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Pebble-mound Mouse (Pseudomys chapmani)

The Pebble-mound Mouse, Pseudomys chapmani, is a small nocturnal rodent endemic to rocky country in Western Australia. It excavates extensive burrows beneath distinctive pebble mounds, which can be damaged by clearing, earthworks, vehicle movement and changes to rocky slopes. In Western Australia it is listed as Priority 4 by DBCA, meaning it needs monitoring and could become threatened if conditions change.

Conservation status

Western Australia, WA Threatened and Priority Fauna List: Near threatened. Priority 4 (rare, near threatened) on the Western Australian priority fauna list. Priority species are not listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 but should be considered in assessments.

Breeding season

The Pebble-mound Mouse can breed throughout the year, with several litters reported each year. Activity associated with breeding is expected to be highest from June to September in the Pilbara, but timing may vary between sites and years.

Breeding mode: Sexual reproduction, with females producing several litters each year.

Litter size: Four young per litter.

Gestation: Not recorded.

Weaning: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Breeding place: Subterranean burrow systems and nest chambers beneath pebble mounds.

Breeding timing and mound activity can vary between years and regions, so active and apparently inactive mounds should be treated as potential habitat during site works.

  • Breeding and mating: Breeding occurs throughout the year, with activity associated with breeding expected to peak from June to September.
  • Dependent young: Young may be present in burrow systems throughout the year because females produce several litters annually.
  • Nocturnal mound and burrow activity: The species is strictly nocturnal, with most detections between 01:00 and 06:00 and highest activity around 03:00 to 04:00.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing or construction can affect burrow systems, breeding females and dependent young in any month, with higher risk from June to September.

Identification: Appearance and measurements

The Pebble-mound Mouse is a small, buff-brown rodent with white underparts. On works sites, the most useful evidence is usually the presence and condition of its pebble mounds, rather than a direct animal sighting.

Adults have a buff-brown head, back and sides, with white underparts. The species weighs 10 to 15 g.

The Pebble-mound Mouse is most similar to the Sandy Inland Mouse, Pseudomys hermannsburgensis. Body size alone is not a safe way to separate them.

  • Head and body length: 52 to 67 mm.
  • Tail length: 73 to 79 mm.
  • Large auditory bullae and short, broad palatine foramina are useful museum identification features.
  • Foot-pad patterns can assist with identification of live animals.

Identification: Calls and similar species

A diagnostic call is not used for field detection, and the species has no echolocation system. Direct identification from a brief camera image can be uncertain, especially where other Pseudomys species occur.

Where a capture is needed for confirmation, use an experienced ecologist and appropriate fauna handling procedures. Museum confirmation may be needed for difficult records.

  • Sandy Inland Mouse, Pseudomys hermannsburgensis, can occur in areas with pebble mounds.
  • Delicate Mouse, Pseudomys delicatulus, and House Mouse, Mus musculus, may also require consideration in some areas.
  • The Central Pebble-mound Mouse, Pseudomys johnsoni, is a different species and is not the Pilbara species described here.

Identification: Field signs

The species builds a fortress-style mound from remarkably even-sized pebbles. Mounds range from 0.5 to 9 square metres and may be up to 0.5 m high.

Active mounds commonly have raised, volcano-like cones with crater-like entrances. Entrances are often closed with pebbles. Old mounds may remain raised for decades after abandonment, so an isolated mound is not proof of current occupancy.

  • Look for several pebble cones, fresh pebble movement and open or recently closed entrances.
  • Check for entrances leading into a subterranean burrow system.
  • Do not rely on mound shape alone. External mound scores have not reliably predicted current activity.
  • Camera traps, trapping near mounds and carefully controlled movement tests can improve confirmation.

Identification: Site survey approach

Before clearing or construction, map all pebble mounds and classify them as active, inactive or old, while recognising that visual classifications are imperfect.

Use targeted searches across rocky slopes, footslopes, plains and mesa tops where suitable pebble material is present. Camera traps on apparently active mounds are useful for nocturnal activity, particularly between 17:00 and 07:00. Activity is often greatest between 01:00 and 06:00.

