lancelin Island, each with nine buckets spaced 10 m apart

Island survey constraint: Seabird activity and burrows prevented use of drift fences in the documented study

  • Record trap locations, trap effort, trap-days, weather, captures, bycatch, injuries, mortalities and trap failures.
  • Photograph suspected mainland Ctenotus records and retain tissue samples where authorised and appropriate.
  • Release animals promptly at the point of capture or handle them under the approved relocation protocol.

Survey methodology: 4. Identification and records

On Lancelin Island, compare suspected Lancelin Island skinks with Ctenotus fallens. The Lancelin Island skink has two supraoculars contacting the frontal, three presuboculars, a mottled pattern and no narrow dark vertebral stripe.

Mainland identification requires greater care. Do not record a mainland Ctenotus as a Lancelin Island skink from a brief sighting alone.

Have a qualified herpetologist or the Western Australian Museum confirm difficult records.

Useful mainland evidence: A good-quality close-up colour photograph or authorised tissue sample submitted to the Western Australian Museum

  • Take clear close-up photographs of the head, back, sides, limbs and tail, without restraining an animal unnecessarily.
  • Record GPS coordinates, date, time, habitat, substrate, shelter and the observer's identification confidence.
  • Report suspected records promptly under the relevant approval and threatened-species reporting arrangements.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and permits

Avoidance is the preferred management response for this Vulnerable species because its known range is very small and suitable shelter and nesting habitat are limited. Resolve survey, approval and exclusion arrangements before machinery or materials enter the site.

Check whether the action requires referral or approval under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. A Vulnerable species may be a matter of national environmental significance.

Obtain all required Western Australian fauna permits, threatened-species authorisations, land-manager approvals and animal ethics approvals before trapping, handling, tissue sampling or relocation.

If works are in Queensland and the species or a relevant population is listed as near threatened or otherwise protected wildlife, check whether a species management program is required for interference with a breeding place. Do not assume a Queensland approval is interchangeable with a Western Australian approval.

Make the approval conditions available to the project ecologist, fauna spotter catcher, supervisor and subcontractors.

Current listing for this profile: Commonwealth Vulnerable and Western Australian Vulnerable

Known confirmed range: Western Australia

  • Confirm the approved survey method and seasonal restrictions.
  • Confirm who may handle, relocate, photograph, sample or euthanise an injured animal.
  • Keep permit numbers, conditions, contacts and escalation steps in the site environmental control plan.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and site design

Redesign the footprint where feasible to retain occupied or suitable habitat. Prioritise retention of coastal dunes, swales, shallow soils over limestone, deep litter, low shrubs and loose limestone slabs.

Keep construction compounds, access tracks, laydown areas and spoil out of suitable habitat. Prevent unnecessary removal or stacking of slabs.

Set a clearly marked no-go area around records and suitable habitat. Use a site-specific buffer based on the survey results, risk assessment, approval conditions and advice from the relevant threatened-fauna authority. Do not apply an unapproved generic buffer.

Control access to prevent trampling, rock removal, illegal collecting, domestic animals and unnecessary vehicle movement.

  • Fence and sign exclusion areas before clearing starts.
  • Use existing disturbed routes where possible.
  • Keep a map of retained habitat, exclusion areas, access routes and approved work areas.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance survey and timing

Complete a pre-clearance search shortly before works, with timing set by the fauna ecologist and approval conditions. Use active searching beneath suitable slabs and in litter, and trapping where the risk assessment requires it.

Schedule the main search and, where possible, high-risk clearing during the species' active period from mid-September to April. Adult activity is highest from mid-September to mid-January, and juveniles have been captured from mid-January to April.

There is no documented migration or passage period. Treat spring to autumn as the main activity and recruitment period rather than assuming the site is empty outside a migration window.

Increase controls if the survey detects gravid females, juveniles, repeated use of a shelter area or a concentration of animals.

Female activity indicator: Female capture rates peaked in mid to late November, when females were gravid

Juvenile period: Mid-January to April

  • Inspect immediately before clearing on warm, suitable days where practicable.
  • Mark all detected shelters and records for the spotter catcher.
  • Stop and reassess if conditions are cold, wet, windy or otherwise likely to reduce detection.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Induction and exclusion controls

Induct every worker on the species' appearance, habitat, shelter under limestone slabs, exclusion areas and stop-work procedure.

Appoint a fauna spotter catcher with authority to stop work. State that authority in the pre-start briefing and contractor instructions.

Keep machinery, vehicles, materials and spoil outside marked habitat until the fauna spotter catcher releases the area.

Use low-impact manual preparation in high-risk habitat where approved, rather than broad mechanical disturbance.

