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Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

The Tasmanian devil is Australia's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial and is endemic to Tasmania. It is widespread across the island, uses modified habitats as well as native vegetation, and may occur on or near project sites where shelter, prey, carcasses or movement routes are present. Clearing can remove maternal dens and shelter sites, while roads, Devil Facial Tumour Disease and habitat fragmentation add major risks.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Endangered.

Tasmania, Threatened Species Protection Act 1995: Endangered.

Breeding season

The pattern below is typical for Tasmania. Breeding timing can extend beyond the usual period in disease-affected or low-density populations, so den searches and clearing controls should use local records and current advice.

Where local evidence indicates an extended breeding season, treat suitable dens as potentially occupied beyond these typical months.

  • Breeding: Mating is usually from February to May, with March commonly the peak month.
  • Young: Young are born after about 21 days of gestation, remain in the pouch for about 4 to 4.5 months, then remain in a den and are weaned at about 5 to 6 months. Young are usually independent by late December.
  • Movement and dispersal: Adults forage and move throughout the year, often at night. Young begin dispersing from the maternal range after weaning, with late spring and summer a period of increased movement for newly independent animals.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing or disturbance is most likely to harm the species from February to June because mating, births, pouch young and den-dependent young overlap. Den disturbance can remain harmful through December while young are dependent or recently independent.

Identification

Tasmanian devils are stocky, ground-dwelling marsupials with a broad head, powerful jaws and a thick tail. They are generally black or brownish black, often with white markings on the chest, flanks or rump.

Adults have a short muzzle, short limbs, a large head and strong jaw muscles. The forelegs are longer than the hind legs. The ears may appear red when the animal is stressed or excited because they have thinly furred skin.

Males are larger than females. Young animals can climb well, but climbing ability decreases with age. Devils are usually solitary, although several may gather and feed noisily at a carcass.

Head and body length: About 52.5 to 80 cm

Tail length: About 23 to 30 cm

Shoulder height: About 30 cm

Male weight: About 5.5 to 14 kg

Female weight: About 4.1 to 9 kg

Identification: Distinguishing features

A live Tasmanian devil is distinctive in Tasmania and is unlikely to be confused with another sympatric species. Its stocky build, broad head, thick tail, black coat with variable white markings and powerful jaws separate it from quolls and wombats.

The devil's tracks are broad and usually show five toes. Tracks may be found on soft road margins, sand, mud and creek crossings. Identification should consider the track size, heavy build and associated signs rather than a single unclear print.

Identification: Field signs

Scats are commonly grey and contain large, sharp bone fragments intertwined with fine fur. They are often deposited at latrines, including track junctions and creek crossings. Wet or misshapen scats can be confused with those of feral dogs, foxes or spotted-tailed quolls.

Other useful signs include dens, scrapes, tracks, hair and carcass remains. Devils produce loud snorts, growls, screeches, barks, jaw claps and vibrato calls, particularly during feeding and breeding interactions. Their eyeshine may be recorded during spotlighting, but visual detection is less reliable than a combination of signs and camera records.

For projects, search likely shelter sites and signs during the day, and use remote cameras, spotlighting, hair tubes or other approved methods where a presence or absence decision is required. Any trapping or capture work must account for Devil Facial Tumour Disease biosecurity.

  • Search track junctions, creek crossings, carcasses, dense ground cover, hollow logs and wombat burrows for signs.
  • Do not handle, move or open a suspected den without appropriate wildlife and project approvals.
  • Treat a suspected devil record as requiring confirmation by an appropriately qualified ecologist where the result may affect clearing.

Distribution: State and regional range

The Tasmanian devil is endemic to Tasmania and occurs across mainland Tasmania, but not on Tasmania's offshore islands. It is not an Australian mainland species, although fossil evidence shows that devils formerly occurred on mainland Australia.

The species occurs only in Tasmania. The approved conservation advice records it within Tasmania's North, North West and South Natural Resource Management Regions. It occurs from sea level to all but the highest peaks and has a broadly continuous distribution across mainland Tasmania.

