Northern Nail-tail Wallaby (Onychogalea unguifera)

Conservation status

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Near threatened.

Breeding season

Breeding is reported as year-round in captivity, but reliable months for births, pouch emergence or dispersal in wild Northern Nail-tail Wallabies are not known. The calendar therefore marks year-round potential activity and year-round clearing risk rather than a defined seasonal peak.

Month ratings are a precautionary planning guide, not a confirmed wild breeding calendar.

• Breeding: No distinct breeding season is reported. Breeding is described as occurring throughout the year in captivity.
• Young: Females carry young in a pouch, but the timing of pouch young, emergence and dependence is not stated for this species.
• Movement and feeding: The species is generally solitary, feeds mainly at dusk and night, and moves between daytime cover and grassland. No seasonal migration or dispersal period is documented.
• Highest clearing risk: Risk is treated as year-round because breeding may occur throughout the year and the timing of dependent young is not known. Clearing can also remove feeding grassland and daytime refuge at any time.

Identification

The Northern Nail-tail Wallaby is a sandy-coloured wallaby with a distinctive dark dorsal stripe and a small keratin nail at the end of the tail. It is most likely to be detected at dusk, at night or around grassland and woodland edges.

The coat is sandy ginger, with pale underparts and pale cream cheek and flank stripes. A dark stripe runs from the lower neck along the back towards the tail, which has a dark tuft near its end. The ears are long and greyish, and the forearms are short relative to the body.

• Check the tail tip for the 3 to 6 mm keratin nail or horn, the defining field feature of the genus.
• Use the combination of sandy colouration, dark dorsal stripe, dark tail tuft and long tail when the tail tip cannot be inspected.

Identification: Size and sex

Males are larger and heavier than females. Adult males can reach 690 mm head and body length, 730 mm tail length and 9 kg. Adult females can reach 600 mm head and body length, 650 mm tail length and 7 kg.

Male head and body: 540 to 690 mm

Female head and body: 490 to 600 mm

Male weight: 6 to 9 kg

Female weight: 4.5 to 7 kg

• Visible testicles and larger forelimbs indicate a male.
• A pouch indicates a female, although the pouch may not be visible in a free-ranging animal.

Identification: Field detection

Knowledge of species-specific tracks, scats, nests, burrows or eyeshine is limited. The animal is described as timid and flighty, and may be difficult to observe directly.

• Search grass tussocks, grassland edges and adjacent woodland or shrubland during late afternoon, dawn and night activity periods.
• Treat a direct sighting as more reliable than an unverified macropod record, and photograph the tail tip, dorsal stripe and habitat where safe to do so.
• Record grunting vocalisations if heard. Grunting is reported from captive animals, but its reliability as a field survey cue has not been established.

Distribution: States and bioregions

The species occurs across tropical northern Australia, in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Its broad range extends from the northern coast towards the 500 mm annual rainfall isohyet, with a further inland extension in north-western Australia.

In Western Australia, records and suitable habitat include the Kimberley, including the East and West Kimberley regions. In the Northern Territory, habitat includes the Barkly Tablelands, the Gulf region and central northern woodland and shrubland areas. In Queensland, the Gulf region is identified as habitat.

• Map records and habitat separately for the Kimberley, Barkly Tablelands, Gulf region, coastal plains and inland north-western areas.
• Do not assume that all of Arnhem Land or the Kimberley is suitable. The species avoids higher rainfall areas in Arnhem Land and the Kimberley.

Distribution: Records and population information

A national population estimate, defined subpopulations and reliable population density are not available. A desktop database search for the Elliott Project found 33 Northern Nail-tail Wallaby sightings in two tenements, but this is a sighting count and not a population estimate.

Elliott Project database records: 33 sightings in tenements EL27186 and EL27544

National population size: Not well documented

Documented trend: Little evidence of broad distribution or abundance decline, with a reported exception in the West Kimberley; current population trend remains poorly known

• There is little evidence of a decline in geographical distribution or abundance during the last century, except in the West Kimberley. Recent research is limited.
• Treat local records as evidence of use of the project area rather than evidence that the species is common or secure there.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Northern Nail-tail Wallabies occupy open, relatively dry tropical habitats where tussock grass, herbs and low vegetation occur beside woodland or shrub cover. They commonly use ecotones between sandy loams and clay.

