Fauna Spotters logo

Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons)

The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat is a large, nocturnal, herbivorous marsupial of semi-arid grasslands, shrublands, open woodlands and pastoral areas in Western Australia, South Australia and south-western New South Wales. On development sites, warrens, connected burrows, nearby grazing areas and movement trails are the main features requiring protection, particularly because the species has low reproductive output and relies on stable soils and perennial native grasses.

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

Timing varies with rainfall and pasture growth. The pattern below is a practical guide for southern populations, with breeding activity extending from winter into early summer and dependent young commonly overlapping the following year.

Rainfall can shift or suppress breeding. In drought years, reproduction may cease and young are especially vulnerable around weaning when high-quality green pasture is scarce.

  • Breeding and births: Breeding is reported from July to December, with male reproductive activity peaking in August and September and most births reported in October. Timing depends on winter rainfall and native pasture growth.
  • Young in pouch or dependent: A young wombat remains in the pouch for about 6 to 9 months and is weaned at about 11 to 13 months. Young born in spring may still be pouch dependent or recently emerged during the following autumn and winter.
  • Dispersal and warren use: There is no narrow seasonal migration. Young may disperse after about 2 years, while adults remain strongly associated with preferred warrens and generally have small home ranges.
  • Surface foraging: Surface activity is mainly nocturnal and shifts with temperature. In summer, wombats may forage in the early morning, while in winter they tend to forage in the early evening.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and disturbance are most likely to affect mating, births, pouch young and dependent juveniles from July to December. Risk can extend beyond this period because young may remain dependent for up to 13 months and drought can reduce recruitment.

Identification

This is a stocky, powerful burrowing wombat with a soft, hairy muzzle and long pointed ears. It is most often detected indirectly through warrens, burrow entrances, grazing lawns, trails, scats and vocalisations.

Adults are large and heavily built, with short powerful limbs, a broad flattened head, a short tail usually hidden by fur, and a silky coat ranging from grey to tan. The muzzle is square or pig-like and covered with soft pale, often white, fur. The ears are narrow, pointed and relatively long compared with those of the Common Wombat.

The forefeet have five forward-facing digits with strong flattened claws adapted for digging. On the hind feet, the second and third toes are fused and bear two terminal claws, which are also used for grooming.

Body mass: 19 to 32 kg in the main published range; the 2020 nomination gives 19 to 36 kg.

Head and body length: 772 to 934 mm.

Tail length: About 25 to 60 mm.

Identification: Distinguishing features

The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat can be separated from the Common Wombat by its furry muzzle, longer pointed ears and finer silky coat. The Common Wombat has a naked leathery rhinarium, smaller ears and coarse bristle-like fur.

It is geographically separated from the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, although the two species are similar in appearance. The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat is generally smaller, with an average weight of about 26 kg compared with about 32 kg for the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat. The nasal bone is longer than the frontal bone in the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat.

  • Treat any large wombat-like animal in suitable habitat as potentially significant until the muzzle, ears, coat and location have been checked.
  • Do not rely on body size alone to separate the two hairy-nosed wombat species.

Identification: Field signs

The strongest field indicator is an active warren, consisting of several burrow entrances and tunnels that may be interconnected. Warrens are linked by trails, and entrances are often close to preferred feeding areas.

Fresh activity may include recently cleared spoil, worn tracks, grazing around entrances, scats deposited along trails and signs of scent marking on posts, logs or overhanging branches. Scats are useful for confirming activity, but the supplied sources do not provide a diagnostic description of scat shape or dimensions.

The species is usually detected at night or around dawn and dusk. Its common social and alarm call is a harsh cough, which may become more strident when the animal is alarmed. No nest, hollow or slough is used by this species.

  • Inspect all burrow entrances, connected tunnels, trails and nearby grazing lawns before clearing or ground disturbance.
  • Use remote cameras or targeted night observations where direct confirmation is needed, especially around active warrens.
  • Record calls, fresh spoil, tracks, scats and scent-marking points as separate signs because a warren can be used by several animals.

Distribution: National range

The species is endemic to Australia and has a broad but patchy distribution across the southern part of the country. Its range is fragmented in several regions, with the largest reported concentrations on the Nullarbor Plain and in the Murraylands.

The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat occurs from about Caiguna in Western Australia across the Nullarbor Plain and South Australia to the Murray River, including the Eyre Peninsula, Gawler Ranges, Yorke Peninsula and Murraylands. Two colonies occur in south-western New South Wales between the Anabranch and the South Australian border.