It is absent from Bass Strait and other offshore islands in current records. The Australian Museum notes that subfossils have been found on Flinders Island, but this does not indicate a current population.

Distribution: Concentrations and subpopulations

Population density is highest in dry and mixed sclerophyll forests and coastal heath in eastern Tasmania and along the north-west coast. Lower densities occur in the buttongrass plains of south-west Tasmania and in tall or dense wet forests.

A distinct subpopulation has been recorded in north-west Tasmania, west of the Forth River and south to Macquarie Heads. Devils also occur in forestry plantations, pastures, farmland, along roads and at urban fringes.

Distribution: Population size and trend

Estimates vary with the survey area, method and date. Devil Facial Tumour Disease has caused severe declines, while local declines of up to 95 per cent have been recorded in affected areas. The geographic distribution has remained broadly continuous even where local abundance has fallen.

Extent of occurrence: Approximately 64,000 km2 across mainland Tasmania, based on the 2009 conservation advice.

Mature individuals: Estimated at 10,000 to 25,000 in 2008, compared with 65,000 to 75,000 in the mid 1990s.

Recorded local decline: Up to 95 per cent in some local populations.

Road deaths: An estimated 3,392 Tasmanian devils were killed on Tasmanian roads each year during a 2001 to 2004 study.

Habitat: Habitat types

Tasmanian devils use a wide range of terrestrial habitats where they can find food and daytime shelter. They are most strongly associated with open forest, woodland, coastal heath and mixed agricultural or wooded areas.

Preferred habitat includes open dry eucalypt forest, grassy woodland, coastal scrub and coastal heath. Devils also use mixed sclerophyll rainforest, wet eucalypt forest, pastures, forestry plantations, farmland, roadsides, rubbish tips and urban fringes.

They are less common in tall or dense wet forest, buttongrass moorland and steep or rocky areas. They can nevertheless occur in these habitats where food and shelter are available.

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

Habitat is more suitable where open woodland or forest is combined with dense understorey, tussock grass, thickets, fallen timber, hollow logs, rock piles, caves or wombat burrows. Wooded remnants adjoining grazing land can remain useful because they provide shelter and access to carrion and prey.

The species is recorded from the Eucalyptus ovata and Callitris oblonga forest ecological community and from black gum and Brookers gum forest and woodland. It may use patches of this community even where the surrounding land has been modified.

Habitat: Elevation and site context

Devils occur from sea level to all but the highest Tasmanian peaks. They use coastal and inland sites, including the interface between native vegetation and agricultural land.

For a development site, habitat assessment should extend beyond the clearing footprint to connected forest, woodland, scrub, paddocks, roads, drainage lines, carcasses and potential den sites used during the day.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding

Tasmanian devils are mainly nocturnal scavengers, but they also hunt. They locate food with a strong sense of smell and may travel well beyond a project site during a single night.

Main prey includes macropods, possums and wombats. Devils also eat small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish, eggs and other available animal material. They can consume bones, skin, organs and fur.

Carrion from roads, farms, beaches and natural deaths is important. Several devils may feed at one carcass, using vocalisations, postures and ritualised aggression to establish feeding order. Carcasses of sheep and cattle may be used in farming areas.

  • Retain or assess carcass sources, prey habitat and access routes before clearing.
  • Do not deliberately place carcasses near roads, active work areas or capture equipment unless this forms part of an approved survey.

Foraging habitat: Foraging movements

Devils roam along established trails and may travel up to 16 km in one night within their home range. An average nightly movement of 3.2 km has also been reported. Movement distance depends on food availability, competition and whether a carcass is found early.

Road verges, track edges, pasture margins and wooded remnants can be used for foraging. These areas may increase both food access and exposure to vehicle strike.

