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Tammar Wallaby (Notamacropus eugenii)

The Tammar Wallaby is a small, nocturnal macropod found in parts of South Australia and Western Australia, with mapped records also extending to the Northern Territory and Victoria. On works sites, it may shelter in dense scrub by day and forage on nearby grass at night, so clearing can cause direct injury, habitat loss and increased exposure to foxes. The species is generally least concern in Australia, but some state or population listings require additional care, including Rare equivalents in South Australia and Tasmania and Priority 4 in Western Australia.

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. This listing covers only Notamacropus eugenii derbianus.

Breeding season

Tammar Wallabies breed seasonally in Australia. Most births occur from late January to March, with pouch emergence generally from September to October, and later, from October to November, in Western Australia.

Breeding mode: Seasonal breeding with embryonic diapause. The female mates again within a few hours of giving birth.

Litter size: One young.

Pregnancy: About 26.5 days, followed by continued development in the pouch.

Pouch period: The young suckles in the pouch for about 8 to 9 months.

Maturity: Females mature at about 9 months. Males mature at nearly 2 years.

Breeding site: Not recorded. The young develops in the female's pouch. No nest, burrow, hollow or maternity roost is described.

Timing varies between years and regions, and the detailed breeding cycle is best documented for the Kangaroo Island population, with pouch emergence generally later in Western Australia.

  • Mating and conception: Mating occurs within a few hours of birth, and the resulting embryo can remain dormant during lactation.
  • Births: Most young are born from late January to March.
  • Young in pouch: Young remain dependent in the pouch for about 8 to 9 months after birth.
  • Young at foot: Young generally leave the pouch in September or October, or in October to November in Western Australia, and remain dependent at foot afterwards.
  • Night-time activity and foraging: Wallabies shelter in dense low vegetation by day, move from dusk and forage in open grassy areas after dark throughout the year.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest around births and when young are leaving the pouch, but clearing can disturb shelter and foraging habitat at any time.

Identification: Appearance and size

The Tammar Wallaby is a small, compact wallaby with a dark grey brown coat and rufous colouring on the sides and limbs, especially in males. It is mainly encountered at night, although animals may be flushed from dense cover during clearing.

The upper body is dark and grizzled grey brown. The sides and limbs can be rufous, and the underside is pale grey buff. A white cheek stripe and dark forehead stripe may be visible.

Males and females are about 45 cm high. The head and body length is 59 to 68 cm for Kangaroo Island males and 52 to 63 cm for Kangaroo Island females.

  • The tail is long and thick, but shorter than the head and body.
  • Western Australian animals are generally smaller than the Kangaroo Island animals described above.

Identification: Calls and similar species

No reliable field call is described for this species. Echolocation is not applicable.

Scats and tracks can be confused with those of other macropods. Confirm records using several signs, habitat, photographs or a trained ecologist rather than relying on one scat or track.

  • Use body shape, size, coat pattern and photographs to support identification.
  • Do not assume every small macropod record is a Tammar Wallaby.

Identification: Field signs

Look for oval or rounded pads, trails through low vegetation and small to medium macropod scats. Signs are most useful where they occur beside dense daytime shelter and open feeding areas.

There are no nests, hollows, caves, burrows, roosts, whitewash deposits or distinctive odour marks associated with this species. A female carries her young in a pouch.

  • Search tracks and scats along fencelines, pads, track edges and transitions between scrub and grass.
  • Use camera traps on pads or fencelines where sightings are unconfirmed.
  • Record photographs, location, habitat, date and time for all signs.

Distribution: South Australia

The Tammar Wallaby has a fragmented distribution in southern Australia. Current detailed records are concentrated in South Australia and Western Australia, while the species profile is mapped in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia.

Kangaroo Island supports a widespread and abundant population. The South Australian mainland subspecies became extinct on the mainland by the 1930s, but was reintroduced to Innes National Park on Yorke Peninsula between 2004 and 2008 after repatriation from New Zealand.

Other South Australian island populations or introductions include Greenly Island, Wardang Island and Boston Island. Populations on Granite Island and Althorpe Island were removed or became locally extinct.

