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Western Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus concinnus)

The western pygmy possum is a tiny, nocturnal and mainly arboreal marsupial of southern Australia. It uses dense shrub cover, flowering plants, tree hollows, leaf nests and ground litter, so clearing can remove feeding sites, movement cover and breeding refuges even where only small vegetation remnants remain.

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Endangered.

Breeding season

Breeding can occur in every month, so there is no reliably low-risk season for clearing occupied habitat. Timing of flowering, rainfall, cold weather and fire history can change local use, and the supplied documents do not provide a single peak breeding period across Australia.

Month values run from January to December. A value of 0 means not typical, 1 means occurs, and 2 means peak or highest risk. No national peak breeding months are established in the supplied documents.

  • Breeding, mating and births: Breeding can occur throughout the year when conditions are favourable. Young have been recorded in most months, and females may rear two or three litters in a year.
  • Young in pouch or nest: Young remain in the pouch for about 25 days, then move to a nest while still semi-naked and dependent. Suckling may continue until about 50 days. Because births can occur in all months, dependent young may be present year-round.
  • Nocturnal foraging and local movement: The species is nocturnal and moves through shrubs, trees and ground cover throughout the year. In one May to September Western Australian study, males travelled an average of 196.2 m and females 39.2 m.
  • Torpor during poor conditions: Torpor is most likely when conditions are cold, wet or food resources are low. Periods may last up to 11 days but are usually shorter. The supplied documents do not define fixed months of highest torpor risk.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing risk is high in every month because breeding and dependent young can occur year-round, and torpor may occur during poor conditions. Schedule works outside occupied habitat only after checking nests, hollows, ground refuges and flowering resources.

Identification

Look for a very small possum with a fawn to reddish-brown back, white underparts and a finely scaled, naked tail. It is most likely to be detected at night in flowering shrubs, dense understorey or tree hollows.

Adults average only 13 g and are no larger than a typical kiwifruit. The body is about 80 mm long and the tail is about 86 mm long, although reported body length is 71 to 106 mm.

The species has a short, pointed and whiskered snout, very large eyes, thin rounded ears, a prehensile tail and well-developed toe pads. The tail is finely scaled and naked rather than furred.

Colour: Fawn or reddish-brown above, white below.

Average weight: 13 g.

Average body length: 80 mm.

Tail: About 86 mm on average, naked and finely scaled.

Identification: Telling it from similar possums

The supplied documents do not provide a diagnostic comparison with the little pygmy possum or other small possums. Identification should therefore use the combination of very small size, reddish or fawn upperparts, white underparts, a naked finely scaled tail, very large eyes and a pointed snout.

In New South Wales, a confirmed identification should rely on clear photographs, measurements, habitat context and, where necessary, expert review. Do not identify the species from eyeshine alone.

Identification: Field signs and detection

Daytime signs are most likely to be leaf-lined nests in tree hollows, unused bird nests, clumps of twigs, or sheltered positions under leaves, stumps and branches. The species may also rest among the leaves of Xanthorrhoea.

The supplied sources do not describe diagnostic tracks, scat appearance, calls or eyeshine. Spotter catchers should treat small nocturnal possum captures, nest use and observations in suitable shrub habitat as records requiring confirmation rather than relying on an unverified field sign.

  • Inspect tree hollows, dense shrub clumps, leaf litter, fallen branches and unused bird nests before clearing.
  • Record the exact refuge type, tree species where relevant, height, photographs and any animal measurements.
  • Use appropriate nocturnal inspection and trapping methods under the relevant state approvals, because the species is small, nocturnal and difficult to detect.

Distribution: States and broad range

The western pygmy possum is restricted to southern Australia. Records are patchy, and the supplied sources do not provide a national population estimate or a quantified population trend.

The species occurs in southern Western Australia, southern South Australia, western Victoria and south-western New South Wales. The broader range includes south-western, southern and south-eastern parts of the Australian continent.

Animal Diversity Web describes records from about 50 locations across New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. This figure should not be treated as a current population estimate.

States with supplied records: Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.

Approximate locations reported: About 50 locations in the cited source.

National population estimate: Not provided in the supplied documents.

Population trend: Not quantified in the supplied documents.

Distribution: Known strongholds and subpopulations

In Western Australia, the species is most abundant in south-western woodlands and has been recorded using oil mallee plantings near remnant vegetation in the southern Wheatbelt. The study sites were in the Shires of Narrogin, Cuballing and Wickepin.