  • Record mound coordinates, condition, photographs, surrounding habitat and proposed disturbance footprint.
  • Have uncertain mounds checked by a suitably experienced ecologist.
  • Report confirmed sightings and significant records through the relevant Western Australian fauna reporting process.

Distribution: Australian range

The Pebble-mound Mouse is endemic to Western Australia. Its current range is centred on the Pilbara, with evidence of a former wider distribution to the south.

The species is restricted to Western Australia. It occurs mainly across the central and southern Pilbara, including the Hamersley Range, and extends into smaller ranges of the Little Sandy Desert.

It is associated with the non-coastal, central and eastern parts of the Pilbara. Abandoned mounds in the Gascoyne and Murchison indicate a decline from parts of its former range.

  • State: Western Australia.
  • Main region: Pilbara.
  • Important landscapes: Hamersley Range, central and southern Pilbara, and smaller ranges of the Little Sandy Desert.
  • Former or reduced range evidence: Gascoyne and Murchison.

Distribution: Distribution on works sites

Suitable habitat can occur even where no live animals are seen during a general fauna survey. Active mounds are the strongest field indication of current presence, but old mounds can remain after local extinction.

Treat a cluster of mounds and its surrounding rocky habitat as a connected site feature. Avoid assessing each mound as an isolated point when planning access tracks, laydown areas or clearing.

  • Search project areas, borrow pits, access corridors and rehabilitation areas before disturbance.
  • Map both active and inactive mounds.
  • Include adjacent rocky slopes and likely movement areas in impact assessments.

Distribution: Conservation listing

In Western Australia, the species is listed as Priority 4 by DBCA. This is a non-statutory category for species that need monitoring and could become threatened if conditions change.

It is not listed under the EPBC Act in the accounts used for this profile. Project approvals, survey requirements and fauna handling obligations still need to be checked against current Western Australian requirements.

  • Use a precautionary approach where active mounds or a substantial mound complex may be affected.
  • Scale survey effort to the size of the disturbance, the amount of suitable rocky habitat and the number and condition of mounds.
  • Seek advice from DBCA or a suitably experienced consultant where clearing may affect active mounds.

Habitat: Landforms and ground features

Look for the Pebble-mound Mouse in rocky landscapes with suitable loose pebbles for mound construction. It is most often associated with gentle slopes, footslopes and plains beside rocky ranges, but mounds can also occur on hills and mesa tops.

Preferred landforms include gentle slopes of rocky ranges, mid-slopes, footslopes and rocky plains. Mounds may also occur on hilltops, steep hill sides and mesa tops.

The key ground feature is a stony or pebbly substrate that can support excavation and mound construction. Rocky hills, exposed boulder piles and areas with little soil can provide suitable habitat.

  • Rocky ranges and hills.
  • Gentle colluvial slopes between steep-sided ridges.
  • Rocky plains and footslopes.
  • Stony slopes, pebbled soil and exposed boulder piles.

Habitat: Vegetation

Habitat commonly has hummock grassland dominated by spinifex, with a sparse overstorey of eucalypts and scattered shrubs.

Common associated shrub genera include Senna, Acacia and Ptilotus. Vegetation condition can vary, so do not exclude habitat only because it is open or sparsely vegetated.

  • Triodia hummock grassland.
  • Sparse eucalypt woodland or overstorey.
  • Open Acacia, Senna and Ptilotus shrublands.
  • Arid tussock grassland in rocky plains and footslopes.

Habitat: Habitat checks before disturbance

Walk the full proposed disturbance footprint and inspect likely habitat before machinery enters. Mounds can be inconspicuous where the profile has weathered or where vegetation partially covers the stones.

Give particular attention to lower and mid-slope areas, footslopes and plains within otherwise rocky project areas. These areas can contain preferred habitat and may be suitable for avoidance planning.

  • Inspect proposed roads, drainage lines, pads, borrow pits, laydown areas and rock-fall barriers.
  • Mark mound complexes in the field and on construction drawings.
  • Use existing cleared or disturbed areas for equipment wherever practicable.

Foraging habitat: Foraging setting

The Pebble-mound Mouse forages at night around its burrow system and the surrounding rocky habitat. Its detailed diet is poorly documented, so management should retain the connected ground cover and substrate around mounds rather than focusing only on the mound itself.