  • Look for records on Kangaroo Island, Yorke Peninsula and offshore islands.
  • The Innes National Park population has dispersed into other parts of the park, including around Stenhouse Bay.

Distribution: Western Australia

Western Australian populations occur on islands and at scattered mainland sites. Locations include the Houtman Abrolhos, Garden Island, islands in the Archipelago of the Recherche, Dryandra, Boyagin, Tutanning, Perup, Hopetoun, the Stirling Range and Fitzgerald River National Park.

Several populations have been reintroduced to reserves, forests and wildlife sanctuaries. Numbers are generally stronger where fox control is maintained.

  • Check current state databases before works near known populations.
  • Treat isolated woodland, heath and mallee patches as potential habitat even where recent records are absent.

Distribution: Outside Australia and mapped states

The species was introduced to New Zealand, including Kawau Island and the Rotorua region. The New Zealand population was used as the source for the South Australian mainland repatriation.

The species profile maps the Tammar Wallaby in the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. Detailed location information in the available field accounts is concentrated in South Australia and Western Australia.

  • Do not treat a mapped state record as proof of a local population.
  • Confirm local records, subspecies or population boundaries before clearing or translocation.

Habitat: Vegetation and landforms

Tammar Wallabies need dense, low vegetation for daytime shelter close to open areas used for feeding. A site can remain suitable even when the animals are not visible during a daytime inspection.

Potential habitat includes coastal scrub, heath, dry sclerophyll forest, mallee thickets and woodland. On islands and coastal sites, look for low dense vegetation on sandy or rocky ground, often close to grassland or pasture.

Innes National Park animals use closed mallee and Melaleuca woodland for daytime resting. Kangaroo Island animals use dense vegetation beside open grassy areas and improved pasture.

  • Dense low scrub and thickets
  • Mallee and Melaleuca woodland
  • Heath and coastal vegetation
  • Woodland edges beside grass or pasture

Habitat: Site assessment

Inspect the full habitat mosaic, not just the proposed clearing footprint. Include adjacent scrub, grassland, fence lines, tracks and likely movement routes.

Habitat quality is often highest where thick cover is close to open feeding ground. Small isolated patches may still be used, particularly on islands or within fragmented landscapes.

  • Map dense shelter, open feeding areas and the connections between them.
  • Search for tracks and scats at the edge of cover and along established pads.
  • Consider night activity when planning inspections and exclusion measures.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding areas

The Tammar Wallaby grazes mainly at night. It normally moves from dense daytime cover into open grassy areas, pasture or modified grassland to feed.

The diet consists mainly of grasses and herbs. The species also browses shrubs, seedlings, small trees and plants with tough leaves or stems.

On Kangaroo Island, improved pasture and open grass are used for feeding. At Innes National Park, animals forage along the edges of modified grasslands.

  • Open grassland and pasture
  • Grassland edges beside scrub or woodland
  • Herb rich clearings
  • Low shrubs and regenerating vegetation

Foraging habitat: Works site considerations

Clearing shelter can force animals to cross open ground or roads to reach feeding areas. Temporary lighting, vehicle movement and fencing can also interfere with their normal night movements.

At high densities, Tammar Wallabies can suppress plant recruitment. This is especially relevant on small islands and reserves where grazing pressure is concentrated.

  • Retain connected cover between shelter and feeding areas where practicable.
  • Avoid leaving unfenced trenches, pits or narrow escape routes across feeding paths.
  • Use night lighting only where required and direct it away from retained vegetation.

Breeding habitat: Breeding cycle

Breeding occurs in the landscape rather than at a separate nest or colony. The female gives birth to one young, which develops in the pouch, so females and young can be present wherever suitable shelter remains.

The best documented breeding cycle is for Kangaroo Island. Most young are born from late January to March, and the female mates again within a few hours of giving birth.

The next embryo can remain dormant during lactation. The young enters the pouch about 40 days after the embryo is reactivated. Pouch life lasts about eight to nine months.