Recorded habitat includes open woodland with a tussock grass understorey, tall grassland, shrubland with scattered trees or shrubs, and coastal plains with scattered Melaleuca thickets. Central Northern Territory examples include Coolabah and Eucalyptus microtheca open woodland, and Lancewood, Acacia shirleyi and Bullwaddy shrubland.

• Retain connected patches of tussock grassland and adjacent woodland or shrubland.
• Pay particular attention to the edges of black-soil plains, where tussock grassland meets woodland or shrubland.
• Avoid treating scattered trees and shrubs as low-value habitat. They provide daytime cover beside feeding areas.

Habitat: Climate and site structure

Most of the range lies between the northern coast and the 500 mm rainfall isohyet, with an inland extension in north-western Australia. The species tends to avoid higher rainfall areas of Arnhem Land and the Kimberley. No elevation limit has been identified.

Rainfall context: Main range lies between the northern coast and the 500 mm rainfall isohyet

Elevation: Not well documented

Key habitat boundary: Ecotones between sandy loams and clay

• Assess sandy loam to clay transitions, open grassy areas and nearby dense cover as one habitat unit.
• Record the condition and continuity of tussock grass, low shrubs, scattered trees and Melaleuca thickets before clearing.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding sites

The species feeds mainly on plant material rather than animal prey. It moves from daytime cover into grassland and other open areas to feed, usually around dusk, night and dawn.

The diet is described as specialist feeding on herbs, succulents, vines and fruits, although the species is also classified as a true grazer and eats grass. It may feed alone or in groups of up to four.

Main foods: Herbs, succulents, vines and fruits

Additional food: Grass

Feeding group size: Usually solitary, with groups of up to four reported when feeding

• Survey herbs, succulents, vines, fruits and grass tussocks within and beside proposed clearing areas.
• Give particular attention to grassland on black-soil plains, coastal plains and woodland or shrubland edges.
• Retain access between daytime woodland or shrub cover and nearby feeding grassland.

Foraging habitat: Foraging movement

The species shelters in adjacent woodland or shrubland during the day and moves to grasslands to feed at night. Its home range, foraging distance and feeding density have not been documented.

Known foraging period: Mainly dusk, night and dawn

Home range or foraging distance: Not well documented

• Schedule noisy or high-intensity works away from retained feeding habitat where possible during dusk, night and dawn activity periods.
• Keep habitat connections open between grassland and adjacent cover, rather than retaining isolated grass patches.

Breeding habitat: Breeding facts

Basic breeding biology of the Northern Nail-tail Wallaby is poorly documented. The husbandry source states that it can breed throughout the year in captivity, but several details are based on general macropod information or guidance from the related Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby and should not be treated as species-specific field measurements.

The species breeds readily in captivity when compatible pairing, suitable environmental conditions and managed feeding are provided. No distinct breeding season is known.

Breeding season: No distinct season reported; breeding is described as occurring throughout the year in captivity

Litter size: The population size of the Northern Nail-tail Wallaby is not well documented.

Gestation: The population size of the Northern Nail-tail Wallaby is not well documented.

Age at maturity: Not well documented

Lifespan: Wild longevity is not recorded. Captive longevity for the genus Onychogalea is reported as 6 to 10 years.

Reproductive certainty: Species-specific field data are limited

• Treat all months as potentially containing mating, pouch young or recently independent young because breeding is reported as year-round.
• Do not use the related Bridled Nail-tail Wallaby as a substitute for confirmed Northern Nail-tail Wallaby reproductive data.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat and young

Females carry young in a pouch. A breeding den, nest or specific birth site has not been described. Habitat that combines feeding grassland with nearby woodland, shrubland, tussock cover and refuge sites is the best-supported breeding habitat description.

• Retain dense grass tussocks and low cover near open feeding areas.
• Inspect vegetation scheduled for clearing for females with pouch young or recently emerged young, and follow approved animal welfare and spotter catcher procedures.
• Manage male access and provide refuge during captive breeding, as males may injure young females; this husbandry observation is not a wild population measure.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuges

Daytime shelter is provided by grass scrapes and cover in woodland or shrubland beside feeding areas. Burrows, hollows or fixed den structures have not been identified for this species.

The species rests in grass scrapes during the day. In natural habitat it shelters in adjacent woodland or shrubland and uses tussock grassland, shrubs and scattered trees for cover.

• Retain grass scrapes, dense tussocks, low shrubs and connected woodland or shrubland within and beside the work area.
• Search cover before clearing, particularly where grassland is directly adjacent to woodland, shrubland or Melaleuca thickets.
• Use gradual, supervised vegetation removal and fauna spotter catcher controls where suitable habitat is present.