Likely foraging areas are the stony slopes, rocky plains, footslopes and spinifex habitats surrounding the burrow systems. The species may move between nearby mounds and use more than one mound within its local area.

Females have been observed maintaining neighbouring mounds near their home mound. Males can move more widely and may use mounds as temporary refuges.

  • Retain native spinifex and scattered shrub cover around mound complexes.
  • Avoid severing connections between nearby mounds with tracks, pads or cleared corridors.
  • Minimise night-time vehicle movement through mapped mound areas.

Foraging habitat: Diet and resources

The species' diet is not well established in the field accounts. Do not assume that a particular plant species is its food source.

Maintaining intact ground cover, surface stones and the natural soil profile will protect the range of food resources and shelter conditions available to this small nocturnal rodent.

  • Avoid unnecessary removal of surface stones.
  • Control weeds that may alter native ground cover and habitat condition.
  • Prevent avoidable dust, soil movement and compaction around mound complexes.

Foraging habitat: Works controls

Use clearly marked exclusion areas around mound complexes where practicable. Keep vehicles, storage, spoil and temporary fencing out of mound entrances and adjacent burrow habitat.

If disturbance cannot be avoided, obtain project-specific ecological advice before works begin. A Priority 4 listing does not remove the need to assess local impacts.

  • Use designated access routes and prohibit off-road driving.
  • Apply low site speed limits to reduce collision risk.
  • Keep night works and lighting away from active mound areas where practicable.
  • Progressively rehabilitate disturbed ground with suitable local substrate and native cover.

Breeding habitat: Breeding place

The pebble mound and the subterranean burrow system beneath it are the main known breeding habitat. Mounds can be used by successive generations, so an apparently quiet mound may still have refuge value.

Burrow systems beneath mounds contain nest chambers and provide protected underground habitat. The pebble cover helps moderate temperature where shallow, stony soils limit deep burrowing.

Female mice may maintain neighbouring mounds near their home mound in preparation for use by locally dispersing young. This means nearby inactive-looking mounds should not be dismissed during planning.

  • Treat active mounds as breeding habitat.
  • Retain nearby inactive or low-activity mounds where possible.
  • Protect the surrounding substrate needed for burrow access and mound maintenance.

Breeding habitat: Breeding timing

Breeding is reported throughout the year, with females producing several litters of four young. Field activity is expected to be higher from June to September, when breeding activity may increase.

Because breeding can occur outside this period, avoid treating any month as a reliably safe clearing period.

  • Plan surveys before clearing rather than relying on seasonal timing alone.
  • Use additional care from June to September when activity may be more readily detected.
  • Stop and seek ecological advice if live mice, fresh mound maintenance or occupied burrows are found during works.

Breeding habitat: Mound complex protection

A mound complex should be considered a functional breeding area, not simply a collection of stone piles. Successive generations may use the same structures, and abandoned mounds can persist for decades.

Where avoidance is feasible, redesign the footprint to retain the whole local complex and its surrounding habitat. No species-specific clearing buffer is established in the field accounts, so project ecologists should set a site-specific protection area based on the complex and proposed impacts.

  • Map mound boundaries and likely movement links.
  • Prevent direct grading, burial, stockpiling or rock removal from mound areas.
  • Include mound protection requirements in clearing permits, inductions and spotter catcher instructions.

Sheltering habitat: Burrow systems

The Pebble-mound Mouse shelters during the day in burrow systems below pebble mounds. These underground refuges also provide protection from heat and predators, so damage can affect animals even when no mouse is visible.

Active mounds have entrances to underground burrows and nest chambers. Entrances are often concealed or closed with pebbles, and may occur in the centre of raised cones.

The burrow network is the principal known daytime shelter. Do not disturb, probe or open a mound to check occupancy.

  • Look for cone-shaped mound features and closed or open entrances.
  • Keep machinery, spoil and foot traffic away from mound surfaces.
  • Do not remove stones from a mound or use the mound material for road base.

Sheltering habitat: Refuge use

Males may use mounds as temporary refuges while moving through the landscape. Empty or low-activity mounds can also provide refuge for dispersing animals and breeding females.

