Warabi (Petrogale burbidgei)

Conservation status

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

Breeding season

Warabi is poorly known, and a reliable seasonal breeding peak has not been established. It is a Western Australian Priority 4 species and should be managed as an EVNT species, with targeted surveys in suitable rocky habitat and careful pre-clearance checks throughout the year.

Breeding mode: Marsupial breeding, with young developing in a pouch. Species-specific breeding details are poorly documented.

Litter size: Not recorded.

Gestation: Not recorded.

Weaning: Not recorded.

Age at maturity: Not recorded.

Nest or roost site: Rock crevices, caves, ledges and other sheltered rocky places are used for refuge; breeding shelter details are not recorded.

Breeding frequency: Not recorded.

Timing may vary between years and locations, so avoid relying on a seasonal low-risk period and use staged clearing, habitat checks and an agreed rescue procedure.

• Breeding activity: No reliable seasonal peak is established, so breeding activity should be allowed for in every month.
• Dependent young: Dependent young may be present at any time because births and breeding frequency are poorly documented.
• Use of rocky shelters: Rocky shelters should be treated as potential refuge and maternity sites during all clearing and construction works.
• Survey and pre-clearance activity: Complete targeted searches and use a qualified fauna spotter catcher before and during clearing in suitable rocky habitat.
• Highest clearing risk: Risk is present year round because dependent young, sheltering animals and breeding sites may be affected in any month.

Identification: Appearance

Warabi is a very small, compact rock-wallaby with large hind feet, a long tail and a short muzzle. It is difficult to identify reliably from a brief view, especially in dense Kimberley vegetation or at night.

The coat is generally grey brown to reddish brown, with paler underparts. Colour can vary with wear, light and local conditions.

The body is compact and the hindquarters are powerful. The ears are relatively short and rounded compared with those of many larger wallabies.

Head and body: About 30 to 40 cm

Weight: About 1 to 2 kg

• Small wallaby with a long tail and large hind feet.
• Usually seen moving between rocks, dense vegetation and short open feeding areas.
• A still animal may blend closely with sandstone, leaf litter and shadow.

Identification: Calls and similar species

There is no commonly used call that allows Warabi to be confirmed in the field. Movement, habitat and photographs are more useful than call identification.

Compare carefully with other small Petrogale species and small wallabies. Confirm records with clear photographs, a specimen-quality observation or an experienced local ecologist.

• Record the animal's size, coat colour, tail shape, habitat and direction of travel.
• Do not identify a brief spotlight view from colour alone.

Identification: Field signs

Look for small, dry, pellet-shaped droppings near feeding areas, rock shelves and regularly used runways. Tracks may occur in sand, soft soil or dust, but they can be obscured by wind and other animals.

Warabi does not build a nest. Shelter sites may be indicated by flattened vegetation, clean pathways through dense cover, worn rock ledges and repeated droppings.

• Search the margins of rocky shelter and nearby feeding patches.
• Photograph tracks and pellets with a scale.
• Record fresh signs before machinery or heavy foot traffic removes them.

Distribution: Australian range

Warabi is endemic to the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Its distribution is localised and includes mainland and island sites, so a small project area may contain an important part of a local population.

The species occurs in the north-west Kimberley, including rugged coastal and near-coastal country and islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago. Records are associated with the far north-west of Western Australia.

No mainland state or territory outside Western Australia is part of its known range.

• Western Australia only.
• Kimberley region, including suitable mainland and island rocky habitats.
• There is no relevant overseas range.

Distribution: Site assessment

Treat apparently isolated records seriously. Warabi populations can be separated by large areas of unsuitable country, water or cleared land.

Check the latest state database and local records before clearing. A lack of previous records is not evidence that the species is absent.

• Map rocky outcrops, cliffs, scree, creek lines, dense thickets and likely movement routes.
• Search both the proposed impact area and connected habitat outside the clearing footprint.
• Keep records of live animals, carcasses, tracks, pellets and suspected shelters.

Habitat: Vegetation and landform

Warabi is associated with rocky, broken country in the tropical Kimberley. It needs a combination of secure shelter, dense cover and nearby areas where it can feed.

Look for sandstone outcrops, boulder fields, cliffs, ledges, caves and steep broken slopes. Dense monsoon forest, vine thickets, rainforest patches and other sheltered vegetation may occur around these features.