  • A young animal may leave the pouch in September or October generally.
  • In Western Australia, pouch emergence is reported in October to November.
  • Females can mature at about nine months, while males mature at nearly two years.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat on a work site

No specialised nest, den, hollow or maternity structure is used. Dense scrub, mallee, heath and woodland provide the cover needed by females and young at foot.

Breeding timing varies between populations and is not fully documented across the species range. Treat dense shelter as potentially occupied year round.

  • Inspect dense cover before clearing, including the base of shrubs and edges of thickets.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher during clearing where required by the approval or management plan.
  • Stop work if a pouch young, dependent young or injured animal is found, and follow the approved wildlife handling procedure.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter features

During the day, Tammar Wallabies rest in thick, low vegetation. They do not use nests, hollows or burrows, so shelter habitat can be overlooked during standard fauna inspections.

Look for dense coastal scrub, heath, mallee thickets, Melaleuca woodland and low woodland understorey. Animals may lie beneath or within vegetation that appears too low to contain a wallaby.

Individuals usually begin moving at dusk, leave cover after dark and return before dawn.

  • Low, continuous scrub
  • Dense mallee and Melaleuca cover
  • Thickets beside tracks, paddocks or grassland
  • Vegetated edges around retained woodland patches

Sheltering habitat: Inspection and clearing practice

Daytime searches for animals alone are not sufficient. Combine visual searches with tracks, scats, camera traps and night spotlighting where a local population is suspected.

Use slow, staged clearing that allows animals to move towards retained habitat. Avoid isolating a patch of cover before the surrounding area is checked.

  • Check beneath dense vegetation before machinery enters.
  • Keep escape routes open towards retained habitat and away from roads or active work areas.
  • Use car based or on foot spotlighting to locate animals, including tagged animals where relevant.
  • Capture animals only under an approved procedure and handle them carefully to avoid injury.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main risks on development and land management sites are loss of dense shelter, direct injury during clearing and increased exposure to vehicles and predators. Apply the level of survey and protection required by the local population, approval conditions and state listing.

Land clearing removes daytime shelter and can break the link between shelter and feeding areas. Machinery, trenches, temporary fencing and vehicle traffic can injure or trap animals.

No species specific clearing or construction buffer is established in the field guidance. Set site controls through the ecological assessment, approval conditions and local regulator requirements.

  • Survey dense cover, edges and nearby grassland before works.
  • Stage clearing towards retained habitat where practicable.
  • Inspect trenches, pits and temporary fencing regularly.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher where required.

Threats: Predation and fire

Fox predation is a major threat, especially where shelter has been cleared or fragmented. Cats, hunting and inappropriate fire regimes can also reduce populations or suitable thickets.

Fox control has supported reintroduction and persistence at several sites. Retain dense shelter and avoid broad loss of cover during fire or fuel management.

  • Do not create unnecessary gaps between retained scrub patches.
  • Coordinate vegetation management with fox control and threatened species programs.
  • Record predator signs and report unusual mortality.

Threats: Grazing and introduced populations

At high densities, Tammar Wallabies can reduce groundcover and plant recruitment. On North Island in the Houtman Abrolhos, heavy grazing caused overgrazing, ringbarking, trampling and sand drift.

Management may include fertility control, shooting or translocation in approved programs. These actions require appropriate authorisation and must not be undertaken as an ad hoc response to construction impacts.

  • Assess grazing pressure where wallabies are concentrated in small reserves or islands.
  • Protect regeneration areas where browsing is preventing recruitment.
  • Use an approved control or relocation program where population management is required.

Threats: Listing and project controls

The species is not nationally listed as endangered, vulnerable or near threatened in Australia. It is nevertheless treated as an EVNT species in this profile because some state categories are near threatened equivalents.

South Australian and Tasmanian populations or records may require consideration of Rare status. Western Australian records may fall within Priority 4, a non statutory DBCA category for rare or near threatened species requiring monitoring.