A mound that has no obvious fresh sign may still be part of the local shelter network.

  • Retain groups of mounds, not only the mound with the clearest activity.
  • Avoid isolating retained mounds within broad cleared areas.
  • Maintain native ground cover and natural surface drainage around retained habitat.

Sheltering habitat: Handling animals during works

The species is strictly nocturnal. If a mouse is encountered during clearing, stop the immediate activity and allow it to move away if safe. Do not chase it into a mound or disturb the burrow.

Fauna spotter catchers should photograph the animal and surrounding mound only where this can be done without causing further disturbance. Use an experienced fauna ecologist for any capture or relocation decision.

  • Check machinery, spoil piles and disturbed rock for trapped fauna before movement.
  • Record the location, time, habitat and mound condition for every encounter.
  • Report fauna incidents and update the site environmental representative.

Threats: Clearing and earthworks

The Pebble-mound Mouse appears secure across much of its remaining Pilbara range, but it has declined from parts of its former distribution. On works sites, direct mound damage, habitat fragmentation and increased predator or vehicle pressure are the main practical concerns.

Clearing, grading, trenching, blasting, excavation and rock removal can destroy mounds and collapse burrow systems. Low-mobility, burrowing animals may be injured or killed when machinery enters occupied habitat.

Avoid mound complexes and associated rocky slopes wherever practicable. Assess borrow pits, temporary works areas and access tracks before ground disturbance.

  • Use previously disturbed or cleared areas for infrastructure and equipment.
  • Fence or clearly mark approved disturbance limits.
  • Prohibit unauthorised vehicle movement across mapped mound habitat.

Threats: Fragmentation and altered habitat

Tracks, linear corridors, pads, drainage works and rock-fall barriers can divide mound complexes and alter access between burrows. Soil compaction and removal of surface stones can prevent mound maintenance.

Retain connected patches of rocky habitat, spinifex and native shrubs around mounds. Rehabilitate temporary disturbance progressively.

  • Keep spoil, fill and construction materials outside mapped habitat.
  • Avoid changing drainage across mound complexes.
  • Use local rock and suitable native substrate when rehabilitating disturbed areas.

Threats: Predation, grazing and weeds

Predation by feral cats and foxes is linked to the species' wider decline. Grazing by introduced herbivores can also degrade ground cover and habitat.

Weeds, grazing and altered fire or land management can reduce the quality of spinifex and rocky plain habitat. Project weed hygiene and rehabilitation controls should be applied around retained habitat.

  • Prevent weed spread on vehicles and earthmoving equipment.
  • Keep construction waste and food scraps away from fauna habitat.
  • Coordinate feral predator and herbivore management with the land manager where appropriate.

Threats: Survey, monitoring and incident response

Mound condition alone is an unreliable measure of current activity. Use repeat observations, cameras and, where justified, targeted trapping to confirm occupancy and assess likely impacts.

For a Priority 4 species, survey and mitigation should be scaled to the local risk. A small footprint with no mounds may need a targeted habitat check, while a project affecting a mound complex warrants detailed mapping, avoidance planning and ongoing monitoring.

  • Survey before clearing and after major changes to the work footprint.
  • Use motion-sensitive cameras on suitable mounds, especially during the nocturnal activity period.
  • Record fresh mound maintenance, live animals, road strikes and damaged mounds.
  • Review controls if new records or active mounds are found during construction.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Survey for the Western Pebble-mound Mouse should focus on pebble mounds and the burrow systems beneath them. The species is nocturnal, and external mound condition alone is not a reliable measure of current activity.

Map all rocky ranges, gentle rocky slopes, footslopes, plains, mesa tops and other areas with suitable pebbles and sparse spinifex vegetation.

Check DBCA records, previous environmental reports, aerial imagery and habitat mapping for active, inactive and disused mounds.

Treat old mounds as potential habitat. Mounds can persist for decades after abandonment and may be reused by successive generations.