Creek lines and moist gullies can provide cover and food, particularly where they connect rocky shelter with larger areas of vegetation.

• Rocky escarpments and isolated outcrops.
• Sheltered gullies and creek lines.
• Vine thickets, monsoon forest and dense regrowth.
• Vegetated links between separate rocky areas.

Habitat: Features to map before works

Map habitat as a connected system rather than as isolated rocks. A small outcrop can be important if it is one of few shelters within otherwise open country.

Include temporary access tracks, laydown areas, drainage works and firebreaks in the assessment.

• Rock faces, overhangs, crevices and caves.
• Dense vegetation at the base of rocks.
• Animal paths through grass, leaf litter or low shrubs.
• Links to unburnt or less disturbed vegetation.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding areas

Warabi is a generalist plant feeder, but its diet and feeding areas are poorly documented compared with those of larger wallabies. Surveyors should look for feeding habitat close to secure rocky shelter.

The species is expected to feed on grasses, herbs, leaves, shoots and other available plant material. Seasonal availability is likely to influence where it feeds.

Feeding may occur in open patches, grassed rock platforms, creek margins and the edges of dense thickets.

Diet: Mainly plant material, including grasses, herbs, leaves and shoots.

Best search period: Cooler evening, night and early morning conditions.

• Fresh grass and herb cover near rocks.
• Soft green shoots and browse in sheltered vegetation.
• Leaf litter edges and open patches adjoining dense cover.

Foraging habitat: Foraging signs

Look for clipped grass, browsed shoots, small pellets and narrow paths leading between cover and open feeding areas. These signs are not diagnostic on their own and can also be made by other macropods.

Use several lines of evidence together, including habitat, direct observations, camera records and tracks.

• Place cameras at the edge of rock shelter and nearby feeding patches.
• Avoid relying on pellets alone for species identification.
• Record fire history and recent grazing or weed treatment around feeding areas.

Breeding habitat: Likely breeding sites

Breeding behaviour and habitat requirements are not well documented. The safest approach is to retain all connected shelter and cover, and to avoid disturbing animals using rocky refuge during works.

Breeding and young-rearing are likely to depend on secure caves, crevices, overhangs and dense vegetation near feeding habitat. Protect the wider shelter complex, not only the visible opening.

Females with young may be difficult to detect because they can remain concealed during daylight.

• Rock crevices and cavities protected from weather and predators.
• Dense thickets at the base of cliffs and boulder fields.
• Shelter with nearby access to food and escape cover.

Breeding habitat: Management around breeding habitat

Do not enter or block likely shelters unless this has been assessed and approved by the fauna ecologist and relevant regulator. Keep machinery, spoil, fencing and stored materials away from shelter entrances.

If a dependent young animal or a female with a pouch young is found, stop work in the immediate area and obtain advice from the project fauna ecologist.

• Use pre-clearing searches around rocky habitat.
• Retain escape routes to connected vegetation.
• Schedule noisy or high-impact work away from confirmed shelter where practicable.
• Document any den, pouch young or dependent young observation.

Sheltering habitat: Shelter features

Rock shelter is likely to be the main refuge from heat, weather and predators. Dense vegetation also provides concealment and links between shelter sites.

Inspect the shaded sides and bases of outcrops, boulder piles, cliff lines, rock overhangs and narrow crevices. Some shelter entrances may be concealed by vines, shrubs or leaf litter.

Do not assume that an empty-looking crevice is unused. Animals may be absent during a daytime inspection and use the site at night.

• Caves, fissures and cavities in sandstone or boulder fields.
• Rock ledges and overhangs with dense cover nearby.
• Thickets, vine tangles and fallen timber adjoining rocky ground.

Sheltering habitat: Pre-clearing and capture guidance

A qualified fauna spotter catcher should inspect likely shelter before clearing, particularly where rocks, dense thickets or steep broken ground will be disturbed. Use cameras or repeated evening observations where a shelter cannot be safely inspected.

Do not chase animals into exposed ground or seal escape routes. If an animal is trapped, injured or found in a cavity, stop work and follow the approved fauna handling and wildlife rehabilitation procedure.

• Mark exclusion zones around confirmed or suspected shelters.
• Retain connected vegetation between shelter sites.
• Use slow, staged clearing where approval conditions require fauna management.
• Report injured or displaced animals promptly.