Sheltering habitat: Structures not documented

Dimensions for grass scrapes are not documented, and no species-specific use of hollows, burrows, caves, nests or dens has been reported. The animal is terrestrial, but no fixed refuge size has been identified.

Known daytime refuge: Grass scrapes and adjacent woodland or shrubland

Refuge dimensions: Not stated

Burrows, hollows and nests: Species-specific use has not been documented.

• Do not assume that the absence of a visible den means the area is unused.
• Record the location, cover type and condition of any occupied or recently used grass scrape or refuge found during pre-clearance checks.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The Northern Nail-tail Wallaby is Near Threatened in the Northern Territory despite being broadly distributed and not EPBC listed. Clearing and loss of connected grassland, woodland and shrub cover are the main project-level concerns identified by its habitat requirements.

Clearing can remove tussock grassland used for feeding, grass scrapes used for daytime shelter and adjacent woodland or shrubland used as cover. Fragmenting these habitat components can interrupt movement between shelter and feeding areas.

• Avoid clearing habitat mosaics at woodland, shrubland and grassland edges.
• Retain connected corridors between open feeding areas and daytime refuge.
• Map all suitable habitat and direct impacts before works begin, not only areas where animals are sighted.

Threats: Fire, grazing and introduced predators

Habitat is poorly represented in some managed Northern Territory parks, where populations may be declining. Cats and foxes are threats to northern Australian wildlife, particularly when rainfall produces more vegetation and prey resources for invasive predators. The effects of fire or grazing on this species have not been quantified.

• Assess recent fire history, grazing pressure and the availability of intact tussock cover before clearing.
• Avoid creating additional refuge loss or easy predator access through narrow isolated habitat remnants.
• Record cats, foxes and signs of grazing during fauna surveys and pre-clearance inspections.

Threats: Roads, hydrology and disease

Species-specific evidence for road mortality, disease or hydrology change is limited. Roads and altered drainage can still remove or divide the grassland and woodland habitat used by the species, so these impacts should be assessed at the project scale.

• Check road alignments, borrow pits, drains and altered water flow for loss or division of tussock grassland and adjacent cover.
• Use project fauna management controls for vehicle speed, night works and animal encounters where wallabies are recorded.
• Do not infer that the species is secure from its non-listing under the EPBC Act or from a broad distribution.

Survey methodology: 1. Nocturnal and crepuscular searches

Survey the Northern Nail-tail Wallaby where works may remove or fragment open woodland, tussock grassland, shrubland or coastal plain habitat. No formal project survey guideline or prescribed effort has been published, so apply methods based on the species' ecology and scale them to the project footprint, risk and approval conditions.

Search from late afternoon through the first hours after dark, when the species feeds, and include dawn searches where access and safety allow.

Use vehicle or pedestrian spotlighting along habitat edges, access tracks and transects through open woodland, tussock grassland, shrubland and Melaleuca plain habitat.

Record the number of observers, start and finish times, route length, weather, moon conditions, spotlight type and area covered for every search.

The species is generally solitary and nocturnal, but may occur in groups of up to four when feeding, so record every animal separately where possible and note group size.

Typical activity: Feeding at dusk and dawn, with nocturnal activity also reported.

Reported group size: Usually solitary, with groups of up to four when feeding.

Survey methodology: 2. Habitat and sign inspection

Inspect ecotones between sandy loams and clay, open woodland with tussock grass, shrubland with scattered trees or shrubs, and coastal plains with scattered Melaleuca thickets.

Search adjacent shelter and feeding areas together, because the species shelters in woodland or shrubland by day and moves into grassland to feed at night.

Map records of wallabies, tracks, scats, feeding areas, grass scrapes and likely shelter sites, but treat signs as supporting evidence unless confirmed by a suitably experienced observer or camera record.

Use motion cameras at likely travel routes, feeding areas and habitat edges where spotlighting is impractical or where repeated detection is needed.

Survey methodology: 3. Targeted searches and detection records

Use repeated targeted searches when the first visit does not detect the species but suitable habitat is present, because the species is timid, difficult to observe and poorly studied.

Give priority to the edges of black soil plains and tussock grasslands, including the Barkly Tablelands and Gulf region habitat types.

Do not treat a failure to detect the species as evidence of absence where suitable habitat remains connected to nearby woodland, shrubland or grassland.