Australian distribution: Pilbara region of Western Australia, including the central and southern Pilbara and smaller ranges of the Little Sandy Desert

Known mound size: 0.5 to 9 square metres, with some mounds up to 0.5 metres high

Activity period: 17:00 to 07:00, with most detections between 01:00 and 06:00

  • Record the mapped extent of suitable rocky habitat before designing access tracks, laydown areas, borrow pits and clearing boundaries.
  • Plan to avoid lower and mid slope disturbance where practicable, particularly where mounds or suitable mound habitat are present.
  • Confirm the current Priority 4 requirements and any project specific conditions with DBCA before fieldwork and ground disturbance.

Survey methodology: 2. Mound searches and activity assessment

Walk systematic transects through suitable rocky habitat and inspect all pebble accumulations. Look for even sized pebbles, volcano like cones, cratered or occluded entrances, fresh disturbance and maintained mound profiles.

Do not classify a mound as inactive solely because it is weathered, partly collapsed or lacks an obvious open entrance. Some entrances are closed with pebbles, and external scores are not consistently repeatable between observers.

Use a non-toxic, water based paint test only where it has been approved for the project and will not damage the mound. Reinspect after the appropriate short interval to identify movement of pebbles.

Historical activity index: Anstee style visual scores of 6 or higher have been used as an active classification, but scores do not reliably predict current activity

Mound function: Subterranean burrows and nest chambers occur beneath the mound

Associated species: Sandy Inland Mice may use Western Pebble-mound Mouse burrow systems, so captures require careful identification

  • Record each mound with a unique identification number and GPS location.
  • Photograph the whole mound and representative entrances from the same direction at each visit.
  • Describe mound dimensions, condition, cones, craters, entrances, fresh pebble movement, cobwebs, plant material and other disturbance.
  • Classify the evidence as active, recently active, inactive or old only when supported by the full evidence set.
  • Have an experienced ecologist confirm uncertain mounds and distinguish them from stone piles made by other animals or old nest structures.

Survey methodology: 3. Cameras and targeted trapping

Place motion sensitive cameras at representative active and uncertain mounds. Use cameras overnight and retain the full activity period rather than relying on a short evening check.

Prioritise surveys from June to September when activity associated with breeding is expected to be high. Breeding has also been reported throughout the year, so do not treat other months as a no breeding period.

Use trapping only under the direction of an appropriately authorised fauna ecologist and in accordance with animal ethics and permit requirements. Body size alone does not safely separate the Western Pebble-mound Mouse from similar Pseudomys species.

Camera setting period: 17:00 to 07:00

Peak camera detections: 01:00 to 06:00, with the highest concentration between 03:00 and 04:00

Reported home ranges: Approximately 150 metres for females and 300 metres for males

  • Run cameras for repeated nights where the decision depends on confirming activity. Set the duration according to the project risk, habitat extent and advice from DBCA or the project ecologist.
  • Use photographs, foot-pad patterns and, where necessary, verified specimen or genetic methods to confirm difficult identifications.
  • Stop trapping during unsuitable weather, excessive heat or other conditions that could increase animal stress.
  • Do not use mound appearance as a substitute for cameras or other direct evidence where clearing could affect a mound or its surrounding habitat.

Survey methodology: 4. Survey records

Keep a spatial register of mounds, cameras, captures, incidental observations and disturbance. Submit records to the relevant state database or agency as required by project conditions.

Record enough detail for another ecologist to relocate and reassess each mound.

  • Record date, time, observer, coordinates, habitat, mound number, mound condition and survey method.
  • Record camera model, deployment and retrieval times, operating problems and independent detection events.
  • Record all captures, attempted captures, identification evidence, handling time, release location and animal condition.
  • Record nearby clearing, vehicle movement, grazing, fire, weed invasion, erosion and other disturbance.
  • Report sightings, road strikes, injured animals, mound damage and unexpected mortality to the site environmental manager and the relevant authority.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Avoidance and approvals

Avoidance is the preferred control for this Priority 4 species. Plan the work around mapped mounds and the connected rocky habitat, because an apparently empty mound may still provide refuge or be used by dispersing animals.

Design the development footprint to retain mapped mounds, rocky slopes, footslopes and plains that support suitable pebble habitat. Use existing cleared or disturbed areas for equipment, access and laydown wherever practicable.

Confirm whether the proposal needs approval under the Western Australian biodiversity legislation, conditions of approval, or a DBCA permit before survey, trapping, handling, clearing or disturbance.