In New South Wales, records and predicted habitat include the Darling Riverine Plains, Murray Darling Depression and Riverina IBRA regions. The NSW population is described as contracted and fragmented, and its current size is unknown.

States and territories: Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales.

NSW conservation status: Endangered.

Commonwealth status: Not listed under the EPBC Act.

Distribution: Strongholds and subpopulations

The main population groups identified in the supplied material are the Nullarbor Plain, Gawler Ranges, Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula and Murraylands. Distribution is highly patchy, with dense clusters of warrens separated by areas with few or no warrens.

The Nullarbor Plain is reported as the most abundant region. Eyre Peninsula and Yorke Peninsula contain fragmented remnant populations, including many small colonies. The New South Wales population is restricted to south-western areas near the South Australian border.

Nullarbor Plain: About 50,000 to 100,000 animals in the South Australian portion; no estimate was provided for the Western Australian portion.

Murraylands: About 10,000 to 15,000 animals in the estimate cited by the 2020 nomination.

Yorke Peninsula: About 696 wombats across 25 colonies in an estimate based on 2,523 active burrows; 19 colonies had fewer than 10 animals.

Eyre Peninsula: Fragmented remnant populations, including groups estimated at about 100, 100 to 1,000, about 3,000 and about 10,000 animals.

Population trend: A 2021 review reported a long-term increase in distribution and abundance overall, but local and regional trends vary. Earlier material reported about a 70 percent decline in the Murraylands between 2002 and 2008.

Habitat: Habitat types

Habitat is defined by a combination of suitable grazing, soils that support large burrow systems and vegetation that provides food during dry periods. The species occurs in semi-arid and arid environments, generally in areas receiving about 200 to 500 mm of rain annually.

The species occurs in semi-arid grasslands, open plains, shrublands, savanna, open woodland and pastoral country. Vegetation communities include native perennial grasslands, bluebush shrublands and mallee or other open woodland habitats.

Wombats can occur on sandy country as well as areas with calcrete. A well-developed calcrete layer is not required, but the substrate must be stable enough to support extensive warrens and tunnels.

Rainfall range reported: About 200 to 500 mm per year.

Important substrate feature: Soil with sufficient structural strength for large burrows and connected warrens.

Thermal refuge: Warren tunnels can be about 15 degrees Celsius cooler than outside air at peak surface temperatures.

  • Retain native perennial grassland and open vegetation around known or potential warrens.
  • Treat apparently bare or grazed ground as potential habitat where active warrens, trails or suitable digging soils are present.
  • Map both the warren and the surrounding feeding area because the species usually forages close to its burrow system.

Habitat: Habitat structure and climate

Warrens provide a stable, humid refuge from high daytime temperatures and reduce water loss. Tunnel temperatures have been reported to range from about 13 to 25 degrees Celsius over the year.

The species is adapted to dry conditions but is sensitive to poor rainfall because pasture growth controls reproduction and the survival of young. No particular elevation limit is given in the supplied sources.

  • Avoid changing drainage, soil moisture or surface stability around active warrens.
  • Prevent compaction, excavation, stock concentration and earthworks that could collapse tunnels or remove the soil profile needed for future digging.
  • Maintain connected native vegetation and grazing areas between warrens where practicable.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding sites

The Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat is a strict herbivore that grazes mainly on native perennial grasses. It selects green growth where available and changes to shrubs, forbs, dicots and roots during severe dry periods.

Preferred foods include fresh grass shoots, especially Austrostipa species and Austrodanthonia species. Bluebushes in the genus Maireana and other short shrubs, leaves and stems become more important during drought. Roots may also be eaten when surface forage is poor.

The species grazes closely around its warren in a roughly circular pattern. Repeated grazing can create short green lawns and concentric bands of regrowth at increasing distances from the warren.

Primary diet: Native perennial grasses, particularly Austrostipa and Austrodanthonia.

Drought foods: Forbs, dicots, bluebush and other woody shrubs, leaves, stems and some roots.

Feeding distance: Foraging is concentrated close to the warren; one source describes nearby warrens and burrows within about 150 metres of a larger warren.

  • Retain perennial native grasses around active warrens and along trails.
  • Manage rabbit and stock grazing so that native perennial grasses are not replaced by annual plants.
  • Check for feeding lawns and clipped green shoots when assessing whether a warren is active.

Foraging habitat: Foraging range and timing

Home ranges are small and centred on preferred warrens. Reported territory sizes range from 13,000 to 48,000 square metres, with an average of about 30,000 square metres in the Animal Diversity Web account.