If trapping, handling or camera deployment is proposed, obtain the required animal ethics, scientific or wildlife permits and use an approved macropod method operated by authorised personnel.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

• Prepare a project-specific survey design that states the search area, number of visits, search duration, route length, observer effort and detection conditions, because no standard guidance prescribes nights, hours, trap nights, transect lengths or camera deployment periods.
• Survey all suitable habitat within the disturbance footprint and representative connected habitat that may be used for relocation or connectivity assessment.
• Repeat searches when rain, heat, access, visibility or construction activity is likely to reduce detection, and document the reason for any change in effort.
• Submit confirmed records, negative survey results where required, locations and associated habitat information to the relevant Northern Territory, Western Australian or Queensland wildlife database and to the project approval database.
• Report the species as Northern Nail-tail Wallaby, Onychogalea unguifera, and retain photographs, coordinates, date, time, observer and identification basis with each record.

Vegetation associations: Woodland

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

Recorded habitat includes open woodland with a tussock grass understorey, tall grassland, shrubland with scattered trees or shrubs, and coastal plains with scattered Melaleuca thickets.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NT, QLD, WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Vegetation associations: Acacia, mulga or brigalow

Central Northern Territory examples include Coolabah and Eucalyptus microtheca open woodland, and Lancewood, Acacia shirleyi and Bullwaddy shrubland.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NT, QLD, WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Vegetation associations: Melaleuca or paperbark

Recorded habitat includes open woodland with a tussock grass understorey, tall grassland, shrubland with scattered trees or shrubs, and coastal plains with scattered Melaleuca thickets.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NT, QLD, WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Vegetation associations: Shrubland

Recorded habitat includes open woodland with a tussock grass understorey, tall grassland, shrubland with scattered trees or shrubs, and coastal plains with scattered Melaleuca thickets.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NT, QLD, WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Vegetation associations: Tussock grassland

Recorded habitat includes open woodland with a tussock grass understorey, tall grassland, shrubland with scattered trees or shrubs, and coastal plains with scattered Melaleuca thickets.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NT, QLD, WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Ecosystem associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific ecosystem association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Soil and substrate associations: Cracking clays or gilgai

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

Give particular attention to grassland on black-soil plains, coastal plains and woodland or shrubland edges.

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NT, QLD, WA.

Habitat use: foraging

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Soil and substrate associations: Sandy soils or sand

Key habitat boundary: Ecotones between sandy loams and clay

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NT, QLD, WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Soil and substrate associations: Loamy soils

Key habitat boundary: Ecotones between sandy loams and clay

Automatically indexed from existing profile text. Not a verified preference, mapped occurrence or habitat requirement. Check the original source and regional qualifiers before use.

Evidence: Unreviewed profile-derived candidate

Confidence: Not independently verified

Region: Scope as described in the quoted profile text; not independently verified. Profile states: NT, QLD, WA.

Habitat use: general

Attribution gap: No sentence-level reference is attached to the original profile block. Review the profile bibliography; this candidate is not source-verified.

Water and wetland associations

Source-checked associations and automatically indexed candidates are separated below. An association does not establish site presence, preference or dependence.

No species-specific water association has been indexed or source-checked in this evidence library. This is an evidence gap, not evidence of no association.

Fauna records and mapped habitat: Not yet analysed

Record locations can be overlaid with mapping, but record frequency alone does not measure habitat preference. No species is excluded from desktop assessments by this analysis.

No quality-controlled record-to-map analysis has been completed for this species. The existing generalised distribution dots and indicative range polygons have not been treated as precise occurrence coordinates.

A defensible run needs dated, independently attributable records, coordinate uncertainty, duplicate and captive-record checks, layer versions and regional scope. Preference and absence require additional survey-effort and detection evidence.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: No supported exclusion recorded

Not recorded is not the same as cannot occur. Low suitability, resident habitat, breeding habitat and occasional movement are different conclusions.

This library has not established a vegetation, ecosystem or soil-type exclusion for this species. This does not mean all habitat is suitable; the evidence needed to justify an exclusion has not been assembled.

Habitat limitations and contrary evidence: Before using a negative association

• Confirm the taxon, geographic region, life stage and habitat function covered by the evidence.
• Check survey methods, season, repeated effort and detectability before interpreting non-detection.
• Investigate credible contradictory records and microhabitats absent from broad mapping.
• Do not convert a missing map class, low record count or failed data request into species absence.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Avoid clearing suitable habitat first, then reduce the area, duration and intensity of disturbance. The Northern Nail-tail Wallaby uses connected open woodland, tussock grassland and shrubland, and can move between daytime shelter and nocturnal feeding areas.