The Western Pebble-mound Mouse is not listed under the EPBC Act in the current profile. Check the full proposal against all EPBC matters and make a referral if another protected matter may be affected.

WA listing: Priority 4 under the Western Australian Wildlife Conservation framework and DBCA Priority Fauna system

EPBC status: Not listed in the current profile

Mapped state occurrence: Western Australia only

  • Obtain written advice on any required DBCA authorisation before disturbing a mound or handling an animal.
  • Do not assume that a Priority 4 listing removes the need for project specific approvals or management conditions.
  • A Queensland species management program is not a normal approval pathway for this Western Australian species. If work involves Queensland fauna or a Queensland listed species, obtain Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation advice and a species management program where required.
  • Confirm any separate clearing, fauna handling, animal ethics, road, mining or local government approvals before mobilisation.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Pre-clearance survey

Complete a targeted mound survey after the final footprint, access routes and work areas have been pegged. Survey the footprint and a practical surrounding area where indirect impacts, vibration, dust, drainage or vehicle movements could affect mounds.

Use a suitably experienced ecologist to confirm the location and condition of all mounds before clearing. Use cameras or other targeted methods where the status of a mound affects the work decision.

  • Mark mounds and connected habitat on construction drawings and in the field.
  • Flag exclusion areas with durable markers that will remain visible to operators and spotter catchers.
  • Inspect proposed borrow pits, temporary tracks, compounds and rehabilitation sources as well as the main clearing footprint.
  • Complete a final pre-start inspection after heavy rain, fire, earthworks or other events that could change access or mound condition.
  • Do not clear on the basis that an old or inactive mound is unoccupied.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Timing, buffers and exclusion

No species specific buffer distance or construction timing restriction has been established in this profile. Set an exclusion area around each mound and its associated rocky habitat through the project risk assessment, with advice from the qualified ecologist and DBCA where needed.

Avoid clearing during the June to September period where practicable if breeding activity is likely to be affected. Because breeding may occur throughout the year, timing alone does not remove the need for pre-clearance checks.

  • Fence or otherwise clearly delineate each approved exclusion area before machinery arrives.
  • Keep vehicles, stockpiles, blasting, vibration, drainage works and lighting outside the exclusion area unless specifically approved.
  • Maintain habitat links between retained mounds where the project footprint could isolate animals.
  • Do not move, dismantle, fill, compact or use a mound as a turning point.
  • Document the reason for any unavoidable disturbance and obtain approval before work starts.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Induction and readiness

Brief every worker, contractor and visitor before entering the work area. The induction should use photographs of local mounds and explain that the species is small, nocturnal and sheltering below ground during the day.

  • Show the location of exclusion areas, access routes, speed limits and no-go zones.
  • Tell workers not to touch, collect or rebuild pebbles and not to enter burrows.
  • Give the fauna spotter catcher authority to stop work if a mound, animal, injury, unexpected habitat or possible breeding place is found.
  • Keep contact details for the project ecologist, fauna spotter catcher, environmental manager and wildlife carer at the work front.
  • Confirm that suitable transport, holding equipment and an approved release or veterinary pathway are available before clearing begins.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clear in a controlled sequence from the least disturbed edge towards retained habitat. The fauna spotter catcher should have direct authority to stop work and should work to the approved method statement, permit conditions and animal welfare requirements.

Delineate the approved footprint and inspect it immediately before each clearing shift. Remove hazards and clear in stages so animals have an opportunity to move towards retained habitat where that is safe and approved.

Use small plant and low speed operations near known or potential mounds. Avoid driving over rocky habitat, pebble accumulations and burrow entrances.

  • Clear access and working areas only after the spotter catcher has completed the pre-start check.
  • Keep machinery outside marked mound exclusion areas.
  • Use progressive clearing rather than opening the whole footprint at once.
  • Stop work for any mound damage, animal sighting, unexpected habitat feature or change to the approved footprint.
  • Inspect the work area after each shift for injured animals, trapped animals and newly exposed burrows.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Animal handling and active mounds

Only authorised and trained fauna personnel may handle a Western Pebble-mound Mouse. Do not chase, catch, feed or move animals without the required approval and a species appropriate handling procedure.