Wombats spend about 66 to 75 percent of their time underground. Surface feeding is mainly nocturnal, but activity shifts towards early morning in summer and early evening in winter to reduce heat and water stress.

  • Assess the vegetation around a warren, not only the burrow entrances.
  • Avoid lighting, noise and vehicle movements near active feeding lawns during the species' normal surface activity periods.
  • Include nearby trails and regularly grazed areas in the impact assessment where a warren is retained.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding is seasonal and closely linked to winter rainfall, germination and growth of native pasture. Suitable breeding habitat must provide an occupied warren, nearby high-quality grazing and enough food to support a pouch young through weaning.

Mating occurs in or near warrens. Males may remain in one warren while females move between warrens, and males establish dominance relationships during the breeding period.

A female normally raises one young at a time. Reproduction may stop in drought years, and successful recruitment generally requires two or three consecutive years of adequate rainfall.

Breeding season: July to December, with most births reported in October.

Litter size: Usually one young.

Gestation: About 21 days.

Pouch period: About 6 to 9 months.

Weaning: About 11 to 13 months, although some accounts report continued suckling to about 15 months.

Age at sexual maturity: About 3 years for both sexes.

Lifespan: At least 15 years in the wild; some individuals have been tracked for at least 18 years.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding habitat is centred on stable warrens with several burrows, humid chambers and nearby perennial pasture. Young are especially vulnerable around weaning, when they need high-quality green food and may be affected by poor April rainfall and pasture failure.

Clearing, vibration, excavation or collapse of a warren during the breeding and dependent-young period can affect both the adult and young animal. Retaining only individual entrances is not sufficient where the connected warren and feeding area are disturbed.

  • Identify whether a warren is occupied before works and avoid disturbance during the breeding and dependent-young period where practicable.
  • Protect the surrounding perennial pasture, not only the burrow entrances.
  • Use a fauna ecologist or wildlife authority process before relocating, excavating or sealing any occupied warren.

Sheltering habitat: Warrens and burrows

The species shelters in extensive underground warrens rather than nests, tree hollows or surface cover. These warrens provide protection from heat, dehydration and predators and are central to daily activity, social behaviour and breeding.

A warren may contain 10 or more interconnected burrows and may be used by about 5 to 10 wombats. Animals may share a warren but show preferences for particular burrows, and they can move between warrens over time.

Burrow systems contain narrow tunnels and larger chambers. Their restricted air movement produces a cooler, more humid microclimate than the surface. Warrens are connected by trails and are often located near preferred feeding areas.

Burrow system: Large interconnected warrens may contain 10 or more burrows.

Warren occupancy: About 5 to 10 wombats may use one warren.

Associated burrows: Additional smaller warrens or burrows may occur within about 150 metres of a larger warren.

Time underground: About 66 to 75 percent of time.

  • Treat every entrance, tunnel, chamber, spoil mound and connecting trail as part of the refuge unless surveys demonstrate otherwise.
  • Do not fill, rip, compact, excavate or cap burrows without species-specific approval and a documented fauna management procedure.
  • Inspect the wider area around a known warren because additional entrances and satellite burrows may occur nearby.

Sheltering habitat: Microclimate and refuge value

Burrows protect wombats from daytime heat and reduce respiratory water loss through their relatively humid air. At high surface temperatures, tunnel temperatures can be about 15 degrees Celsius below ambient conditions.

The same burrow network can provide daytime shelter, breeding space, protection for dependent young and refuge from predators. Removing a warren can therefore affect several stages of the life cycle at once.

  • Keep heavy vehicles, stock concentration, spoil placement and vibration away from active warrens.
  • Maintain surface vegetation and soil stability over tunnels and between entrances.
  • Record the location and condition of all entrances before and after works.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main risks on Australian projects are loss or fragmentation of warren systems, damage to nearby perennial pasture, vehicle collision and disturbance of small isolated colonies. Disease, drought and grazing pressure can compound the effects of local construction or clearing.

Clearing for agriculture and other land uses has reduced and fragmented the former range. Small isolated colonies may be non-viable and have reduced opportunities for female dispersal and genetic exchange.

Earthworks can destroy burrows, collapse tunnels, remove feeding lawns and sever trails between warrens. Habitat loss is particularly significant in New South Wales, where the population is restricted and its current size is unknown.

  • Avoid clearing active warrens, associated burrows, trails and surrounding perennial pasture.
  • Map the full warren system and nearby feeding habitat before finalising access tracks, compounds, trench alignments or construction footprints.
  • Retain vegetation links between occupied warrens where practicable.