  • Check the current state listing and local population status before works.
  • Scale survey effort to the site risk, known records, habitat quality and approval conditions.
  • For high risk sites, use daytime sign searches, camera traps and spotlighting, with trapping only where necessary and under an approved method.
  • Document all sightings, injuries, relocations and mortality for the project ecologist and relevant authority.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Tammar Wallabies are nocturnal and use dense, low vegetation for daytime shelter. They move into open grassy areas after dark, then return to cover before dawn. Use a combination of direct searches, spotlighting, cameras and sign surveys.

Map dense scrub, heath, mallee, woodland, coastal vegetation and open grassy areas within and near the work area.

Check records for known populations, reintroduction sites, fox control programs and nearby private land. Confirm whether the records relate to Kangaroo Island, the South Australian mainland population, Western Australia or an introduced island population.

Review the current requirements of the relevant state agency and the Commonwealth before finalising the survey design.

Activity: Mainly nocturnal. Animals begin moving at dusk, feed after dark and return to shelter before dawn.

Breeding: Breeding information is best established for Kangaroo Island. Most young are born from late January to March. Young commonly leave the pouch in September or October, and in October to November in Western Australia.

  • Identify habitat that provides both dense daytime shelter and nearby feeding areas.
  • Map likely movement routes between shelter and grassland, including fencelines, tracks and vegetation edges.
  • Check for recent sightings, roadkill, scats, pads and camera records from landholders and site staff.

Survey methodology: 2. Daytime sign searches

Search dense understorey, scrub edges, pads and fencelines during daylight. Look for fresh scats, pads, browsing, tracks, resting areas and signs of movement through low vegetation.

Treat scats and pads as supporting evidence only. They can be confused with signs from other macropods.

Best daytime habitat to inspect: Dense low scrub, coastal scrub, heath, dry sclerophyll forest, mallee thickets and woodland.

  • Walk the full work footprint and connected shelter habitat where safe to do so.
  • Record the location, date, time, sign type, freshness, habitat and confidence of identification.
  • Photograph representative signs with a scale and retain coordinates for each observation.
  • Use direct observation, photographs or genetic identification where species confirmation is necessary.

Survey methodology: 3. Spotlight and camera surveys

Conduct vehicle based or on foot spotlight surveys from dusk, after dark and before dawn. Focus on grassy clearings, pasture edges, tracks, fencelines and the margins of dense shelter.

Use red or filtered light where practical, avoid prolonged illumination and do not chase or crowd animals.

Place camera traps on pads, along fencelines, at shelter edges and at locations with unconfirmed sightings. Use cameras where capture is not needed, including on private land with permission.

Preferred detection period: From dusk until after dark, with additional checks before dawn.

  • Survey in suitable weather and avoid conditions that reduce detection, such as heavy rain, strong wind or very poor visibility.
  • Repeat surveys when the project risk, habitat quality or uncertainty warrants it. There is no single species specific trap, transect or camera effort standard, so document the reason for the effort selected.
  • Record start and finish times, route, weather, visibility, observers, light source, habitat searched, animals detected and detection method.
  • Record whether an animal was tagged, captured, handled, injured, with young or using habitat that may be affected by the works.

Survey methodology: 4. Capture and confirmation

Use cage trapping only under an approved method and with appropriate animal welfare controls. Take particular care to avoid injury.

Where cage trapping is difficult, approved alternatives may include fenceline traps or nets laid across pads. These methods require experienced operators and close supervision.

  • Use only trained and authorised personnel for capture, restraint, identification and release.
  • Check traps and capture equipment as required by the approved method and prevailing animal welfare requirements.
  • Stop capture if animals show signs of heat stress, injury, excessive distress or unsafe entanglement risk.
  • Record trap or net location, set and check times, weather, capture outcome, sex, age class, pouch young, injuries and release location.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Approvals and permits

Plan works to retain dense shelter and nearby feeding habitat wherever possible. Confirm the conservation status and approval pathway for the population at the site before clearing, because requirements differ between jurisdictions and populations.

Check whether the action requires an EPBC Act referral or approval. A referral may be needed if the action could significantly affect a listed threatened species or another protected matter.