• Retain open woodland and shrubland shelter areas beside tussock grassland and other feeding areas.
• Retain ecotones between sandy loams and clay, edges of black soil plains, coastal plains with Melaleuca thickets and connected grassland patches.
• Keep habitat corridors between retained woodland, shrubland and grassland, and avoid creating isolated retained patches.
• Keep clearing footprints, access tracks, laydown areas and night lighting outside retained habitat wherever practicable.
• Do not assume that habitat is unimportant because the species is listed as Least Concern nationally; it is listed as Near Threatened in the Northern Territory and has recorded population concerns in parts of its range.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Commonwealth status: Least Concern, not listed as threatened under the EPBC Act.

Northern Territory status: Near Threatened.

• Confirm the current EPBC Act status before works commence and complete an EPBC referral or other Commonwealth assessment if the current law or project impacts require it.
• Check the wildlife, clearing, scientific, animal ethics and threatened species requirements in the state or territory where the project occurs.
• Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey results, retained habitat, spotter catcher roles, stop-work triggers, relocation sites, injury response and reporting arrangements.
• Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains available and connected until each work area has been searched and released.
• Schedule the highest risk clearing outside periods of greatest local activity where the project ecologist identifies a seasonal risk, noting that no breeding season has been defined for this species.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

• Complete a pre-clearance inspection and targeted search immediately before clearing, with the timing and effort specified in the approved fauna management plan.
• Mark retained woodland, shrubland, tussock grassland, Melaleuca thickets, habitat edges, shelter sites, access routes and relocation areas before machinery enters the site.
• Install exclusion fencing where it can safely prevent entry into retained habitat, and inspect fencing daily for gaps, trapped animals and movement paths.
• Brief machinery operators on the species' sandy colour, dark dorsal stripe, dark tail tuft and nail at the tail tip so they can report sightings promptly.
• Plan a quiet holding and treatment area that allows authorised personnel to assess an animal without contact with machinery or visitors.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery coordination

Keep a fauna spotter catcher in direct communication with the clearing crew. Stop work when an animal is found or when clearing exposes an unmanaged risk, and resume only after the authorised fauna lead releases the area.

• Conduct a pre-start inspection of the work area, exclusion fencing, retained habitat and known shelter or feeding sites each day.
• Use a staged clearing direction that allows an animal to move towards retained connected habitat rather than into active work areas, roads or isolated vegetation.
• Require the spotter catcher to remain where they can see the active clearing face and maintain radio contact with the operator and supervisor.
• Use low speed and short clearing stages around habitat edges, tussock grass, shrubland, Melaleuca thickets and other areas identified during pre-clearance checks.
• Stop machinery immediately on a sighting, injury, entrapment, unexpected shelter site, blocked escape route or breach of the approved fauna management plan.

During habitat disturbance: Animal encounters and handling

• Keep people, vehicles and dogs away from the animal and allow an uninjured wallaby to move to nearby retained habitat where safe.
• Only an authorised and suitably trained fauna handler may capture, restrain, transport or release the animal, under the relevant permit and project procedure.
• Do not chase the animal through dense vegetation or force it into contact with machinery, fencing, steep edges or water.
• Release an uninjured animal into nearby retained habitat that provides woodland or shrubland shelter and access to suitable grassland or other feeding habitat, subject to the approved relocation plan.
• Take an injured animal to an approved veterinarian or wildlife carer as soon as practicable, and record the injury, treatment, destination and outcome.
• Avoid the hind legs and feet during handling because they are powerful, and use appropriate personal protective equipment because the animal can scratch or bite when stressed.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and stop-work records

• Inspect grass scrapes, dense tussocks, logs, rocks, debris, depressions and other shelter features before they are disturbed, even though no species-specific den or nest feature has been identified.
• Do not remove a habitat feature containing an animal until the fauna lead has assessed it and approved a safe method of inspection or relocation.
• Treat any live Northern Nail-tail Wallaby, dependent young, injured animal or repeated sign within the active footprint as a stop-work trigger.
• Record the date, time, location, work activity, machinery, observers, animal condition, photographs, actions taken, relocation point, permits and release or treatment outcome.
• Notify the project ecologist and relevant regulator of any death, serious injury, repeated capture, unauthorised clearing or failure of exclusion controls.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Confirm that each work area is clear, retain fauna controls while the disturbance risk remains, and check whether the project has reduced access between shelter and feeding habitat.