Threats: Grazing, drought and fire

Rabbits and domestic stock compete for forage and can replace native perennial grasses with annual plants. This can leave insufficient green food for young at weaning and can force wombats to eat less suitable or toxic plants.

Drought can stop reproduction completely, reduce forage quality and cause mortality around weaning. The supplied documents do not identify fire as a quantified primary threat for this species, but fire that removes perennial pasture, exposes warrens or changes soil stability should be assessed as a potential project impact.

  • Limit stock access and rabbit grazing around active warrens where the project controls land management.
  • Avoid soil disturbance and vegetation removal that reduce perennial grass cover during dry periods.
  • Assess prescribed burning and wildfire recovery plans for effects on warren entrances, soil stability and post-fire food supply.

Threats: Roads, disease and predators

Roads can cause direct mortality, particularly where green verge growth attracts wombats. Roads and other linear infrastructure can also fragment grazing areas and interrupt trails between warrens.

Sarcoptic mange is a major disease threat. Severe outbreaks can cause rapid weight loss, secondary infection, reproductive failure and high mortality, with about 80 to 90 percent mortality reported in affected groups in the cited material. Wombats are generally protected from predators by burrows, but diseased animals may emerge in daylight and become more exposed.

The supplied sources do not identify hydrology change as a separately quantified threat. However, drainage, altered runoff, flooding or drying that changes pasture growth, soil stability or warren humidity can affect habitat and should be assessed site by site.

Mange mortality: About 80 to 90 percent mortality has been reported in affected groups in the cited studies.

Murraylands decline: A decline of about 70 percent was reported between 2002 and 2008, associated mainly with drought and sarcoptic mange.

  • Use speed controls, fauna warning signs and suitable crossing measures where roads pass through known warren or feeding areas.
  • Do not handle or translocate a visibly diseased wombat without following wildlife disease and animal welfare protocols.
  • Keep spoil, sediment, stormwater concentration and drainage works away from entrances and the soil supporting connected tunnels.
  • Report signs of mange, including extensive hair loss, thickened or cracked skin, emaciation and unusual daytime activity, to the relevant wildlife authority.

Survey methodology: 1. Warren and burrow searches

Survey for Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats must focus on warrens, burrows, tracks and nocturnal activity. The species spends about 66 to 75 per cent of its time underground, so daytime searches alone are not sufficient. No species-specific survey effort is provided in the supplied documents, so the project ecologist should set effort using the likely impact area, habitat extent, season and current state guidance.

Systematically inspect the entire disturbance footprint and a suitable surrounding area for entrances, connected burrows, tracks, scats, worn trails, scratching, grazing lawns and fresh soil spoil.

Map each warren, burrow entrance and trail with coordinates, photographs and an estimate of activity.

Record soil type and condition because warrens require soil with enough structural strength for burrow construction.

Inspect likely feeding areas around warrens, including semi-arid grasslands, open woodlands, shrublands and areas containing perennial grasses or bluebush scrub.

Typical warren use: 5 to 10 wombats may use one warren.

Warren context: Other smaller warrens or burrows may occur within about 150 metres of a warren.

  • Search during daylight when entrances, spoil heaps and tracks are easier to inspect, and repeat searches after rain or other conditions that may make fresh tracks and soil disturbance more visible.
  • Treat a group of connected entrances as a warren rather than counting each entrance as a separate animal location.
  • Map all warrens within and near the impact area because warrens may be connected by trails and a warren may be used by 5 to 10 wombats.

Survey methodology: 2. Nocturnal spotlighting and thermal searches

Undertake nocturnal searches around mapped warrens, feeding areas and trails because Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats are predominantly nocturnal and usually forage close to their warrens.

Use spotlighting and, where available, thermal cameras to search the warren surrounds, access tracks, road edges and proposed clearing areas.

Record the start and finish time, route, weather, moon or cloud conditions, observers, equipment, distance searched and all detections or non-detections.

Give particular attention to the periods when wombats are likely to emerge, noting that surface activity changes with temperature and season.

Daily activity: The species is nocturnal and spends about 66 to 75 per cent of its time underground.

Body size: Adults weigh about 19 to 36 kilograms and are about 772 to 934 millimetres long.

  • Do not rely on one night or on spotlighting alone, especially during hot, dry conditions when wombats may remain underground.
  • Search in warm weather only when it can be done safely and without forcing animals to remain above ground during heat stress.
  • Use a slow, quiet approach near entrances and avoid blocking burrow exits or shining lights directly into occupied burrows for prolonged periods.