Reported maximum nightly movement: Up to 16 km

Reported average nightly movement: 3.2 km

Social feeding: Up to 22 individuals have been recorded feeding at a larger carcass.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding females need dry, warm and secluded dens with enough cover to protect pouch young and den young. Maternal dens may be in hollow logs, caves, burrows or other concealed sites.

Females usually breed once each year. Mating is promiscuous and most mating occurs between February and May, with March commonly reported as the main mating month. After about 21 days of gestation, the young move into the pouch.

A female may give birth to more young than the pouch can rear. The pouch has four teats, so usually two to four young survive the early stage. Young remain in the pouch for about four to four and a half months, then are left in a lined den and are weaned at about 5 to 6 months.

Females generally begin breeding at two years of age and may breed for about three years. DFTD and low population density can alter breeding timing, with breeding and pouch young recorded over a longer period.

Breeding season: Usually February to May, with most mating in March

Gestation: About 21 days

Litter size: Usually 2 to 3 young survive, with a maximum of 4 accommodated by the pouch

Pouch period: About 4 to 4.5 months

Weaning: About 5 to 6 months

Female maturity: Usually 2 years

Typical wild lifespan: Usually up to about 5 to 6 years

Captive lifespan: About 7 to 8 years

Breeding habitat: Breeding site requirements

Preferred maternal sites are dry, warm and sheltered. Suitable sites include dry caves, hollow logs, burrows, particularly abandoned wombat burrows, and dense vegetation. Dens may be shallow-angle burrows up to 15 metres long.

Den disturbance or destruction can reduce breeding success, particularly where devil density is low and replacement maternal dens are limited. Clearing should therefore treat any suitable den, not only a den with a visible animal, as a potential breeding resource.

  • Inspect hollow logs, wombat burrows, rock piles, caves, dense tussocks and thickets before clearing.
  • Use an exclusion and relocation procedure approved by the relevant Tasmanian authority if a den or dependent young are found.
  • Maintain access between den sites, cover and surrounding foraging habitat where practicable.

Sheltering habitat: Refuges

Tasmanian devils shelter during the day and are most likely to be detected by signs around concealed refuges. The same site may be used repeatedly or shared at different times.

Known refuges include hollow logs, caves, rock clefts, rock piles, log piles, dense undergrowth, tussock grass, thick scrub, shallow burrows and abandoned wombat burrows. Devils may also shelter beneath buildings.

Both males and females make nests from bark, grass and leaves. Maternal dens are lined with soft grass and may contain human-made material near settlements, including clothing, towels or plastic bags.

Recorded burrow length: Burrows may be up to 15 metres long

Daytime behaviour: Usually shelters in a den or dense vegetation

  • Retain large fallen timber, hollow logs, dense ground cover and suitable wombat burrows until they have been assessed.
  • Check beneath buildings, sheds, temporary structures, rock piles and log piles before demolition or ground disturbance.
  • Keep machinery, spoil, stored materials and workers away from identified dens.

Threats: Disease

The main threats relevant to projects are Devil Facial Tumour Disease, vehicle strike and loss or disturbance of shelter. Clearing, fragmentation and changes to food access can increase these direct pressures.

Devil Facial Tumour Disease is a usually fatal transmissible cancer spread mainly through biting. It has caused major population declines across Tasmania, with local declines of up to 95 per cent recorded in affected areas.

Capture, trapping, handling and movement of devils can spread disease if equipment and procedures are not disinfected. Project personnel must follow current Tasmanian devil biosecurity requirements and avoid unnecessary handling.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

Clearing can remove maternal dens, hollow logs, dense cover, prey habitat and routes between shelter and feeding areas. The risk is higher where remaining habitat is small, isolated or surrounded by roads, houses, plantations or intensive agriculture.

Removal of den sites may affect breeding success, especially in areas where devil densities are low. Habitat modification is also identified as a potential threat because it can reduce the availability of food, shelter and breeding sites.

