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Rufous Hare Wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus)

The rufous hare-wallaby is a small, mostly nocturnal macropod of arid and semi-arid Australia. The Central Australian form is extinct in the wild and survives in predator-free fenced areas, on Trimouille Island and in captive colonies, while island populations occur on Bernier and Dorre Islands in Western Australia. Clearing, altered fire, grazing, rabbits, cats and foxes can remove or degrade the spinifex and shrub habitat on which the species depends.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

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

Western Australia, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

Breeding and dependent young can occur at any time when conditions are favourable. The supplied documents do not identify a monthly breeding peak, so the seasonal table marks activity across the year rather than assigning unsupported peak months.

Months are January to December. A value of 1 indicates occurrence; no monthly peak is supported by the supplied documents.

  • Breeding: Mating and births can occur continuously under favourable conditions. No monthly peak is specified.
  • Young: Young may remain in the pouch for about 124 days, and dependent young may therefore be present in any month.
  • Night-time movement and feeding: Activity occurs from dusk to dawn throughout the year. No seasonal migration or dispersal period is described.
  • Highest clearing risk: There is no documented monthly low-risk period because breeding is continuous under favourable conditions and occupied squats or burrows may be used in any month.

Identification

The rufous hare-wallaby is a small, long-eared macropod with soft, shaggy fur and a relatively short tail. Identification in the field should combine the animal's appearance and behaviour with the distinctive shelter sites and habitat structure described below.

The Central Australian form is rufous above, including the head, and pale fawn to whitish below. It has relatively small forelimbs, large ears and a tail shorter than the combined head and body length.

Identification: Size and regional variation

Adults of the Central Australian form weigh about 0.8 to 1.6 kg. Bernier and Dorre Island animals are generally larger, greyer and have shorter tails, ears and fur than the Central Australian form.

Bernier and Dorre Island head and body: Males 310 to 360 mm; females 360 to 390 mm.

Bernier and Dorre Island tail: Males 260 to 280 mm; females 245 to 305 mm.

Bernier and Dorre Island mass: Males 1.3 to 1.8 kg; females 0.8 to 1.9 kg.

Tanami Desert mass: Males 0.8 to 1.6 kg; females 0.9 to 1.3 kg.

Identification: Similar species and field signs

On Bernier and Dorre Islands, the rufous hare-wallaby overlaps with the banded hare-wallaby and burrowing bettong. The banded hare-wallaby has distinctive transverse rump bands and is associated more strongly with dense Acacia scrub, whereas the rufous hare-wallaby is associated with grasslands and hummock grasslands.

Daytime searches should target shallow squats beneath spinifex hummocks or shrubs and short burrows. When flushed, an animal may leave in an explosive zigzag run and give a high-pitched nasal squeak. Hair sampling is identified as a possible survey method for all three listed rufous hare-wallaby taxa, but field identification from hair generally requires specialist analysis.

  • Record the location, dimensions and surrounding vegetation of each squat or burrow.
  • Use camera traps, spotlighting or other approved survey methods where a sighting is needed for confirmation.
  • Treat an unconfirmed macropod track, scat or burrow as non-diagnostic unless supported by a specialist or direct observation.

Distribution: Former national range

The species formerly occupied a broad inland range, but the Central Australian form is extinct in the wild. Surviving and re-established populations are concentrated on two Western Australian islands, one Western Australian offshore island, predator-free fenced mainland areas and captive facilities.

The species formerly occurred across the spinifex deserts of central Australia, including the Tanami, Great Sandy and Gibson Deserts, central and western Northern Territory, north-western South Australia and inland Western Australia. Former habitat also included surrounding semi-arid areas.

Distribution: Current populations and strongholds

The Central Australian form became extinct in the wild in 1991. Re-established or maintained populations include Bernier Island and Dorre Island in Shark Bay, Trimouille Island in the Montebello Islands, and fenced mainland areas at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, Newhaven Sanctuary and Matuwa, also known as Lorna Glen. Captive colonies remain important for conservation and translocation.

Wild status of Central Australian form: Extinct in the wild since 1991.

Known current jurisdictions: Western Australia and the Northern Territory, with the former range also extending into South Australia.

Documented population trend: No total population estimate or quantified trend is provided in the supplied documents.