  • Display a photograph and identification summary at site offices and in plant cabins.
  • Brief workers not to lift, move, collect or handle skinks.
  • Provide a radio or phone contact for immediate fauna incidents.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clear in a controlled sequence and keep the fauna spotter catcher close to the active work face. The spotter catcher must be able to stop machinery immediately when a skink, shelter or potential breeding place is encountered.

Clear from the least suitable or already disturbed area towards retained habitat, so animals have an opportunity to move into safe areas where this is consistent with the approved method.

Use staged clearing and small work fronts. Keep the active work area under continuous observation while slabs, litter, shrubs and shallow soil are disturbed.

Before removing a slab, inspect its underside and the sand or litter depression beneath it. Replace retained slabs carefully unless the approved method requires another treatment.

Do not use broad mechanical pushing through occupied limestone or litter habitat without a site-specific approval and fauna management procedure.

  • Mark the daily work area before clearing.
  • Pause work while the spotter catcher checks each high-risk shelter feature.
  • Keep cleared material and machinery away from retained habitat.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Animal handling and relocation

Only authorised and appropriately trained people may capture, handle or relocate a Lancelin Island skink. Use the approved fauna handling and relocation procedure.

Minimise handling time, shade the animal and keep it in a secure, ventilated container if temporary containment is authorised.

Release the animal at an approved nearby location with suitable sand, litter, shrubs and shelter. Do not move it between islands or to the mainland unless a specific translocation approval and plan are in place.

Do not collect animals for keeping, photography or identification outside the approval conditions.

  • Record the capture location before moving an animal.
  • Use clean equipment between animals and sites.
  • Do not release an animal into open water, dense weed mats, active seabird burrows, traffic areas or the construction footprint.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Stop-work triggers

Stop work if a Lancelin Island skink is found in the work area, if a shelter is occupied, or if the species cannot be confidently identified.

Stop work if an active breeding place is suspected. The breeding place type for this species is not well defined, so treat a gravid female, juvenile concentration, repeated shelter use or eggs as a potential breeding matter until the fauna ecologist advises otherwise.

Stop work for any colony, roost or aggregation of fauna, even though this skink is not known to form colonies or roosts.

Protect the location from people, machinery, vibration, dust and direct disturbance while the project ecologist confirms the response.

  • Isolate the immediate area and notify the site supervisor and environmental manager.
  • Contact the relevant regulator or land manager if required by the approval.
  • Restart only after the fauna spotter catcher documents the control and gives clearance.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Injured animals and incident records

Place an injured animal in a secure, shaded, ventilated container and obtain veterinary or wildlife carer assistance under the approved pathway.

Do not give food or water unless directed by a qualified wildlife veterinarian or authorised carer.

Record every animal found, including animals that move away, are relocated, are injured or are killed.

  • Record date, time, GPS location, work activity, weather, habitat, identification, photographs, action taken and final outcome.
  • Report injury, mortality, unauthorised disturbance, permit breach and suspected breeding-place disturbance immediately as required by the approval.
  • Preserve evidence and do not move a dead animal unless authorised for examination or museum submission.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance work should confirm that the approved footprint was followed and that no animals, shelters or habitat features were overlooked. Use the results to correct work practices before the next clearing stage.

Have the fauna spotter catcher inspect the cleared area, slab piles, spoil, trenches, drains, pits and equipment before the area is handed back to construction.

Search for animals sheltering under loose materials and check excavations for trapped fauna. Secure or cover pits and trenches when unattended.

Confirm that retained slabs, litter, shrubs, dune faces and exclusion fencing remain undisturbed.

  • Complete the inspection at a time when detection is reasonable, where practicable.
  • Record the area inspected, search effort, conditions, findings and any corrective action.
  • Repeat the inspection after overnight works, heavy rain, high winds or changes to the approved footprint.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Relocated animals and habitat checks

Check approved release locations for signs of disturbance, weed expansion, flooding, trampling, vehicle access and loss of shelter.

Where the approval requires it, monitor relocated animals using the agreed method. Do not infer survival from the absence of carcasses.

Review whether release locations retain loose sand, leaf litter, low shrub cover and suitable limestone shelter.

  • Keep relocation records linked to the original capture location.
  • Report recaptures, unusual movements, injuries and mortalities to the project ecologist.
  • Do not undertake additional relocation without approval.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Reporting and monitoring

Submit threatened-species records, trapping data, photographs, tissue records, relocation outcomes and incident reports to the relevant authority and land manager within the required timeframe.

For a Vulnerable species, use monitoring that can detect changes in occupancy, capture rates, age classes, habitat condition and weed cover.