  • Avoid clearing hollow logs, wombat burrows, caves, rock piles and dense ground cover where practicable.
  • Stage clearing outside the main breeding and dependent young period where the project program allows.
  • Use pre-clearing inspections and fauna spotter catcher supervision in suitable habitat.

Threats: Roads and vehicle movement

Devils are attracted to carcasses on roads and road verges, which exposes them to vehicle strike. The approved conservation advice estimated 3,392 road deaths each year during a 2001 to 2004 study, equivalent to about 3.8 to 5.7 per cent of the total population estimate used at that time.

Construction traffic, night works, temporary access tracks and increased vehicle speeds can add risk, especially near carcasses, known tracks, creek crossings and habitat edges.

  • Apply low-speed controls and wildlife awareness measures on project roads, particularly from dusk to dawn.
  • Remove road-killed carcasses safely and promptly under approved procedures.
  • Record and report devil road deaths and repeated crossing points so traffic controls can be reviewed.

Threats: Predators and other pressures

Foxes are identified as a potential threat if their numbers increase, because they may compete with devils for food, habitat and den sites. Feral cats compete with native predators and scavengers for food, while dogs can disturb or attack devils.

Past persecution and local culling have affected devils. Culling is now limited and is not generally considered a major threat, but disturbance, poisoning, uncontrolled dogs and loss of carrion can still affect local populations.

Threats: Fire and hydrology

The supplied documents do not identify a specific fire regime or hydrology threshold for Tasmanian devils. Project assessment should instead consider whether fire, drainage, flooding, dewatering or altered water movement will remove dense cover, destabilise burrows, dry out shelter sites or reduce prey and carrion availability.

Avoid treating wet forest, riparian woodland or drainage-line habitat as unsuitable solely because it is not preferred habitat. Devils use a broad range of habitats and may travel through modified or wetter areas.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment and habitat inspection

Survey the Tasmanian devil before works where suitable habitat, shelter or food resources may be affected. Use several methods because devils are nocturnal, wide-ranging and may be detected more reliably through signs, cameras or community records than by direct observation.

Review records, aerial imagery, habitat mapping and recent disease information before selecting survey locations.

Stratify the site by habitat type and target open dry eucalypt forest, grassy woodland, coastal scrub, coastal heath, mixed sclerophyll vegetation, farmland interfaces, forestry plantations and areas containing likely den sites.

Inspect for shelter and movement features, including hollow logs, dense understorey, caves, rock clefts, rock piles, log piles, wombat burrows, shallow burrows, thickets and buildings.

Look for carcasses, food sources, tracks, latrine sites and road or track crossings because devils may use roads, farms and urban edges.

Distribution: Widespread across Tasmania, excluding offshore islands.

Typical activity: Predominantly nocturnal, with some daytime activity in quiet or wilderness areas.

Survey area basis: Recommended effort is based on a subject site of 5 hectares or less; replicate surveys across habitat types for larger sites.

Survey methodology: 2. Daytime signs and habitat searches

Search during daylight for scats, tracks, dens, scrapes and other signs along tracks, creek crossings, likely travel routes, denning habitat and habitat edges.

Treat scats as potentially diagnostic when they are grey and contain large, sharp bone fragments intertwined with fine fur.

Check soft substrates and use sand traps where suitable to identify the characteristic tracks.

Do not rely on scat identification alone when scats are wet or misshapen, because feral dogs, foxes and spotted-tailed quolls may produce similar scats.

Record and map all potential dens, including wombat burrows, hollow logs, caves, rock clefts, dense vegetation and structures beneath buildings.

Survey methodology: 3. Spotlighting

Conduct spotlight surveys at night, preferably when visibility is good and rain, fog and strong wind are not limiting detection.

Use the established vehicle-based method over 10 kilometres, particularly where roads or suitable tracks pass through likely habitat.

Record the route, date, start and finish times, weather, observers, spotlight type, speed or travel conditions, locations and behaviour of all animals detected.

Use additional on-foot spotlighting through suitable habitat where vehicle access does not cover likely dens, feeding areas or movement routes.