  • Treat records outside known secure populations as requiring prompt verification and advice from the relevant conservation agency.
  • Include nearby fenced areas, island populations and captive or translocation facilities in desktop checks where project works occur in the former range.

Distribution: Conservation listing

The rufous hare-wallaby is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act. The Central Australian form is Endangered in the Northern Territory and is extinct in the wild there. The Bernier Island and Dorre Island forms are listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and in the Western Australian material supplied.

Habitat: Habitat types

Rufous hare-wallabies use open arid and semi-arid habitats with spinifex or tussock grass cover, interspersed with dunes, sandplains and other open ground. Habitat quality depends on the patchiness, size and maturity of spinifex hummocks and on the changing availability of food plants.

Mainland habitat included sandplains, gravelly plains and dunes dominated by spinifex or tussock grasses. Central desert habitat was interspersed with sand dunes, salt pans and saline samphire areas. In south-western Australia, the species occurred on sandplains with low woody shrubs.

Habitat: Vegetation structure

Suitable habitat contains spinifex hummocks or tussock grasses with enough patchiness and maturity to provide shelter, together with a diverse and seasonally available food layer. Low shrubs can also provide daytime shelter.

  • Map spinifex hummocks, tussock grass, low shrubs, dunes and sandplains before clearing.
  • Record the patchiness, size and maturity of spinifex hummocks, because these attributes influence habitat suitability.
  • Retain connected patches of suitable ground cover where project design allows.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied documents place the species in central and western deserts and surrounding semi-arid areas. They do not provide an elevation limit or a numerical climatic limit.

Foraging habitat: Food resources

The rufous hare-wallaby has a flexible plant-based diet suited to variable rainfall and food availability. It feeds in grassland and hummock-grassland habitats, with diet composition changing as plant abundance and palatability change.

The diet includes perennial grasses, grass seeds, seeds and bulbs of sedges, forbs and occasional insects. The species can process a high-fibre spinifex diet but prefers the more nutritious foods listed above.

Foraging habitat: Foraging conditions

Food availability varies with rainfall and differs between habitat patches. In the Tanami Desert, habitat suitability was influenced by the diversity of food plants as well as by spinifex structure.

  • Inspect grass, sedge, forb and spinifex resources across the area proposed for clearing.
  • Retain food-producing ground cover and avoid unnecessary disturbance to adjacent hummock grasslands.
  • Do not assume that sparse-looking arid vegetation has low value, because food availability changes with rainfall.

Foraging habitat: Foraging range

The supplied documents do not provide a home-range size, foraging-distance estimate or density value. The species is described as relatively solitary, with males occupying exclusive home ranges that encompass the home ranges of several females.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding can occur throughout the year when conditions are favourable. Breeding habitat needs adequate food and nearby shelter in spinifex hummocks, shrubs or short burrows.

Females are polyoestrous and embryonic diapause has been recorded. Gestation is relatively short, and young remain in the pouch for about 124 days. Females can produce up to three offspring per year under favourable conditions.

Breeding season: Continuous under favourable conditions; no monthly peak is specified.

Litter size: Up to three offspring per year; a single litter size is not specified.

Gestation: Relatively short; a numerical gestation period is not provided.

Pouch period: About 124 days.

Female maturity: 5 to 23 months.

Male maturity: 14 to 19 months.

Lifespan: Not provided in the supplied documents.

Generation length: 3.5 years.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding animals need food plants that remain available through changing rainfall conditions and nearby daytime refuge beneath spinifex or shrubs. Females with pouch young have been observed to eject young when placed under stress, so capture, handling and construction disturbance near occupied shelter should be minimised.

  • Search for occupied squats and short burrows before clearing suitable spinifex and shrub habitat.
  • Avoid handling or relocating animals unless authorised and directed by the relevant wildlife authority.
  • Stage works to retain nearby shelter and food cover where clearing cannot be avoided.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter types

Daytime shelter is close to the ground and is provided mainly by spinifex hummocks, low shrubs and short self-constructed burrows. Animals may use more than one shelter site.

A rufous hare-wallaby shelters in a shallow depression, known as a squat, dug beneath a spinifex tussock or low shrub. The squat may be developed into a short burrow, particularly during hot summer conditions. Individuals often use more than one squat.