Confirm state and local requirements before survey, capture, relocation, clearing or control work. Obtain any fauna handling, wildlife research, relocation, animal ethics or land access approvals that apply.

In Queensland, check whether the animal is treated as protected wildlife and whether tampering with a breeding place requires a species management program. Obtain a Queensland species management program where required.

Check South Australian, Western Australian, Victorian, Northern Territory and Tasmanian requirements for the relevant population. Do not assume that a least concern assessment removes the need for a permit.

Population context: The South Australian mainland population was extinct by the 1930s and has been reintroduced to Innes National Park. Kangaroo Island animals are widespread and abundant. Western Australian populations include island, mainland and reintroduced populations.

  • Keep copies of approvals, conditions, permit numbers and contact details on site.
  • Use the current scientific name, Notamacropus eugenii, and identify the relevant population or subspecies where this is known.
  • Obtain written approval before moving an animal or destroying, modifying or disturbing a place used for breeding or shelter.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Avoidance and work design

Retain dense low vegetation, thickets and woodland used for daytime shelter. Retain connected shelter between feeding areas wherever practicable.

Keep open grassy feeding areas and shelter edges intact where they are used by animals. Avoid creating isolated patches of shelter surrounded by cleared ground.

Use existing disturbed areas for access, laydown and infrastructure where practicable. Control foxes and manage domestic or feral dogs and cats where these are project risks.

  • Map confirmed and likely shelter habitat on the construction plan.
  • Fence exclusion areas before machinery arrives and mark them clearly in the field.
  • Prevent vehicles from entering retained scrub, shelter patches and identified movement routes.
  • Do not rely on a generic buffer. Set any separation distance from habitat or animals using the survey findings, approval conditions, risk of injury and advice from the project ecologist or regulator.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Pre-clearance survey

Complete a pre-clearance inspection shortly before works begin. Search all vegetation to be cleared and the adjoining shelter habitat using a fauna spotter catcher and ecologist where required by the approval.

Use daytime searches for animals sheltering in dense cover and conduct spotlighting where nocturnal animals may remain undetected during the day. Check likely exit routes, pads, fencelines and grassland edges.

  • Inspect the entire clearing footprint, not only areas where signs were previously recorded.
  • Confirm that equipment, exclusion fencing, access tracks and escape routes are ready before clearing starts.
  • Record live animals, pouch young, injured animals, fresh signs, shelter habitat, breeding activity and any change since the original survey.
  • Do not clear if an animal cannot be safely located or if the approved fauna management measures are not in place.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Timing, induction and exclusion

There is no known migration period for the species. Plan higher risk works to avoid the local breeding period where practicable, particularly in populations where breeding timing is known.

Breeding is seasonal, with most young born from late January to March on Kangaroo Island. Young may remain in the pouch for eight to nine months. Use local records and the relevant approval conditions when setting work timing.

  • Induct all workers in species identification, nocturnal activity, shelter habitat, speed limits, exclusion areas and stop work requirements.
  • Tell workers never to chase, feed, handle or relocate a wallaby unless authorised.
  • Use fauna fencing or other exclusion measures where they are approved and suitable. Inspect fencing regularly and provide safe escape routes away from the clearing area.
  • Schedule noisy or ground disturbing work to reduce the risk of animals being trapped in shelter during daylight.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clear in a controlled sequence so animals can move towards retained habitat rather than into machinery or isolated vegetation. The fauna spotter catcher must have authority to stop work whenever an animal, injury risk or unexpected habitat feature is found.

Clear from the least suitable habitat towards retained shelter or other approved escape habitat. Use small work fronts and allow the fauna spotter catcher to inspect each area before machinery advances.

Remove dense vegetation in stages where this is safe and approved. Pause between stages so hidden animals can move away from the work front.

Keep machinery speeds low and maintain clear communication between the operator, spotter catcher and supervisor.