Survey methodology: 3. Remote cameras and activity monitoring

Install motion-triggered cameras at representative active entrances, trails and feeding areas where direct observation is unsuitable or where occupancy is uncertain.

Use cameras to confirm species identity, activity periods, warren use, breeding activity and responses to nearby works.

Keep a deployment register showing camera locations, deployment and retrieval dates, operating problems and the result of each review.

Use remote monitoring before clearing and during staged works where a warren or connected trail is close to the impact area.

Monitoring value: Some individuals have been detected using the same warren systems for at least 18 years.

Mange mortality reported in affected groups: About 80 to 90 per cent in cited outbreaks.

  • Avoid placing cameras where they obstruct entrances, alter animal movement or require repeated entry into the warren.
  • Review images for wombats, young, other fauna and signs of mange, including hair loss, crusted skin, emaciation or unusual daytime activity.
  • Escalate suspected mange to the project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority because outbreaks can cause very high mortality in affected groups.

Survey methodology: 4. Sign, track and habitat assessment

Walk transects through the proposed clearing area and retained habitat to record tracks, scats, grazing lawns, scent-marked trails, fresh digging and burrow spoil.

Relate each sign record to the nearest warren, access route, road, fence, stock area and proposed work zone.

Assess whether the site contains perennial native grasses, especially Austrostipa or Austrodanthonia, and drought refuge foods such as bluebush or other shrubs.

Record barriers and threats that may affect movement, including roads, fences, livestock access, rabbits, habitat fragmentation and planned machinery routes.

Main diet: Perennial native grasses, with forbs, dicots and woody shrubs used more during severe drought.

Habitat: Semi-arid grasslands, open plains, shrublands, savanna and open woodland with suitable soil for warrens.

  • Use the results to define the area requiring protection, not just the visible burrow entrances.
  • Report both occupied and apparently inactive warrens because wombats can move between warrens and may return when conditions improve.
  • Do not infer that an absence of surface sign means the site is unused during drought or hot weather.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Set and justify survey effort in a survey plan before fieldwork because the supplied documents do not prescribe a fixed number of nights, hours, trap nights, transect length or survey area for this species.
  • Survey all proposed clearing, access, compound, spoil, laydown and construction areas, plus adjacent retained habitat where works could affect a warren, burrow, trail or feeding area.
  • Use more than one method, normally systematic daytime warren searches combined with nocturnal spotlighting or thermal searches and remote cameras where occupancy remains uncertain.
  • Avoid trapping unless a wildlife authority and the project fauna management plan specifically authorise it, because the species is fossorial, large-bodied and strongly dependent on its warren system.
  • Record effort and results in a spatial database, including survey dates, observers, weather, methods, routes, effort, detection conditions, photographs, coordinates and mapped warrens.
  • Submit records and survey results to the relevant state wildlife database and notify the relevant state wildlife authority where a listed population, injured animal, disease outbreak or unexpected mortality is detected.
  • Retain raw camera records, field sheets, photographs, maps and negative survey results with the project environmental records.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoiding damage to warrens and maintaining access to food and shelter are the main pre-clearance priorities. The species is listed as Endangered in New South Wales and is not listed under the EPBC Act according to the supplied state profile.

Redesign the footprint to retain active warrens, connected burrows, trails, nearby feeding areas and the soil conditions that support burrow stability.

Retain continuous habitat around warrens wherever practicable and avoid isolating a warren between roads, fences, compounds or cleared areas.

Maintain access to perennial native grassland and other forage, including bluebush scrub used during dry periods.

Keep heavy vehicles, spoil, drainage works, stock access and materials away from entrances and avoid changes that could flood, collapse or block burrows.

Foraging pattern: Wombats graze closely around the warren, forming expanding circular areas of regrowth.

Warren microclimate: Burrows provide a humid resting place and can be about 15 degrees Celsius cooler than outside at peak surface temperatures.

  • Treat a warren and its connected entrances as one habitat unit during design and impact assessment.
  • Do not clear a warren simply because no wombat is visible at the time of inspection.
  • Use existing access tracks where practicable and place fencing so that it does not cut across trails or force wombats towards roads.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project controls

Confirm the approval pathway before works begin, including the New South Wales Endangered species requirements where applicable and any permits for handling, capture, relocation, culling, rehabilitation or tree and vegetation clearing.

Check whether the project requires assessment or referral under the EPBC Act, noting that the supplied profile records the species as not listed nationally.