Threats: Clearing, earthworks and fragmentation

Warabi has a restricted range and depends on a fine balance of rocky refuge, dense cover and nearby food. Development can remove small but important habitat features and increase disturbance around the remaining sites.

Clearing rocky outcrops, thickets, gullies or movement routes can remove shelter and separate animals from feeding areas. Blasting, crushing rock and filling crevices can destroy refuge directly.

Roads, pads, fences, pipelines and power infrastructure can interrupt movement between habitat patches and increase the risk of vehicle strike.

• Avoid rocky shelter and connected vegetation wherever practicable.
• Keep stockpiles, spoil and machinery away from caves and crevices.
• Design crossings and fencing to retain movement routes.

Threats: Fire and vegetation change

Changed fire frequency, season or intensity can reduce dense shelter, alter food availability and leave rocky sites exposed. Broad, severe burns can be especially damaging where suitable cover is already limited.

Weeds, altered drainage and grazing can also change the structure of feeding and sheltering habitat.

• Protect unburnt refuge and vegetation links during fire planning.
• Use fire mosaics that retain dense cover around rocky habitat.
• Control weeds and avoid unnecessary disturbance of moist gullies and thickets.

Threats: Predators and introduced animals

Feral cats can prey on small rock-wallabies, particularly where fire or clearing removes cover. Feral herbivores and other introduced animals may reduce food, damage vegetation and disturb shelter.

New access tracks can increase predator access and human disturbance around previously secure sites.

• Limit unnecessary access to rocky habitat.
• Record predator signs and carcasses during fauna surveys.
• Coordinate feral animal control with habitat and fire management.

Threats: Survey and approval response

Priority 4 is a monitoring category rather than a statutory threatened species listing, but a confirmed record should trigger careful impact assessment and consultation with the relevant Western Australian authority. Survey effort should reflect the species' restricted range, nocturnal activity and difficult detection.

Use targeted searches, remote cameras and habitat mapping before clearing. Retain records of all observations and review the management response if Warabi is detected.

• Survey rocky habitat during suitable evening or night conditions.
• Use experienced personnel for identification and fauna handling.
• Stop or modify work around a confirmed shelter until the fauna ecologist has assessed it.
• Apply all project approval conditions and Western Australian fauna requirements.

Survey methodology: 1. Desktop assessment

Warabi is a small, poorly known rock-wallaby from the Kimberley. Survey effort should focus on rocky shelter, escarpments, caves, boulder piles and nearby vegetation, with most searching done when animals are active at night and around dawn or dusk.

Map rocky outcrops, cliffs, caves, boulder fields, rainforest pockets, vine thickets, drainage lines and connected vegetation before entering the site.

Review recent fauna records, previous survey reports, aerial imagery, fire history, access tracks and proposed clearing limits.

Treat all suitable rocky habitat as potential Warabi habitat unless a suitably qualified ecologist supports a different conclusion.

Listing: Priority 4 in Western Australia, a non-statutory DBCA category for rare and near threatened species that need monitoring.

• Obtain current Western Australian species information and check the applicable DBCA advice before finalising the survey design.
• Check whether the proposal needs approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and whether state approvals, permits or conditions apply.
• Use local knowledge from Traditional Owners, land managers and DBCA officers to identify occupied or previously occupied sites.

Survey methodology: 2. Spotlighting and visual searches

Search rocky habitat at night with hand-held spotlights, and repeat searches around dusk and dawn when conditions are suitable. Walk slowly and quietly along the base and face of outcrops, caves, ledges and boulder piles.

Use experienced observers who can distinguish a wallaby from other macropods and identify eyeshine, movement, tracks and fresh feeding signs.

Avoid searching during heavy rain, strong wind, extreme heat or other conditions that reduce detection, unless the purpose is to document habitat use under those conditions.

• Record the date, start and finish time, weather, observer names, route, search area and visibility.
• Record every animal, sighting location, behaviour, direction of travel, age class if known, and whether a pouch young is present.
• Photograph tracks, scats, feeding signs, shelter sites and habitat features with a scale where possible.

Survey methodology: 3. Remote cameras and sign searches

Place motion cameras at likely travel routes, cave entrances, narrow rock passages, feeding areas and water sources. Keep equipment outside shelter entrances where it could obstruct animals.

Use repeated camera deployments when access, weather or safety limits night searches. Camera effort should reflect the size and complexity of the habitat and the species' low detectability.