  • Inspect the underside of spinifex hummocks and low shrubs for shallow depressions and entrances to short burrows.
  • Mark shelter sites before machinery enters suitable habitat.
  • Retain unburnt shelter patches and avoid stockpiling soil, spoil or materials over squats and burrows.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter structure

The supplied documents do not give dimensions for squats or burrows. Shelter value is associated with the presence, patchiness, size and maturity of spinifex hummocks and with low shrub cover.

Sheltering habitat: Behaviour around refuge

The species is mostly active from dusk to dawn. When flushed from a refuge, it can make a fast zigzag escape and produce a high-pitched nasal squeak.

  • Use trained spotters during pre-clearance searches and allow animals an escape route away from machinery.
  • Avoid flushing animals repeatedly from shelter during hot conditions.

Threats: Fire

The main documented threats are altered fire regimes, predation by introduced foxes and cats, habitat degradation, rabbits and grazing. Clearing can remove the spinifex, grass and shrub structure needed for food and shelter.

The shift from regular patch burning to extensive and intense summer bushfires altered habitat structure and composition and reduced habitat quality. Fire, together with fox predation, contributed to the loss of the last wild Central Australian subpopulations.

  • Keep fire planning focused on maintaining a patchwork of spinifex ages and retaining mature hummocks and refuge patches.
  • Avoid broad, intense or poorly timed burns in or near occupied habitat.
  • Assess fire effects on both shelter structure and food plants, not only on animal presence.

Threats: Predators and introduced herbivores

Red foxes and feral cats have caused major losses and prevented some reintroductions. European rabbits may compete for food and contribute to habitat degradation, while grazing can reduce habitat quality.

  • Maintain predator exclusion at fenced sites and report evidence of foxes or feral cats to the site conservation manager.
  • Control rabbits and manage grazing where they reduce grass, forb, sedge or shrub cover.
  • Do not open predator-free fences or leave construction gates unsecured.

Threats: Clearing and construction

Clearing of spinifex hummocks, tussock grass, low shrubs, sandplain vegetation and dune habitat can remove shelter and food resources. Stockpiles, vehicle movement and night works can also disturb occupied squats and burrows.

  • Complete a targeted habitat assessment before clearing, including searches for squats and short burrows.
  • Keep work areas, access tracks and laydown areas out of mapped suitable habitat where practicable.
  • Use fauna spotters and stop work if a rufous hare-wallaby is found in the clearing area.
  • Fence or clearly mark retained habitat and inspect it after storms, fire or changes to access.

Threats: Other project pressures

The supplied documents do not identify disease, hydrology change, roads or vehicle strike as established threats for this species. They also do not provide a species-specific fragmentation threshold or road-distance buffer.

  • Treat new roads, drainage changes and increased vehicle access as site risks requiring project-specific assessment rather than applying an unsupported species-specific buffer.
  • Seek advice from the relevant state or territory conservation authority if works affect a known or proposed translocation site.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat and sign searches

Survey for the Rufous Hare-wallaby, including the Mala or central mainland form, must focus on nocturnal activity, spinifex and tussock grass habitats, shelters and signs. Use a stratified design and increase or replicate effort across habitat types where the project area exceeds 5 hectares.

Search suitable habitat during the day before using nocturnal methods. Target sandplains, gravelly plains, dunes, spinifex hummocks, tussock grasslands, low shrubs and areas with diverse food plants.

Search for squats, shallow burrows, tracks, scats, feeding signs and runways. Mala shelter under spinifex tussocks or shrubs and may extend a squat into a short burrow.

Record the condition, patchiness, size and maturity of spinifex hummocks, as these features influence Mala habitat suitability and are affected by fire.

Known shelter features: Squats under spinifex tussocks or shrubs, and short burrows

Activity period: Dusk to dawn

Survey design area: Recommended effort in the guidelines is based on a subject site of 5 hectares or less; replicate surveys within habitat types or plant communities on larger sites

  • Walk representative transects through each habitat type and record the start and end points, transect length, search time, weather, fire history and all signs found.
  • Give additional attention to dense spinifex, grass tussocks, shrubs, dunes, sandplain edges and areas with perennial grasses, grass seed, sedge seed or bulbs.
  • Do not treat the absence of signs during one search as evidence that Mala are absent, because the species is nocturnal, relatively solitary and patchily distributed.

Survey methodology: 2. Spotlighting

Conduct spotlight searches from dusk through the night in suitable spinifex, tussock grassland, shrub and dune habitat. The species is active from dusk to dawn.