Obtain written advice from the relevant state wildlife authority where works may damage an active warren, remove a colony, relocate animals or affect a population in a listed area.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies mapped warrens, exclusion areas, authorised personnel, stop-work triggers, handling arrangements, release sites, disease controls and reporting requirements.

New South Wales status: Endangered.

Commonwealth status: Not listed in the supplied NSW profile.

  • Include the fauna management plan in construction inductions and subcontractor work packs.
  • Name the ecologist, fauna spotter catcher, wildlife carer or veterinarian who can make decisions during works.
  • Confirm the current state database, permit conditions and agency contacts immediately before mobilisation rather than relying on an old profile.

Before habitat disturbance: Timing and site preparation

Schedule clearing outside the main breeding period where practicable, with particular care from July to December because breeding and births occur during this period, with most births reported in October.

Allow extra time for pre-clearance searches and staged works after rain or during suitable activity conditions, rather than using a rushed single inspection.

Complete a fresh pre-clearance inspection immediately before works and confirm whether each mapped warren is active, inactive or uncertain.

Mark exclusion zones, entrances, trails and feeding areas on the ground and in the construction drawings.

Use exclusion fencing only where it will not block access to retained warrens, trap animals outside shelter or divert them towards roads and machinery.

Pouch period: Young generally remain in the pouch for 6 to 9 months and are weaned at about 11 to 13 months.

Rainfall requirement: Successful recruitment generally requires two to three consecutive years of adequate rainfall.

  • Do not fence an active entrance without a species ecologist confirming that the arrangement will not prevent movement or ventilation.
  • Stage clearing from the least suitable habitat towards retained habitat only when the fauna spotter catcher confirms that the direction will not push wombats into danger.
  • Brief all operators that a wombat may remain underground and that the absence of an animal during a pre-clearance check does not authorise damage to its warren.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Works must be supervised as a controlled fauna operation, not as unrestricted clearing after a single inspection. The spotter catcher should have authority to pause machinery whenever a warren, burrow, animal or unexpected habitat feature is encountered.

Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering mapped warrens, exclusion zones, access routes, weather, machinery limits, contact arrangements and the stop-work procedure.

Inspect exclusion fencing, signs, gates, road crossings and mapped warren areas at the start of each shift and after storms, vehicle movements or fencing changes.

Keep a qualified fauna spotter catcher in the active work area whenever machinery is clearing vegetation, soil or structures that could affect a warren or burrow.

Use a clear communication method between the spotter catcher, machine operator, supervisor and project ecologist, including an immediate stop signal that all operators understand.

Require the spotter catcher to work ahead of machinery and inspect the next work section before soil disturbance, grading, trenching, blasting, piling or vehicle access.

Keep machinery outside mapped exclusion areas unless the project ecologist has inspected the area and approved the specific activity.

  • Stop machinery immediately when a wombat, fresh burrow entrance, collapsed burrow, occupied warren, trapped animal or unexpected sign is found.
  • Never drive over an entrance, stockpile soil over a burrow, or use vibration-generating machinery beside an active warren without project approval.
  • Keep noise, lighting, dust, vibration, dogs and unnecessary personnel away from retained warrens.

During habitat disturbance: Burrows, soil and habitat features

Treat active and potentially active warrens as no-go areas unless the approved fauna management plan specifically allows a controlled intervention.

Do not collapse, fill, poison, fumigate, rip or block burrows as part of clearing or pest control.

Remove soil, rock, logs and vegetation progressively and under direct supervision where these features could conceal a wombat or connect to a warren.

If an entrance is damaged, stop work, stabilise the area without entering the burrow and obtain advice from the project ecologist and relevant wildlife authority.

Keep drainage, trenching and erosion controls from directing water into entrances or cutting across trails.

Do not apply hollow-bearing tree procedures to this species as a substitute for warren assessment; the key shelter features are warrens and burrow systems rather than tree hollows.

  • Inspect each work section again after surface vegetation is removed but before deep excavation or grading begins.
  • Keep retained logs, rocks and low vegetation in place around retained warrens unless their removal is authorised in the fauna management plan.
  • Protect wet areas, drainage lines and temporary water sources from contamination because wombats may use rain or dew and food to meet water needs.

During habitat disturbance: If a wombat is found

Stop work and create a quiet exclusion area around the animal without chasing it, blocking its route or forcing it into daylight heat.

Allow an uninjured wombat to move to a retained nearby warren or other approved habitat only when the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist determine that it can move safely without capture.

Use only personnel authorised under the relevant state permit and fauna management plan for capture, restraint, transport or release.