  • Maintain a live map of cleared areas, retained habitat and animal observations.
  • Do not block the only safe route from shelter to retained vegetation.
  • Stop if an animal moves towards machinery, becomes trapped, enters a stockpile or is found beneath equipment.
  • Inspect felled vegetation, hollow objects, debris piles and excavations before they are moved or covered.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Animal handling and breeding places

Only authorised and trained personnel may capture, restrain, examine, transport or release a Tammar Wallaby. Do not handle a female or pouch young unless the approved method and animal welfare advice allow it.

If a female has a pouch young, stop work around the animal and seek advice from the fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist. Do not separate the young from the female.

  • Stop work immediately if an active breeding place, dependent young, injured animal or animal trapped in vegetation is found.
  • Protect the location from machinery, people, dogs and further disturbance while advice is obtained.
  • Treat a breeding place or shelter area as protected until the relevant permit holder or regulator confirms the next step.
  • There are no known nest, hollow, cave or roost structures used by this species. If such a structure is found, assume it may belong to another protected species and protect it until identified.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Injured or distressed animals

Keep people, machinery and dogs away from the animal. Reduce noise and visual disturbance while an authorised person assesses the situation.

Contact the project fauna supervisor, wildlife carer, veterinarian or relevant wildlife authority under the approved incident pathway.

  • Do not give food or water unless directed by a qualified wildlife professional.
  • Do not release an injured animal without veterinary or wildlife authority advice.
  • Record the location, time, likely cause, injuries, photographs, first aid, person responsible and final outcome.
  • If an animal dies, preserve the carcass where safe and lawful, and report it under the project approval and incident procedure.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Daily records and stop work reporting

Maintain a daily fauna register for all sightings, captures, relocations, injuries, mortalities and stop work events. Keep records with the clearing map and approval documents.

  • Record date, time, location, habitat, activity, sex or age class where known, pouch young, action taken and release or treatment outcome.
  • Record weather, work activity, machinery involved and names of the fauna spotter catcher and supervisor.
  • Report any breach of an approval, permit or exclusion area immediately to the site manager and nominated environmental representative.
  • Update the risk assessment if animals continue to use areas scheduled for clearing.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance checks

Complete a formal inspection after each clearing stage and before the area is handed back to construction. Follow up relocated animals and use the results to improve the next stage of work.

Inspect the cleared area, retained vegetation, exclusion fencing, trenches, pits, stockpiles and access routes after each work stage.

Search for live animals, carcasses, fresh tracks, scats, injured animals and signs that animals are attempting to return to unsafe areas.

  • Check beneath machinery and around stored materials before they are moved.
  • Check pits and trenches at the start and end of each shift, and provide escape measures where required by the project plan.
  • Repair damaged fauna fencing and close gaps that could funnel animals towards roads or machinery.
  • Record the inspection date, area checked, observers, findings and corrective actions.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Relocated animals

Release animals only at an approved location with suitable dense shelter, nearby feeding habitat and safe access. Do not release animals into unsuitable isolated vegetation or into an area with known high predator risk.

Use the shortest practical transport time and the handling, temperature and welfare controls required by the permit and approved method.

  • Record the animal identity where known, capture location, release location, time, condition and any pouch young.
  • Monitor the release area for signs of settlement, mortality, return movements and conflict with the works.
  • Do not relocate animals outside the approved area or across a jurisdictional boundary without written authority.
  • Report failed releases, repeated returns or unexpected mortality to the project ecologist and relevant authority.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Monitoring and reporting

Use spotlighting, cameras and sign searches to check whether retained habitat continues to be used. Match the monitoring approach to the project risk, habitat retained and approval conditions.

Continue monitoring through representative dry and wet conditions where the project has removed or fragmented substantial shelter habitat.

  • Compare detection rates and habitat use before and after clearing where baseline data are available.
  • Monitor retained thickets, grassland edges, crossings, roads and fauna fencing.
  • Report all observations, injuries, mortalities, relocations, control activities and habitat changes to the land manager and regulator where required.
  • Include maps, photographs, survey conditions, effort, results, incidents and corrective actions in the completion report.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review

Review every injury, mortality, escape, unauthorised handling event and repeated stop work event before the next clearing stage.