Treat an active mound, fresh movement, occupied burrow or animal with young as a potential breeding place or refuge until the ecologist has assessed it.

  • Stop all nearby work and establish a temporary exclusion area if an active mound or animal is found inside the work area.
  • Do not block, fill, dismantle or excavate the mound while the assessment is underway.
  • Contact the project ecologist and environmental manager, and obtain agency advice where required.
  • Allow animals to retreat to retained habitat only where the route is safe and the action is authorised.
  • Do not relocate animals to an unassessed mound or another site unless a lawful, approved relocation plan is in place.
  • Record the mound condition and take photographs before any approved action.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Injured or trapped animals

Treat any animal found in machinery, an excavation, a vehicle path or a damaged burrow as an incident. Minimise handling and keep the animal quiet, shaded and secure while advice is obtained.

Use a wildlife carer or veterinarian approved for native mammals. Do not release an injured animal at the work site.

  • Stop the immediate hazard and notify the fauna spotter catcher.
  • Use clean, secure and appropriately ventilated containers only under authorised direction.
  • Record the location, time, apparent cause, species identification, condition and photographs where this can be done safely.
  • Seek veterinary assessment for injury, heat stress, dehydration or predation wounds.
  • Release a recovered animal only at an approved suitable location and under the direction of the authorised fauna professional.
  • Report mortality, road strikes, predation and mound damage under the project incident process.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Daily records and communication

Maintain a daily fauna log that links observations to the clearing map and work package. Share changes with the supervisor before machinery moves.

Escalate any repeated detection, mortality, mound damage or animal movement towards the work area to the project ecologist.

  • Record the date, shift, weather, personnel, area cleared and equipment used.
  • Record every stop work event, animal observation, capture, release, injury, mortality and mound inspection.
  • Record the action taken, person authorising it and any agency or veterinary advice.
  • Update the exclusion map and brief the next shift before work resumes.
  • Retain photographs, GPS points, camera files, permits and incident forms in the project environmental record.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance checks should confirm that no animals or burrows remain at risk and that retained mounds have not been damaged by access, vibration, drainage or sediment. Review incidents before moving to the next work area or releasing a hold point.

Have the fauna spotter catcher and ecologist inspect the cleared footprint after vegetation removal and earthworks have stopped. Focus on exposed burrows, damaged mounds, rock piles, spoil, trenches and machinery parking areas.

Complete checks in daylight for burrow and mound damage, and use nocturnal cameras when animal presence remains uncertain.

  • Walk the full approved footprint and all temporary work areas.
  • Check the edge of retained habitat for displaced pebbles, erosion, dust, sediment and new vehicle tracks.
  • Inspect open trenches and excavations before they are backfilled or at the end of each shift.
  • Keep any fauna hold point in place until the ecologist confirms that the area is safe.
  • Record a signed clearance release for each completed work area.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Monitoring retained habitat

Monitor retained active and uncertain mounds where the project has a foreseeable risk of indirect impact. Match the monitoring period and method to the scale of disturbance, habitat condition and approval requirements.

Use repeat photographs, mound inspections and motion sensitive cameras rather than relying on a single visual score.

  • Compare mound profiles, entrances and pebble movement with the pre-clearance record.
  • Check for changes after major earthworks, heavy vehicle use, intense rainfall, fire or changes to drainage.
  • Investigate a sudden loss of activity, new mound damage or increased predator activity.
  • Record results against the mound identification number and map.
  • Continue monitoring where results show an unresolved impact or where a condition of approval requires it.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Relocation and release records

There is no general relocation procedure for this species. Avoid relocation unless it has been specifically approved and planned by the relevant authority and a suitably qualified fauna professional.

A release site must contain suitable rocky habitat and must be assessed for existing animals, disease risk, predators, access and future disturbance.

  • Record the animal identification method, sex if known, condition, capture location, release location and time in temporary care.
  • Record the authorisation, method, transport conditions and person responsible for each approved relocation.
  • Do not release animals into an unverified inactive mound or into habitat isolated by roads or development.
  • Use post-release checks or cameras where required by the approved plan.
  • Report failed releases, deaths or repeat captures to the project ecologist and relevant authority.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Reporting and incident review

Prepare a close-out report for the clearing package and include all survey, clearance, monitoring and incident records. Use the findings to improve the next work front.