Do not enter a burrow, excavate around an animal, drag an animal from a tunnel or attempt treatment in the field without veterinary or wildlife authority direction.

Place an injured, heat-stressed, orphaned or severely affected animal with a veterinarian or licensed wildlife carer through the approved wildlife rescue pathway.

Report suspected sarcoptic mange, including hair loss, crusted skin, emaciation, daytime activity or reduced awareness, and isolate handling equipment from other fauna until hygiene advice is obtained.

Adult body mass: About 19 to 36 kilograms.

Disease concern: Sarcoptic mange can cause severe morbidity and mortality and affected animals may become more exposed to heat and predators.

  • Keep handling time, noise, vehicle travel and exposure to heat as low as possible.
  • Do not release an animal into an unassessed warren, across a road, into livestock areas or into habitat without suitable food and shelter.
  • Record the animal’s location, condition, sex if known, age class, photographs, action taken, handler, permit, transport route and release or care outcome.
  • If a dependent young animal is found, stop work and seek specialist advice before moving either the young or the mother.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

Stop the relevant activity when a mapped warren is found to be active, an animal is detected, a burrow is damaged, a dependent young animal is suspected, an animal is injured, mange is suspected or the approved exclusion controls fail.

Do not restart until the project ecologist confirms the control measure, the fauna spotter catcher confirms that the area is safe and any required agency advice or permit condition has been met.

Maintain a daily fauna register recording inspections, machinery hours in habitat, work areas completed, detections, incidents, injuries, relocations, carcasses, weather and corrective actions.

Update the warren and burrow map after every inspection and record any loss, damage, abandonment or new use.

Report serious incidents, mortality, suspected illegal killing, disease outbreaks and unapproved warren damage to the relevant state authority and approval holder.

  • Use photographs and coordinates for every incident and for each release or treatment location.
  • Keep signed daily pre-start records and fauna spotter catcher notes with the project environmental records.
  • Review controls after each incident and before the next work stage.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection

Completion of clearing does not end the risk to this species. Post-clearance work must confirm that warrens remain usable, access to forage is maintained and animals have not been trapped or exposed by altered drainage, roads or fencing.

Inspect the full cleared area, retained habitat edge, access routes, drains, trenches, spoil areas and fences for trapped or injured wombats and newly exposed burrows.

Reinspect retained warrens and entrances after machinery leaves and after the first substantial rainfall or major earthworks event.

Remove temporary fencing, spoil and materials that block movement only when the project ecologist confirms that removal will not open access to machinery or roads.

Close or secure trenches, pits and other artificial hazards at the end of each shift until construction is complete.

  • Use remote cameras or repeat nocturnal searches where the pre-clearance survey identified active warrens near the work area.
  • Check that retained vegetation and perennial grass forage have not been buried, sprayed, overgrazed or isolated.
  • Record all post-clearance checks, including negative results.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained warrens, trails and nearby feeding areas at intervals set in the fauna management plan, with additional checks during drought, construction near warrens or after reported incidents.

Use the same mapped locations and methods where practicable so changes in occupancy, activity and warren condition can be compared over time.

Report unexpected mortality, reduced activity, warren abandonment, mange, habitat loss and damage from vehicles or fencing to the project ecologist and relevant state authority.

Submit final species records, spatial data, incident records and monitoring results to the relevant state wildlife database and approval agencies where required.

Known monitoring period: Genetic monitoring has detected some individuals using the same warren systems over at least 18 years.

  • Continue monitoring long enough to detect whether wombats return to retained warrens after disturbance.
  • Compare camera, spotlighting and sign results with the pre-works baseline rather than relying on one observation.
  • Document limitations, including drought, heat, poor visibility, access restrictions and the proportion of the site that remained underground or unsurveyed.

After habitat disturbance: Maintain controls and offsets

Maintain exclusion fencing, safe crossings, speed controls, signage, drainage protection and warren buffers for as long as construction creates a risk.

Remove redundant controls only after the project ecologist confirms that the site no longer presents a trapping, collision or warren damage risk.

Apply any approval conditions requiring habitat protection, restoration, offsets or management contributions, and verify that any offset area contains suitable soil, forage and warren habitat.

Do not regard an offset as a reason to damage an active warren or to remove habitat that can be retained within the project footprint.

  • Inspect offset or retained areas for rabbit and livestock grazing, weeds, roads, fences, fire impacts and signs of warren use.
  • Record the management responsibility, funding period, inspection frequency and response to failed controls.
  • Escalate a failure to meet approval conditions immediately.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild forage and warren habitat

Rehabilitation should rebuild a functioning warren setting, not only replace vegetation. The target is connected semi-arid habitat with stable soil, perennial forage, shelter from heat and safe movement around warrens.