Use the review to change work sequencing, supervision, exclusion fencing, traffic controls, survey timing or crew instructions.

  • Hold a short toolbox review with the operator, spotter catcher, supervisor and environmental representative.
  • Identify the immediate cause and any contributing site conditions.
  • Record the action owner and completion date for each corrective action.
  • Update the fauna management plan when the original controls do not reduce risk.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Habitat restoration

Rehabilitation should rebuild the combination of dense daytime shelter and open feeding habitat used by Tammar Wallabies. Protect restored areas from repeated disturbance, weeds, inappropriate fire and predators while vegetation establishes.

Retain and restore dense, low native vegetation in connected patches. Use locally appropriate species and structure for the relevant region.

Recreate links between shelter and open grassy feeding areas rather than planting isolated pockets of vegetation.

Use habitat features already present at the site, such as scrub edges, mallee thickets, woodland understorey and natural ground cover.

  • Remove temporary access tracks, hardstands and stockpiles when they are no longer needed.
  • Stabilise disturbed soil and control erosion before planting or natural regeneration.
  • Protect regenerating vegetation from vehicles, grazing, trampling and unauthorised fire.
  • Retain natural shelter and avoid excessive thinning of understorey during maintenance.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Weeds, fire and predators

Control weeds that reduce native shelter, feeding plants or movement routes. Use methods that minimise harm to wallabies and other fauna.

Manage fire in accordance with regional ecological advice. Inappropriate fire regimes can reduce suitable thickets.

Reduce fox, feral cat and roaming dog risks where they are identified as threats or project impacts.

  • Inspect restored areas for weed germination after rain and treat infestations before they set seed.
  • Keep herbicide, baiting and shooting activities within approved methods and exclusion controls.
  • Retain refuge vegetation during fire management and avoid burning occupied shelter without an approved ecological plan.
  • Record predator control effort and check whether wallaby use changes after control.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Water, lighting and infrastructure

Provide water only where it is needed for restoration or approved management. Design troughs, tanks and drains to prevent drowning and entrapment.

Limit artificial light near shelter, movement routes and feeding edges. Tammar Wallabies are nocturnal and lighting can change movement and expose animals to vehicles or predators.

Water use: Fresh water requirements vary by setting. In semi arid areas such as the Abrolhos Islands, Tammar Wallabies can drink seawater when fresh water is unavailable.

  • Use downward directed, shielded lights and switch off non essential lighting when work stops.
  • Avoid bright lighting across retained scrub and grassland edges.
  • Cover or fence tanks, pits and drains, and provide fauna escape ramps where required.
  • Manage traffic speed and vehicle access on roads that cross likely movement routes.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Replacement structures and long term monitoring

Tammar Wallabies do not use nest boxes, bat boxes, artificial nests, hollows, caves or roost structures. Do not install replacement structures as a substitute for dense shelter habitat.

Focus monitoring on vegetation cover, shelter continuity, feeding areas, predator pressure and animal use.

  • Monitor restored shelter and grassland edges using cameras, spotlighting and daytime sign searches.
  • Set monitoring duration and frequency according to the approval, project risk and rate of vegetation establishment rather than applying an unsuitable fixed standard.
  • Inspect fauna fencing, crossings, drainage structures and lighting controls during routine maintenance.
  • Review monitoring results with the land manager and adjust weed control, fire planning, predator control or planting where wallaby use declines.
  • Keep records of rehabilitation areas, plant survival, weed cover, animal detections, incidents and maintenance actions.

Rehabilitation actions: 5. Handover and maintenance

Do not hand the area back to the land manager until rehabilitation controls, access restrictions and monitoring responsibilities are clear.

Provide a map and practical maintenance schedule to the land manager, including retained shelter, feeding areas, fauna fencing and known movement routes.

  • Remove temporary fauna controls only when they no longer protect animals and the approval allows removal.
  • Maintain safe access around restored habitat and prevent new informal tracks through shelter.
  • Review outcomes after major storms, fire, construction changes or predator control events.
  • Close out outstanding incidents and confirm that permit and approval reporting has been completed.

Sources