Priority 4 status calls for monitoring and early action when conditions change, even where the remaining regional range appears secure.

  • Map cleared and retained habitat, all mounds, exclusion areas, incidents and rehabilitation areas.
  • Report all Western Pebble-mound Mouse records and fauna incidents to DBCA where required.
  • Compare actual impacts with the approved impact assessment and management plan.
  • Review the cause of any mound damage, mortality, vehicle strike or failed exclusion control.
  • Update the induction, clearing sequence and environmental controls before the next project stage.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Restore habitat and mound surroundings

Rehabilitation should restore rocky, sparsely vegetated habitat and protect the underground refuge system. The best outcome is usually retention of natural mounds and nearby habitat, rather than construction of replacement structures.

Retain natural pebble mounds, rocky substrates, hard spinifex and the sparse overstorey of eucalypts, Acacia, Senna and Ptilotus where practicable.

Return suitable cleared vegetation and surface cover to rehabilitation areas where this does not bury, compact or alter retained mounds.

Do not reconstruct a mound by hand or place new pebbles over a burrow unless the method has been developed and approved by DBCA or the project ecologist.

  • Strip, store and respread soil and rock in a way that preserves local substrate characteristics.
  • Keep heavy equipment off retained mounds and avoid compaction around burrow entrances.
  • Reinstate natural drainage and prevent sediment from entering rocky habitat.
  • Use local native seed and locally suitable plant material for rehabilitation.
  • Recreate a patchy, open structure rather than dense plantings that change access to rocky ground.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Replacement structures and habitat features

Nest boxes, bat boxes, artificial nest sites and roost structures are not suitable replacement structures for the Western Pebble-mound Mouse. The species uses subterranean burrow systems beneath pebble mounds.

Artificial pebble mounds or burrow systems should only be considered as a research or conservation action under a species specific design and approval. They should not be used to justify clearing natural mounds.

  • Prioritise protection of existing mounds and connected rocky habitat.
  • Seek specialist DBCA advice before attempting any artificial mound, burrow or pebble placement.
  • Do not relocate pebbles from an active or retained mound.
  • Do not install nest boxes or bat boxes as mitigation for this species.
  • Monitor any approved artificial structure with cameras and mound inspections, and treat it as experimental until occupation is demonstrated.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Weeds, predators, grazing and fire

Manage weeds and introduced herbivores so that rocky habitat remains open and the substrate is not degraded. Foxes and feral cats are associated with the species decline outside its remaining range.

Integrate predator, grazing and fire controls with the wider site environmental plan and seek advice where controls could affect non-target fauna.

  • Inspect rehabilitation and retained habitat for new weeds after rain and earthworks.
  • Remove weeds using methods that avoid burrow collapse, chemical exposure and unnecessary vehicle access.
  • Control feral cats and foxes through an approved regional or project program where monitoring identifies a risk.
  • Prevent uncontrolled grazing and avoid damage from stock, vehicles and rock-fall barriers.
  • Plan fire management to retain suitable spinifex and rocky refuge, using DBCA or Traditional Owner advice where appropriate.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Water, lighting and long-term monitoring

Keep rehabilitation free of artificial water points unless they are needed for another approved purpose and their fauna risks have been assessed. The species is terrestrial and nocturnal, so night lighting should be limited around retained habitat.

Monitor whether mounds, rocky cover and suitable vegetation are retained over the long term rather than measuring rehabilitation only by plant cover.

  • Use shielded, low spill lighting and switch lights off when not required near retained mounds.
  • Prevent artificial drainage, ponding, erosion and sediment deposition in rocky habitat.
  • Inspect rehabilitation for mound establishment, substrate stability, weeds, grazing, predators and vehicle access.
  • Use repeat photographs, mapped mound condition and motion sensitive cameras where occupancy is a monitoring objective.
  • Set review points in the rehabilitation plan and adapt controls if activity declines or new threats emerge.
  • Report rehabilitation outcomes and any new Western Pebble-mound Mouse records to DBCA as required.

Sources