Expect devils to be difficult to see because they are nocturnal and may remain in dens or dense vegetation during the day.

Vehicle spotlight distance: 10 kilometres.

Survey methodology: 4. Remote cameras and hair sampling

Deploy remote cameras at deposited carcasses, likely den entrances, track junctions, creek crossings and other features that concentrate movement.

Use hair tubes, particularly where devil density is expected to be low, and clean and manage equipment to avoid spreading Devil Facial Tumour Disease.

Record camera locations, deployment and retrieval dates, bait or attractant used, operating condition and all identifiable animals.

Use community liaison to seek records from landholders, local authorities and people who regularly use private land or urban areas.

Survey methodology: 5. Targeted trapping and direct observation

If trapping is necessary, use a cleanable, disinfectable PVC ultraviolet-resistant stormwater pipe rather than a conventional cage trap where the survey design and animal welfare controls allow.

Bait the pipe with meat and place a trail of meat or fish oil leading to the trap site.

Operate the traps for three to five consecutive nights and inspect them in accordance with the approved animal welfare and disease-control procedure.

Use direct observation at potential shelter sites, such as burrows or hollow logs, only where this can be done without blocking, entering or damaging the shelter.

Ensure all trapping, handling and release is conducted by appropriately authorised personnel under the relevant permit and animal welfare requirements.

Targeted trapping duration: Three to five consecutive nights.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use a stratified survey design and replicate effort across each habitat type when the site exceeds 5 hectares.
  • Combine daytime sign searches with night spotlighting and, where appropriate, remote cameras, hair tubes or targeted trapping.
  • Record negative as well as positive results, including survey dates, effort, weather, personnel, methods, locations, photographs and uncertainty in identification.
  • Map all records and potential dens in a format that can be used by the construction supervisor and fauna spotter catcher.
  • Report confirmed records, injured or dead devils, roadkill and suspected Devil Facial Tumour Disease through the relevant Tasmanian wildlife or threatened species reporting system.
  • Submit project fauna records to the relevant state wildlife database and retain the raw data, photographs and spatial files with the project environmental records.
  • Escalate any detection that changes the impact assessment, proposed exclusion area or approval conditions before works continue.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan the project around the devil's use of shelter, food and movement routes. Avoid disturbing occupied dens and retain connected habitat wherever practicable.

  • Retain hollow logs, dense understorey, wombat burrows, caves, rock piles, rock clefts, log piles and other potential shelter features.
  • Avoid clearing likely maternal dens and maintain a site-specific no-go area around confirmed or potentially occupied dens until an authorised ecologist has assessed them.
  • Retain links between open forest, woodland, coastal scrub, farmland interfaces and other suitable habitat so devils can move between shelter and food resources.
  • Avoid creating new roadkill risks by reducing unnecessary night traffic, controlling vehicle speeds and managing access near known devil movement routes.
  • Avoid removing carcasses or food resources in a way that attracts devils into active work areas or onto roads.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project planning

Typical breeding period: February to May.

Possible extended breeding period: February to July in some low-density or disease-affected populations.

Weaning: Young are generally weaned at 5 to 6 months.

  • Check whether the proposed action is likely to have a significant impact on this EPBC Act listed endangered species and refer the action to the Australian Government where required.
  • Obtain all Tasmanian threatened species, wildlife handling, trapping, relocation and animal ethics approvals required for the work.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey results, habitat to be retained, exclusion areas, authorised personnel, disease controls, handling procedures, stop-work triggers and reporting responsibilities.
  • Schedule clearing outside the main breeding period of February to May where practicable, while recognising that breeding can extend from February to July in low-density or disease-affected populations.
  • Stage clearing so that retained habitat remains available and animals can move away from the work area before progressive disturbance.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection immediately before works, including a systematic search for scats, tracks, dens, burrows, hollow logs, caves, rock features and dense shelter.
  • Mark retained habitat, potential dens, movement routes, exclusion areas and access routes clearly on the ground and in the construction drawings.
  • Install exclusion fencing only where it will not block movement to retained habitat, trap animals within the work area or divide a home range without a managed exit.
  • Fit fencing and gates to prevent entry to excavations, trenches, pipes and culverts, and inspect these controls daily.
  • Brief all machinery operators, supervisors and spotter catchers on the approved clearing sequence, exclusion areas, disease controls and reporting procedure.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher duties

Keep a fauna spotter catcher integrated with the work crew whenever habitat is being disturbed. Stop or change the method when an animal, den or unexpected shelter feature is found.