Search for tracks, scats, browsed plants, scratch marks and regularly used paths, but treat indirect signs cautiously because other macropods may produce similar evidence.

• Label each camera and sign location with a unique reference and record coordinates or a clear site description.
• Keep a site register of active shelters, likely escape routes, feeding areas and links between rocky habitat patches.
• Have a qualified ecologist assess uncertain records before clearing is approved.

Survey methodology: 4. Survey interpretation and reporting

Report both detections and non-detections. A non-detection does not demonstrate absence where suitable rocky habitat remains or survey conditions were poor.

Describe the survey design, effort, timing, conditions, habitat searched, methods, limitations and confidence in the result.

Map occupied habitat and potential refuge areas separately from the broader development footprint.

• Flag any site with repeated records, animals using shelter, a female with pouch young, or a group using the same outcrop for management review.
• Provide the construction team with a site map showing no-go areas, access routes, inspection points and stop-work triggers.
• Retain photographs, camera files, field sheets and coordinates in the project record.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Avoidance, approvals and permits

Plan the work around the small amount of reliable information available for Warabi and retain rocky refuge wherever possible. Avoidance is preferred, followed by controlled work under a species-specific plan and clear stop-work authority.

Redesign the footprint to avoid rocky outcrops, caves, boulder piles, shelter sites, narrow escape routes and links between occupied habitat patches.

Confirm whether an EPBC referral is required and obtain any approval before impact begins. Check Western Australian approvals, DBCA conditions, fauna licences and animal ethics requirements that may apply.

A Queensland species management program is not normally relevant to a Western Australian Warabi project, but apply it where work occurs in Queensland and the species or an equivalent protected animal is affected.

• Do not rely on the Priority 4 listing as a substitute for project-specific approvals or fauna management conditions.
• Obtain written advice before trapping, handling, relocating or euthanising an animal.
• Include the approved limits, permit conditions and contact details for the fauna authority in the site environmental plan.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Pre-clearance survey and habitat inspection

Complete a pre-clearance inspection shortly before works begin, using spotlighting, careful daylight checks, cameras where needed, and a search of all shelters that may be affected.

Inspect for animals, pouch young, fresh signs, active shelter use and safe escape routes. Do not enter a cave or crevice if doing so could trap or injure an animal.

Have the fauna ecologist mark exclusion areas in the field and update the map if new habitat or animals are found.

• Schedule the inspection as close as practicable to clearing, and repeat it if works are delayed or the site changes.
• Check that machinery access will not block escape routes or isolate an outcrop.
• Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher with authority to stop work.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Timing, buffers and exclusion

Avoid clearing occupied or high-quality rocky habitat where practicable. If avoidance is not possible, plan works for periods that reduce disturbance and allow animals to move away, based on local advice and survey results.

Set site-specific buffers around caves, shelter sites, occupied outcrops and movement routes. The ecologist should define the buffers after considering topography, noise, vibration, lighting, fire and machinery access.

Fence and sign exclusion areas before machinery arrives. Use durable markers that remain visible in dust, low light and wet weather.

• Keep personnel, vehicles, spoil, blasting, lighting and stored materials outside exclusion areas.
• Do not place temporary fencing across known travel routes unless the fauna ecologist confirms that an alternative route is available.
• Stop and reassess if animals remain in the work area or cannot move safely to connected habitat.

Before habitat disturbance: 4. Induction and readiness

Induct every worker, contractor and visitor before entering the site. Explain what Warabi looks like, where it may occur, which areas are excluded and who can handle animals.

Provide a site map, contact list, stop-work procedure, first aid equipment for wildlife and suitable containers or bags for authorised rescue personnel.

Brief operators to avoid chasing, cornering, spotlighting for recreation or approaching animals in shelters.

• Display the stop-work trigger at the site office and in machinery cabins.
• Confirm that the spotter catcher can communicate directly with the supervisor and can stop machinery without delay.
• Check that a wildlife carer, veterinarian and DBCA or project contact are available before work starts.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Sequential clearing

Clear in a controlled sequence and keep escape routes open. The fauna spotter catcher must be able to stop work immediately when an animal, active shelter or other unexpected fauna value is found.

Clear from the least disturbed edge towards retained habitat so animals have a safe route away from machinery.

Remove vegetation and loose material in stages around rocky habitat. Do not collapse boulder piles, seal crevices or remove shelter until the spotter catcher has checked the area.