Repeat monitoring at the frequency set by the approval, recovery plan or project risk assessment. Use consistent methods and seasonal timing so results can be compared.

Useful population indicator: Capture rates varied by habitat and were reported to differ between trapping grids by up to a factor of 40

Monitoring focus: Occupancy, capture rate, adults, juveniles, shelter habitat, weeds and disturbance

  • Map all records and cleared areas in the project GIS.
  • Report failures of exclusion fencing, unplanned clearing and fauna mortality promptly.
  • Keep raw data, photographs, permits, field sheets and chain-of-custody records in the project file.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review

Hold a short review after each clearing stage and after every fauna incident.

Compare the planned controls with what occurred in the field. Adjust the work front, inspection timing, exclusion areas, induction or trapping method before further disturbance.

Escalate recurring incidents or unexpected records to the project ecologist, land manager and regulator where required.

  • Document the cause, response, outcome and prevention measure.
  • Update the site environmental control plan and pre-start briefing.
  • Share lessons with the fauna crew, machine operators and supervisors.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should restore the shelter, litter, sand and low vegetation used by the species rather than create generic fauna structures. Keep restoration local in design and use monitoring to test whether habitat is recovering.

Retain and replace suitable limestone slabs in natural positions where this is safe and approved. Provide shallow depressions in sand and retain deep leaf litter beneath low shrubs.

Rebuild dunes, swales and shallow soil profiles to match the surrounding landform. Avoid compacting sand or covering limestone habitat with spoil.

Re-establish low native shrubs, perennial ground cover and suitable litter-producing plants. Use locally appropriate provenance where practicable.

Do not create dense, continuous grass cover that removes open foraging areas or conceals all shelter features.

  • Use clean fill that is free of weeds and pathogens.
  • Keep heavy vehicles off rehabilitated sand and litter.
  • Protect new plantings from trampling and vehicle access.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Weed and seabird management

Control rye grass, wild oats, ice plant and other invasive plants using methods approved for the site and the species. Stage weed control so shelter and native cover are not removed all at once.

Assess herbicide choice, application timing, drift and toxicity with the land manager and threatened-fauna authority before use.

Avoid disturbing active seabird colonies and burrows. Coordinate vegetation work with seabird management requirements.

Monitor whether weed control increases bare ground, native perennial cover, litter depth and usable shelter.

  • Remove weeds without burying or displacing limestone slabs.
  • Prevent weed spread on vehicles, machinery, fill and footwear.
  • Record treatment areas, dates, products, weather and follow-up results.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Breeding and shelter structures

The species is known to shelter beneath exfoliating limestone slabs and in sand depressions. Retain or recreate these features before considering artificial structures.

Do not install nest boxes, bat boxes, artificial nest sites or roost structures as a default measure. These structures are not established replacement habitat for the Lancelin Island skink.

If a project affects a confirmed breeding place or repeated breeding-use area, obtain specialist advice and approval for a site-specific replacement design. Test any proposed structure before relying on it as mitigation.

  • Use natural limestone, sand, litter and shrub structure as the first option.
  • Keep replacement shelters shaded or thermally suitable where they are intended to function as shelter.
  • Inspect replacement features for stability, flooding, weed invasion, predators and use by the target species.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Water, lighting and site protection

Restore natural drainage and avoid ponding, erosion and washout of coastal sand. Do not add artificial water points unless a specialist assessment shows a clear benefit and addresses predators, disease and weed spread.

Limit night lighting near retained or rehabilitated habitat. Use the lowest practical intensity, shield lights away from habitat and switch lights off when not required.

Control domestic animals, rubbish, access and unauthorised rock removal. Prevent new tracks across dunes and swales.

  • Use temporary barriers until vegetation and shelter are established.
  • Keep stormwater, sediment and construction chemicals out of rehabilitation areas.
  • Inspect after storms, drought, intense rainfall and major construction events.

Rehabilitation actions: 5. Long-term monitoring

Monitor rehabilitation through the species' active period, with attention to mid-September to April and the late spring to early summer adult peak.

Use repeatable active searches and, where approved, consistent pitfall trapping. Compare results with nearby retained habitat rather than relying on a single observation.

Track vegetation cover, weed cover, litter, slab condition, sand stability, seabird disturbance, predator signs and construction access.

Continue monitoring for the period required by the approval or recovery plan, and extend it if habitat condition or species use is declining.

Seasonal monitoring window: Mid-September to April, with adults most active from mid-September to mid-January

  • Record search effort and trapping effort for every monitoring visit.
  • Report new records, declining detections, mortality and habitat failure to the project ecologist and land manager.
  • Use monitoring results to revise weed control, access controls and rehabilitation methods.

Sources