Re-establish perennial native grasses suitable for grazing, including locally appropriate Austrostipa and Austrodanthonia species where they occur in the local reference community.

Retain or replant locally appropriate bluebush and other native shrubs used during dry periods, while avoiding plantings that change the open structure needed for foraging.

Use local soil profiles and erosion controls that allow stable burrow construction, and prevent compaction, waterlogging and uncontrolled runoff around potential warren areas.

Reinstate natural ground levels and drainage so that rainfall does not flood entrances or wash out trails.

Do not construct artificial burrows or move wombats into rehabilitation areas unless this has been designed and authorised by the relevant wildlife authority.

Food requirement: The diet is mainly perennial native grasses, with more forbs, dicots and woody shrubs used during severe drought.

Habitat setting: Semi-arid grasslands, open plains, shrublands, savanna and open woodland with suitable soil for warrens.

  • Source seed and tubestock from the local provenance where practicable and control weeds until native perennial cover is established.
  • Exclude domestic stock and manage rabbits where grazing pressure would prevent perennial grass recovery.
  • Keep rehabilitation areas connected to retained habitat and avoid new fences that interrupt wombat movement.

Rehabilitation actions: Retain natural shelter and safe movement

Retain existing warrens and burrow entrances wherever practicable, and protect them from machinery, stock, vehicles, altered drainage and rehabilitation works.

Reinstate suitable surface cover, logs and rocks only where they are part of the local habitat and will not block entrances, collapse tunnels or create trapping points.

Do not install nest boxes for this species because its documented shelter is in warrens and burrow systems rather than tree hollows.

Design roads, fences, culverts and gates to maintain movement between feeding areas and warrens and to reduce collision and entrapment risk.

Use fauna-safe fencing or wombat walkways where fencing is necessary and confirm their effectiveness through monitoring.

Warren use: Warrens may contain several animals and are connected by trails.

Warren microclimate: Tunnel conditions are reported to range from about 13 to 25 degrees Celsius over the year.

  • Inspect all restored areas for open pits, wire loops, steep-sided drains, loose netting and other hazards.
  • Maintain a quiet, shaded refuge around retained warrens during the establishment period.
  • Manage artificial lighting and night works near warrens to avoid disrupting nocturnal movement.

Rehabilitation actions: Weeds, pests, predators and fire

Control rabbits and domestic stock grazing where they reduce perennial forage or alter pasture composition.

Control weeds that replace native perennial grasses, prioritising species that are toxic or unsuitable for wombat recruitment.

Manage foxes, feral dogs and other predators in accordance with the approved site plan and state requirements, while avoiding poison or fumigation in wombat warrens.

Prepare a fire plan that protects warrens, retains native perennial forage and avoids post-fire erosion or loss of shelter.

Include disease surveillance for sarcoptic mange and use hygiene controls when staff move between warrens or rehabilitation sites.

  • Do not use warren fumigation or ripping as a rabbit control method.
  • Time weed, pest and fuel reduction work to avoid disturbing active warrens and dependent young.
  • Record pest control methods, bait locations, fire events and any fauna mortality.

Rehabilitation actions: Monitoring and success measures

Monitor vegetation establishment, perennial grass cover, weed and rabbit pressure, soil stability, erosion, warren condition, entrance use, trails and wombat activity.

Use repeat photographs, fixed inspection points, remote cameras, spotlighting and sign searches to compare rehabilitation areas with the pre-works baseline.

Set success measures before works begin, including no blocked or flooded retained entrances, no construction-related mortality, functioning access routes, stable soil and increasing use of restored forage where conditions allow.

Continue monitoring through at least one dry period and one suitable rainfall period because reproduction and recruitment depend strongly on rainfall and pasture growth.

Adapt planting, grazing, pest, drainage and fire measures when monitoring shows that forage is failing, warrens are unused or animals are being exposed to new hazards.

Recruitment condition: The species generally requires two to three consecutive years of adequate rainfall for successful recruitment.

Time underground: About 66 to 75 per cent of time.

  • Report rehabilitation results and failures to the approval holder, relevant state authority and wildlife database where required.
  • Interpret non-detection cautiously because wombats spend most of their time underground and may reduce surface activity during heat or drought.
  • Retain monitoring data, photographs, camera records, maps and corrective action records for the full approval or management period.

Sources