• Complete a final systematic inspection of the cleared area, stockpiles, trenches, culverts, drains, fencing and machinery before the area is released to the construction team.
• Check retained woodland, shrubland, tussock grassland and Melaleuca habitat for animals displaced during clearing and for breaches in exclusion fencing.
• Backfill or cover trenches and pits at the end of each shift where practicable, or provide safe escape points and inspect them daily.
• Remove temporary fauna fencing only after the fauna lead confirms that construction no longer creates an entrapment or access risk.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

• Monitor retained habitat and relocation areas using the same approved detection methods and comparable effort used during pre-clearance surveys.
• Record sightings, road mortality, injured animals, carcasses, new tracks, habitat use and any change in connectivity during construction and the agreed operational monitoring period.
• Submit records and incident reports to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and regulator where required by approval or permit conditions.
• Review monitoring results with the project ecologist and change lighting, fencing, traffic controls or work staging if animals continue to enter the work area.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

• Assess residual loss or fragmentation of suitable habitat under the applicable Commonwealth, state or territory offsets policy.
• Use any required offset or conservation measure to protect habitat that contains the same combination of woodland or shrubland shelter and grassland or other feeding habitat.
• Document why avoidance, minimisation and rehabilitation measures were insufficient before relying on an offset.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure and food resources

Rehabilitation should restore the linked shelter and feeding habitats used by the Northern Nail-tail Wallaby. It should match local reference habitat and be checked until vegetation, access and fauna use are established.

• Re-establish open woodland, shrubland, tussock grassland and habitat edges appropriate to the local Northern Australian setting.
• Use locally appropriate native plants identified in husbandry guidance where they match the project's original vegetation, including Acacia eriopoda, Acacia tumida, Acacia monticola, Grevillea wickhamii, Grevillea refracta, Triodia pungens, Megathyrsus maximus, Corymbia zygophylla and Ficus opposita.
• Retain or reinstate a mosaic of shaded shelter and open feeding areas rather than planting a uniform dense cover.
• Do not plant Jatropha gossypiifolia, which is toxic and invasive in this species' exhibit setting.
• Control weeds that replace tussock, herb, vine, succulent or fruit resources, and prevent rehabilitation works from increasing feral cat or fox access.

Rehabilitation actions: Reinstate shelter, connectivity and fire management

• Reinstate natural ground cover, grass tussocks, logs and other locally occurring shelter features removed by the project, where this is safe and consistent with the reference habitat.
• Reconnect retained woodland or shrubland with grassland and shrubland patches through planted or naturally regenerating corridors.
• Do not install hollow-bearing trees, nest boxes or wetland features as a default measure for this species, because they are not established as Northern Nail-tail Wallaby habitat requirements.
• Use a site-specific fire management plan that maintains tussock and woodland structure, avoids repeated intense fire across all retained feeding and shelter habitat, and is approved by the relevant land manager.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and follow-up

• Set measurable rehabilitation targets for native plant establishment, tussock cover, weed cover, corridor continuity, erosion control and safe access between shelter and feeding habitat.
• Inspect rehabilitation after wet and dry seasons and after fire, flooding or major maintenance works, with the monitoring period set by approval conditions and project risk.
• Use spotlighting, camera monitoring and sign searches to test whether Northern Nail-tail Wallabies use rehabilitated habitat, and compare results with retained reference habitat.
• Repair failed plantings, fencing, drainage, erosion controls and animal crossings when monitoring shows that the site is not providing connected habitat.
• Report rehabilitation results, fauna records, incidents and corrective actions to the approval authority and relevant state wildlife database.

Sources

• 1, aszk.org.au: https://aszk.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Mammals.-Northern-Nail-tailed-Wallaby-2012AE.pdf
• [PDF] EL27186, EL27187, EL27188, EL27189, EL27190 & EL27544, Northern Territory Government: https://geoscience.nt.gov.au/gemis/ntgsjspui/bitstream/1/76841/2/EL27544_2012_P_03_App1.pdf
• Atlas of Living Australia: scatterplot case study and survey-effort limitations, Habitat evidence reference: https://support.ala.org.au/support/solutions/articles/6000208426-scatterplot-case-study