Walk through or alongside suitable habitat and record every observation, including location, time, behaviour, habitat and the direction of movement.

Use spotlighting with daytime habitat and sign searches because Mala may be difficult to detect in dense hummocks and shrubs.

  • Repeat spotlight searches across each representative habitat type and schedule searches under suitable conditions, avoiding conditions that prevent safe access or reliable detection.
  • Record the area searched, route, observers, start and finish times, weather, moon or visibility conditions and the number of animals detected.
  • Use the survey guideline method and relevant state or territory advice to set the final number of nights and transect coverage, because the supplied material does not specify a Mala-specific number of nights or hours.

Survey methodology: 3. Camera trapping

Use camera traps as an additional detection method in suitable habitat, particularly where dense vegetation, access constraints or low expected abundance make direct observation difficult.

Place cameras to view likely travel routes, squats, burrow entrances, feeding areas and gaps between spinifex hummocks. Record the placement habitat and any attractant used.

Keep camera locations, deployment dates, settings and review results so that non-detections can be assessed against the sampling effort.

  • Use cameras with the daytime habitat and sign assessment and with other nocturnal methods rather than as the sole basis for clearing decisions.
  • Check cameras at an interval that protects animal welfare, prevents equipment loss and meets the project fauna management plan.
  • Seek advice from the relevant wildlife authority where cameras are proposed in an existing or proposed reintroduction area.

Survey methodology: 4. Hair sampling and trapping

Hair sampling devices and Elliott B or cage trapping are listed as suitable methods for medium-sized ground-dwelling threatened mammals. Use them only where the project team has the required approvals, trained personnel and animal welfare procedures.

Hair tubes or funnels can passively collect hair from animals attracted to bait. Devices are usually set for several consecutive days and the samples are sent to specialists for identification.

The survey guidelines identify the Mala as a species for which hair identification is possible when a reasonable sample is available, but subspecies generally cannot be distinguished from hair.

Hair sampling duration: Devices are usually set for several consecutive days

Identification limit: Hair may identify Rufous Hare-wallaby, but subspecies generally cannot be distinguished

  • Use trapping only under an approved fauna survey and animal ethics or permit framework, with checks, weather limits, release procedures and emergency arrangements specified before deployment.
  • Do not rely on hair results alone to distinguish the central mainland form from other Rufous Hare-wallaby subspecies.
  • Use the relevant species profile, state or territory authority advice to set device density, trap numbers, trap nights and bait, because those Mala-specific figures are not provided in the supplied extracts.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Survey all habitat types that may support Mala, including spinifex and tussock grasslands, sandplains, gravelly plains, dunes and shrub patches.
  • For sites larger than 5 hectares, replicate the survey within habitat types or plant communities rather than treating the whole site as one sampling unit.
  • Combine daytime habitat and sign searches with nocturnal spotlighting, and add cameras, hair sampling or trapping where detection risk remains high.
  • Record methods, dates, effort, weather, fire history, habitat condition, all detections and all non-detections, with mapped coordinates and photographs where appropriate.
  • Have all records reviewed by the project ecologist and submit confirmed records and relevant survey data to the relevant state or territory wildlife database.
  • Report any suspected Mala in an area where it is not known to occur to the relevant wildlife authority before works proceed.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

The Mala form is nationally endangered and extinct in the wild in the Northern Territory. Mainland populations are restricted to captive colonies and fenced areas free of introduced predators, so any potential habitat or reintroduction area requires early planning and authority contact.

Avoid clearing spinifex hummocks, tussock grasslands, low shrubs, dunes and sandplain habitat wherever practicable. These features provide shelter, food and movement habitat.

Retain connected patches of suitable grassland and shrub habitat rather than leaving isolated small remnants. The species was formerly patchily distributed across desert habitats, and habitat quality depends on the size, maturity and patchiness of spinifex hummocks.

Avoid introducing foxes, cats or rabbits to retained habitat and prevent construction activities from creating access or shelter for these predators.

  • Redesign access tracks, compounds, laydown areas and drainage where they would remove dense spinifex, tussock grassland, burrows or connected habitat.
  • Mark retained habitat and exclusion areas on plans and on the ground before machinery enters the site.
  • Use a project-specific buffer around occupied or potentially occupied habitat that is set by the ecologist and relevant authority after considering the disturbance, fire risk, predator risk and animal movement.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Check the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 before works. The Rufous Hare-wallaby is listed as Endangered, and the central mainland form is listed as Endangered and extinct in the wild in the Northern Territory.