  • Inspect the work area, exclusion fencing, trenches, pipes, stockpiles and machinery access routes before starting each day.
  • Have the fauna spotter catcher remain within effective viewing distance of the active clearing face and communicate directly with the machine operator.
  • Clear vegetation in a controlled direction towards retained habitat, where safe and appropriate, rather than closing animals into the active work area.
  • Keep machinery stopped while the spotter catcher checks concealed ground, dense vegetation, logs, rock piles, burrows and other shelter features.
  • Do not allow machinery to crush, drag or bury hollow logs, wombat burrows, dens, caves, rock clefts or occupied shelter features without an approved method and clearance.

During habitat disturbance: Handling and relocation

  • Do not chase, corner, handle or relocate a devil unless the person is authorised and the action is covered by the project fauna management plan and relevant permits.
  • Allow an uninjured devil to leave the work area unaided where a safe route to nearby retained habitat is available.
  • If relocation is approved and necessary, move the animal only to suitable nearby retained habitat within its local area, using a clean, disinfectable carrier and equipment.
  • Do not move a devil across roads, into unfamiliar habitat or to an unapproved release site.
  • Use appropriate personal protective equipment and disease-control procedures for every capture, examination, transport and release.
  • Take an injured or sick devil to an authorised wildlife veterinarian or wildlife carer and notify the relevant state wildlife authority.
  • Treat facial tumours, unusual lethargy, neurological signs or unexplained deaths as a disease concern and obtain veterinary or government advice before further handling.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and stop-work triggers

  • Stop work and establish an exclusion area if a devil, occupied den, dependent young, injured animal or previously unidentified shelter feature is found.
  • Stop work if a machine, trench, pipe, fence or stockpile creates a risk of trapping or separating an animal from retained habitat.
  • Reassess the method if clearing exposes a hollow log, wombat burrow, cave, rock cleft, dense shelter patch or maternal den.
  • Do not enter or seal a burrow, den, cave or hollow log to force an animal out.
  • Pause work if disease-control equipment cannot be cleaned and disinfected between animals, locations or work areas.
  • Resume only when the fauna spotter catcher and environmental officer have documented the outcome and confirmed that the approved controls remain adequate.

During habitat disturbance: Records and incident reporting

  • Record every detection, capture, relocation, injury, death, den, shelter feature, stop-work event and control failure.
  • For each animal record the date, time, coordinates, habitat, condition, photographs, identification method, action taken, release location and personnel involved.
  • Report suspected Devil Facial Tumour Disease, unapproved handling, injury, death and any breach of approval conditions immediately through the project escalation process and to the relevant authority.
  • Update the clearing map and daily environmental inspection records after every detection or change to an exclusion area.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Keep fauna controls in place after clearing because devils may continue to use retained habitat, roads, tracks and work margins. Confirm that the work has not created new shelter or movement hazards.