Keep machinery slow and maintain constant communication between the operator, spotter catcher and supervisor.

• Clear small areas progressively and inspect each area before moving to the next.
• Keep stockpiles, spoil and waste away from retained habitat and escape routes.
• Suspend work during poor visibility, unsafe heat or other conditions identified in the fauna management plan.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Stop-work and animal handling

The fauna spotter catcher has authority to stop work for any Warabi sighting, suspected shelter, trapped animal, injured animal or change that could create a new risk.

Only appropriately authorised and trained people may catch, handle, transport or release a Warabi. Do not attempt to grab an animal by the tail or chase it into a crevice.

Give an uninjured animal space to leave naturally where the ecologist considers the route safe.

• Record the location and condition of the animal before any intervention.
• Use quiet, low-stress handling and suitable wildlife equipment under the relevant permit or approval.
• Keep handling time short, avoid unnecessary photographs and maintain the animal in a cool, secure and quiet place.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Active shelter, breeding place or colony

Stop work if an active shelter, female with pouch young, dependent young, group, colony or repeatedly used refuge is found.

Secure the area and keep workers, vehicles, dogs, lights and noise away while the fauna ecologist assesses the site.

Do not remove a mother, pouch young or sheltering animal unless an authorised wildlife professional directs the action and the relevant approval allows it.

• Mark a temporary exclusion zone and retain an unobstructed escape route.
• Contact the project ecologist and the relevant wildlife or DBCA authority for instructions before work resumes.
• Record the decision, exclusion area, people consulted and any follow-up inspection required.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Injured or trapped animals

Treat any injured, heat-stressed, trapped or orphaned Warabi as a wildlife incident. Stop nearby work and reduce noise, handling and public access.

Contact the nominated wildlife carer, veterinarian and relevant authority. Keep the animal secure only as directed by an authorised person.

Do not offer food, water or medication unless instructed by a veterinarian or wildlife carer.

• Use a ventilated, escape-proof container appropriate for a small macropod, with clean soft material and no loose loops or hazards.
• Record the time, location, apparent injury, treatment, transport and receiving carer or veterinarian.
• Inspect the area for a second animal, pouch young, collision risk, fallen material or the cause of entrapment.

During habitat disturbance: 5. Daily records

Maintain a daily fauna register throughout clearing and construction. Include sightings, signs, stop-work events, handling, injuries, releases, mortalities and changes to exclusion areas.

Use photographs and coordinates where they can be collected safely without disturbing the animal.

Report incidents through the project environmental system and to the relevant authority when required by approval or permit conditions.

• Have the spotter catcher sign off each cleared area before machinery enters.
• Record all periods when work stopped and the reason for the stop.
• Escalate repeated encounters, mortality or habitat damage to the project manager and ecologist for immediate review.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance inspection

Close-out checks should confirm that no animal remains trapped and that retained habitat is still usable. Use the results to improve controls for later stages and nearby projects.

Inspect the cleared area, retained outcrops, drains, fences, stockpiles and access routes after each clearing stage and again at project completion.

Look for trapped animals, blocked crevices, injured fauna, fresh signs, damaged exclusion fencing and new hazards such as open pits or unsecured pipes.

Keep rescue and stop-work arrangements active until the area is stable and the ecologist signs off the stage.

• Check that escape routes remain open and that machinery has not isolated retained habitat.
• Remove temporary hazards, cover pits, cap pipes and secure materials that could trap a small macropod.
• Undertake additional night checks or camera monitoring where animals were recorded before clearing.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Relocation and release follow-up

If an animal was moved, record the release location, habitat condition, distance from the capture site, time held and release condition in accordance with the approval and wildlife carer's instructions.

Use release sites with suitable rocky shelter, connected vegetation, food resources and low immediate construction risk. Do not release animals into isolated or unsuitable habitat.

Monitor relocated animals where required by the permit, approval or management plan, using cameras, spotlighting or sign searches with minimal disturbance.

• Do not move Warabi between distant sites without specific authorisation and ecological justification.
• Check the release area for predators, dogs, traffic, fire risk, lighting and active construction.
• Report poor condition, repeated returns, mortality or evidence of conflict to the project ecologist.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Reporting and compliance

Prepare a completion report that compares planned and actual impacts, survey results, incidents, animal outcomes, exclusion areas and rehabilitation actions.