Check state and territory threatened species, wildlife handling, trapping, relocation, clearing and fire requirements before mobilisation. Obtain permits and approvals before survey, capture, handling or disturbance.

Plan works with the relevant wildlife authority where the site is within or near a fenced Mala population, Trimouille Island population, captive colony, reintroduction site or other conservation area.

  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies suitable habitat, survey methods, exclusion areas, stop-work triggers, fauna spotter catcher responsibilities, handling authority, release sites, injured animal procedures and reporting pathways.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains connected and animals are not forced towards roads, machinery, foxes or cats.
  • Schedule vegetation disturbance outside periods of extreme heat, drought, high fire danger or other conditions that increase animal stress, and confirm the timing with the ecologist and relevant authority.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete the approved pre-clearance survey before clearing. Search for squats, short burrows, tracks, scats, feeding signs and animals in spinifex, tussock grass, shrubs and dunes.

Mark all occupied or potentially occupied habitat, burrows, dense hummocks and retained movement routes. Brief machinery operators and supervisors on the markings.

Install exclusion fencing where it can keep animals out of the work area without blocking movement to retained habitat or creating a predator trap.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing daily for gaps, trapped animals and routes that lead into roads, trenches or machinery areas.
  • Do not use fencing as a substitute for habitat avoidance, survey or a fauna management plan.
  • Confirm that the fauna spotter catcher has authority, equipment, transport and an approved release location before clearing starts.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Mala are small, nocturnal macropods that shelter in spinifex, shrubs and short burrows. Clearing must proceed slowly, with a fauna spotter catcher able to inspect habitat immediately before disturbance and direct machinery away from animals and retained habitat.

The fauna spotter catcher must inspect the work area each day before machinery starts, with particular attention to spinifex hummocks, tussock grass, shrubs, dunes, burrows and recently disturbed edges.

Use staged clearing and slow, supervised machinery movements. Clear towards retained habitat where this is safe and appropriate, while preventing animals from being pushed towards roads, open excavations, predators or active machinery.

Maintain communication between the fauna spotter catcher, operator, supervisor and ecologist throughout clearing. Stop the machine immediately when directed by the fauna spotter catcher.

  • Reinspect areas after overnight activity, rain, fire, changes in fencing or changes to the work boundary.
  • Keep trenches, pits and other excavations covered or fitted with escape devices when unattended, and inspect them before work each day.
  • Keep food waste, water sources and materials managed so they do not attract cats, foxes or rabbits.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and animal handling

Treat spinifex hummocks, tussock clumps, low shrubs, squats and short burrows as potential Mala shelter features. Do not disturb them without a pre-clearance inspection.

The supplied documents do not identify hollow-bearing trees, wetlands, logs or rock shelters as primary Mala habitat features. Inspect any such feature encountered because it may provide habitat for other fauna or affect safe clearing.

If an animal is found, stop work, keep people and machinery back, and allow the fauna spotter catcher to assess the animal and the safest response.

  • Only an appropriately authorised and trained person may capture, handle or relocate a Mala, and handling must follow the permit, fauna management plan and animal welfare requirements.
  • Relocate an uninjured animal only to nearby suitable retained habitat approved by the ecologist and relevant authority, with shelter, food resources and protection from machinery and predators.
  • Do not chase an animal through dense vegetation or expose it to heat, prolonged restraint, traffic or unnecessary handling.
  • Take an injured or distressed animal to an appropriately qualified veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer as soon as practicable, and record the incident and advice received.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if a Mala is found, if a burrow or occupied shelter is identified, if an animal enters the work area, or if the approved exclusion area or fauna management procedure cannot be maintained.
  • Stop work if foxes, cats or signs of predator activity are detected in retained or occupied Mala habitat and obtain advice from the ecologist or relevant wildlife authority.
  • Record the date, time, location, habitat, animal condition, identification, photographs, action taken, handler, release location and outcome for every observation or handling event.
  • Report mortality, injury, failed release, unauthorised disturbance or a new population record to the project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority in accordance with approval conditions.

After habitat disturbance: Checks and monitoring

Post-clearance work must confirm that no animals remain in the disturbance footprint, that retained habitat remains usable and that controls have not created new fire, predator or access risks.