  • Inspect the cleared area, retained vegetation edges, access tracks, trenches, culverts, fences and stockpiles for trapped, injured or dead animals.
  • Search retained habitat and nearby denning features for signs of continued use, including tracks, scats, camera records and disturbance around burrows or hollow logs.
  • Remove or secure temporary hazards such as open excavations, pipes, cable trenches, netting, unsecured gates and material piles.
  • Confirm that retained habitat remains connected to other suitable shelter and foraging areas.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Continue targeted monitoring where the project affects a den, movement route, road crossing, retained habitat patch or known devil record.
  • Use remote cameras, spotlighting, scat and track searches or hair tubes where these methods are specified in the fauna management plan.
  • Monitor roadkill and animal activity around new roads, haul routes, lighting, fencing and drainage structures.
  • Compare post-work records with pre-work records and investigate a reduction in use, new mortality or repeated entry into the work area.
  • Submit final records and spatial data to the relevant state wildlife database and provide any required EPBC Act, state approval or project compliance reports.

After habitat disturbance: Ongoing controls and offsets

  • Maintain exclusion fencing, fauna escape measures, speed controls, access restrictions and den protection for the period specified in the fauna management plan.
  • Repair damaged fencing and remove temporary controls only after the environmental officer confirms that they are no longer needed.
  • Implement approved offsets or other compensatory measures where required by an EPBC Act decision, state approval or project condition.
  • Use monitoring results to adjust weed control, predator control, road management, habitat protection and rehabilitation actions.

Rehabilitation actions: Habitat structure and planting

Rehabilitation should restore shelter, movement cover and access to food resources used by this nocturnal scavenger and predator. Prioritise locally appropriate native vegetation and the physical features that devils use for daytime shelter and denning.

  • Re-establish locally appropriate open dry eucalypt forest, grassy woodland, coastal scrub, coastal heath or mixed sclerophyll vegetation according to the pre-disturbance community.
  • Use locally appropriate native plant species and retain a mixture of ground cover, shrubs and canopy trees that provides daytime shelter and movement cover.
  • Reconnect isolated retained patches with native vegetation corridors or protected habitat links where the project has divided suitable habitat.
  • Retain or reinstate hollow logs, log piles, rock piles, rock clefts and dense understorey rather than leaving rehabilitated ground open and exposed.
  • Install nest boxes only where natural hollows or other suitable shelter cannot be retained, and design, locate and maintain them under specialist advice.

Rehabilitation actions: Dens, roads and drainage

  • Protect existing wombat burrows, caves, hollow logs and other suitable dens during rehabilitation and do not use them as spoil disposal or drainage outlets.
  • Reinstate stable ground cover around retained or reconstructed shelter features without blocking entrances.
  • Design drainage, culverts and crossings so animals cannot become trapped and can move between retained habitat areas.
  • Manage vehicle access and speed on rehabilitated tracks, particularly near carcass sources, denning habitat and known crossing points.
  • Do not create ponds, wetlands or waterlogged areas unless they are part of the approved habitat design, because devil habitat requirements in the supplied sources are primarily terrestrial.

Rehabilitation actions: Weeds, predators and fire

  • Control weeds that reduce native shelter, cover or access to dens, using methods that do not expose devils to toxic baits or unsafe work areas.
  • Prevent the introduction or expansion of feral predators and competitors, including cats, dogs, ferrets and foxes where present or at risk of introduction.
  • Keep rehabilitation areas free of unprotected poison baits, carcass attractants and rubbish that could expose devils to secondary poisoning or unsafe feeding sites.
  • Plan fire management with the land manager so that burning does not remove all denning cover or strand animals in isolated habitat patches.
  • Use staged fuel reduction and retain unburnt shelter features where this is consistent with the approved fire management regime and ecological objectives.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

  • Monitor survival and cover of planted vegetation, stability of reinstated logs and rocks, condition of dens, connectivity between habitat patches and the function of fauna crossings.
  • Use remote cameras, spotlighting, scat and track searches and hair tubes to measure devil use of rehabilitated habitat where appropriate.
  • Set project-specific success measures for vegetation cover, shelter availability, absence of trapping hazards, road mortality and confirmed devil use.
  • Monitor for at least the period required by the approval or rehabilitation plan and extend monitoring if vegetation has not established or animals continue to enter hazardous work areas.
  • Report monitoring outcomes and corrective actions to the approval authority, land manager and relevant state wildlife database where required.

Sources