Submit records to the relevant regulator, DBCA contact, land manager or approval holder when required.

Retain maps, photographs, camera records, permits, inductions, daily registers and sign-off sheets in the project file.

• Record all unexpected impacts and explain the corrective action taken.
• Update the species record with verified locations and habitat observations using the appropriate government or project database.
• Review whether the Priority 4 management objective, monitoring commitment or approval condition was met.

After habitat disturbance: 4. Incident review

Review every injury, mortality, escape failure, unauthorised disturbance or repeated stop-work event with the supervisor, spotter catcher and ecologist.

Identify whether the cause was planning, timing, equipment, induction, supervision, habitat mapping or communication.

Change the method statement before the next work stage and brief all affected crews on the change.

• Use a short written corrective action with an owner and completion date.
• Increase survey, exclusion or supervision where the original controls did not detect or prevent the risk.
• Share de-identified lessons with other project teams working in Warabi habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Habitat restoration

Rehabilitation should rebuild connected rocky habitat and reduce the hazards created by construction. Warabi is poorly known, so favour protection and natural recovery over untested artificial structures.

Retain and reconnect rocky outcrops, boulder fields, shelter crevices, native vegetation and movement routes wherever possible.

Replace disturbed soil and surface material without sealing cracks, burying shelter or creating unstable piles. Use locally appropriate native species and local provenance where available.

Control erosion and prevent sediment, rubbish and construction materials from entering caves, crevices or drainage lines.

• Remove temporary roads, hardstands, fencing and stockpiles from habitat areas when they are no longer needed.
• Restore natural contours and drainage without directing water into shelters.
• Protect rehabilitated areas from vehicles, fire, grazing and repeated trampling.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Replacement shelter and breeding structures

Do not install nest boxes, bat boxes or artificial nest sites as a default measure for Warabi. These structures are designed for other fauna groups and may not provide suitable rock-wallaby shelter.

Where natural shelter has been unavoidably lost, ask a qualified macropod ecologist and the relevant authority whether purpose-built rocky refuges, carefully designed rock piles or other artificial shelter are suitable at that site.

Design any replacement structure around stable shelter, shade, drainage, escape routes and connection to retained habitat. Test and monitor it before treating it as a successful replacement.

• Do not seal artificial refuges or place them where flooding, machinery, fire or predators create a foreseeable risk.
• Use natural rock or other approved materials that will not leach contaminants or collapse onto animals.
• Document the design, location, construction date, inspection results and animal use.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Weeds, water and predators

Control weeds that alter shelter access, food resources, fire behaviour or movement through retained habitat. Use methods that avoid poisoning animals or contaminating crevices.

Manage drainage so natural water availability and shelter conditions are retained without creating pits, deep-sided channels or polluted pools.

Reduce introduced predator and domestic animal access where this is a demonstrated project risk, in consultation with the land manager and relevant authority.

• Inspect rehabilitation after rain, fire and major construction events.
• Remove dumped materials, wire, netting and other entanglement hazards.
• Do not provide supplementary food or artificial water unless directed by an authorised wildlife professional or approved management plan.

Rehabilitation actions: 4. Lighting, noise and access

Keep permanent lighting away from rocky shelters, movement routes and retained vegetation where practicable.

Use the lowest practical light level, direct light away from habitat and avoid unnecessary night lighting during construction and operation.

Restrict vehicle access and maintain signs or barriers that protect rehabilitated habitat.

• Turn off non-essential lights when work is complete.
• Use lighting controls that limit spill, glare and continuous illumination.
• Inspect barriers regularly so they do not block safe animal movement or create entrapment points.

Rehabilitation actions: 5. Long-term monitoring

Monitor retained and rehabilitated habitat with repeat camera deployments, spotlighting and sign searches at suitable times and in suitable weather.

Compare records with the pre-disturbance baseline, while recognising that low detection rates do not prove absence.

Continue monitoring for the period required by approvals or the management plan, and extend it where habitat recovery is slow or impacts continue.

• Record animal detections, shelter use, movement routes, weeds, erosion, fire effects, predators and artificial structure condition.
• Use the results to repair failed rehabilitation, adjust weed and access controls, and improve future survey design.
• Report monitoring outcomes to the land manager, project regulator and relevant conservation authority where required.

Sources

• Occurrence records for the distribution map, Atlas of Living Australia: https://biocache.ala.org.au/