Complete a post-clearance inspection of the footprint, retained habitat edges, fencing, trenches and other artificial hazards. Search for live animals, injured animals, carcasses, burrows, squats and fresh tracks or scats.

Repeat spotlighting, camera trapping or sign searches where the pre-clearance survey identified Mala or where clearing has occurred beside suitable retained habitat.

Monitor retained and relocated habitat for animal presence, shelter condition, predator activity, fire impacts and weed or rabbit impacts.

  • Keep post-clearance monitoring effort, timing and locations consistent with the fauna management plan and approval conditions.
  • Inspect exclusion fencing, gates, pits and trenches after storms, fire, maintenance and any change in the work area.
  • Maintain predator control and prevent domestic animals, cats and foxes from entering retained or release habitat.

After habitat disturbance: Reporting and ongoing controls

Provide the project ecologist and approval holders with a clearance report that includes mapped clearing, retained habitat, survey effort, detections, handling events, injuries, deaths, releases, incidents and corrective actions.

Submit confirmed records to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and report records required by EPBC Act, state or territory approval conditions.

Keep fauna controls in place until the site is stable and the ecologist confirms that construction risks, open excavations, predator access and temporary fencing hazards have been removed.

  • Review monitoring results after each work stage and change the next stage if animals, fresh signs, predator activity or declining habitat condition are detected.
  • Apply any required offset, conservation payment or other approved compensatory measure for unavoidable impacts, in accordance with the approval and relevant government advice.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild habitat structure

Rehabilitation should rebuild connected, predator-safe desert habitat with shelter and food resources that match the Mala's known use of spinifex, tussock grasslands, dunes, sandplains and low shrubs. It should also restore fire conditions that maintain a fine-grained habitat structure.

Reinstate local spinifex hummocks, tussock grasses and low shrubs across disturbed areas, using locally appropriate species and provenance selected by the ecologist and land manager.

Restore a connected mosaic of grassland, shrub and open sandy areas rather than creating one uniform vegetation type. Mala habitat suitability is influenced by spinifex patchiness, hummock size and maturity and the diversity of food plants.

Retain or reinstate natural depressions and short shelter features where they are present, and avoid grading all ground to a uniform surface.

  • Use locally sourced seed, tubestock or other approved material and protect revegetation from grazing, rabbits, vehicles and construction traffic.
  • Do not install nest boxes as a substitute for Mala habitat, because the supplied documents describe ground shelters under spinifex or shrubs and short burrows rather than tree hollows.
  • Where logs, rocks or other features are moved for construction, reinstate them only where the ecologist identifies a benefit for Mala or other fauna and where they do not increase predator cover or fire risk.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and predators

Develop fire management with the land manager and relevant Indigenous groups. The documents identify altered fire regimes, extensive intense summer fires and loss of patch burning as major factors in Mala decline.

Maintain a habitat mosaic that includes suitable mature and regenerating spinifex, while avoiding extensive intense fires across occupied or restored habitat.

Control foxes and feral cats in and around retained or restored habitat, and manage rabbits where they degrade food resources or habitat.

  • Remove weeds and manage erosion so that perennial grasses, sedges, forbs and other food plants can recover.
  • Use fire only under an approved ecological fire plan that sets conditions, boundaries, ignition methods, escape planning and protection for occupied habitat.
  • Coordinate predator and fire management with the relevant reserve manager, Indigenous group and wildlife authority, especially at fenced mainland sites and reintroduction areas.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures

Set success measures before rehabilitation starts, including survival and cover of planted or regenerated spinifex and tussock grass, recovery of low shrubs, connected habitat, functioning shelter features and absence of new predator access.

Monitor vegetation, fire effects, rabbits, foxes and cats, and use spotlighting, cameras and sign searches to test whether Mala use restored habitat.

Compare monitoring results with the pre-disturbance condition and modify planting, weed control, predator control or fire management where recovery is not progressing.

  • Record monitoring locations, dates, methods, weather, vegetation condition, shelter features, predator signs and all Mala detections or non-detections.
  • Continue monitoring for the period required by approvals and the rehabilitation plan, with additional effort after fire, drought, heavy rain or major maintenance.
  • Report rehabilitation outcomes and any Mala records to the project ecologist, approval authority and relevant state or territory wildlife database.

Sources