In South Australia, records include the south-east, southern Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, southern Yorke Peninsula and southern Eyre Peninsula. Within the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, the distribution is described as disjunct and extremely restricted, with post-1983 records concentrated in several conservation parks and vegetation blocks near Inman Valley and Newland Head.

In New South Wales, the species has a patchy distribution. The supplied NSW research program focuses on the mallee region of far south-western New South Wales.

Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges survey result: Recorded at five of 111 Southern Mt Lofty Survey quadrats and two of 34 Southern Fleurieu Survey quadrats.

Western Australian study period: May to September 2007.

NSW monitoring focus: Mallee habitat in far south-western New South Wales, including sites at different stages of post-fire regeneration.

Distribution: Bioregional context

The supplied documents identify mallee, heathy woodland, dry sclerophyll forest and south-western woodland habitats. They do not provide a complete IBRA bioregion list or a mapped national range.

For project assessments, confirm whether the site lies within or near known records in the southern Wheatbelt, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, the South Australian peninsula and island areas, western Victoria, or south-western New South Wales.

Habitat: Vegetation communities

Western pygmy possums occupy warm, relatively dry southern Australian vegetation where flowering shrubs provide food and dense vegetation provides cover. Habitat quality depends on structure at several levels, including canopy hollows, shrub layers, twigs and leaf litter.

Recorded habitats include temperate forest, woodland, bushland, mallee heath, heathy woodland and dry sclerophyll forest. In South Australia, preferred broad vegetation groups in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges are Mallee and Heathy Woodland.

The species is especially associated with shrubby areas containing Banksia, Grevillea, Callistemon and Melaleuca. In Western Australia it has used oil mallee plantings, particularly near remnant vegetation and suitable nesting trees.

Named vegetation types: Mallee heath, heathy woodland, dry sclerophyll forest, temperate woodland and south-western woodland.

Named food or habitat plants: Banksia, Grevillea, Callistemon, Melaleuca, Xanthorrhoea and oil mallee species.

Habitat: Structural requirements

Dense shrub understorey, leaf litter, clumps of twigs and structurally diverse vegetation provide cover for travel and foraging. Small bushland remnants may be suitable but may not support a viable population over the long term.

Retain connections between flowering shrubs, ground cover, remnant trees and hollow-bearing trees. The supplied sources identify these features as important for nesting, movement and food supply.

  • Retain dense shrub patches and continuous or semi-continuous ground cover during site preparation.
  • Avoid reducing a remnant to isolated trees without understorey, litter and shrub connections.
  • Protect flowering Banksia and other proteaceous or nectar-producing vegetation where practicable.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The species is associated with areas described as having high temperatures and low rainfall. No elevation limits are provided in the supplied documents.

Do not use elevation alone to rule out the species. Assess vegetation structure, flowering resources, hollows and records instead.

Foraging habitat: Food

Foraging is concentrated around flowering shrubs and trees, but the species also takes insects and may take small lizards. It feeds at night in the canopy, shrubs and on the ground.

The diet includes nectar, pollen and insects. Banksia pollen has been found in faeces, and small lizards have been recorded as prey or are considered possible prey.

Flower availability strongly influences distribution and population density in the South Australian source. This makes flowering plants an important consideration when assessing clearing impacts.

Plant foods: Nectar and pollen.

Animal foods: Insects and possibly small lizards.

Evidence of plant feeding: Banksia pollen was abundant in faecal samples in one study, with no invertebrate remains detected.

Foraging habitat: Where and how it feeds

The species forages at night in shrubs, trees and on the ground. It is adapted for climbing, with a prehensile tail and well-developed toe pads, and can use its forefeet to grasp food.

In a Western Australian study, individuals spent longer in oil mallees that were flowering prolifically than in plantings with few or no flowers. Thirteen of 14 captures were in oil mallee plantings, although this was a small study and not a measure of habitat preference across the range.

Western Australian study captures: 17 captures, including three recaptures; 13 of 14 captures were in oil mallee plantings.

Study sites: Fourteen sites in the southern Wheatbelt, including oil mallee, mixed native revegetation and nearby remnant vegetation.

  • Inspect flowering shrubs and trees, dense understorey and ground cover when assessing likely foraging habitat.
  • Retain flowering plants and avoid clearing during periods when possums may be concentrated around local flowering resources.
  • Map nearby remnant vegetation and plantings that could provide connected foraging habitat.

Foraging habitat: Foraging movement

Radio-tracked males in the Western Australian study travelled an average of 196.2 m, while females travelled an average of 39.2 m. These figures came from a small study and should not be used as a fixed home-range size.

One male travelled 400 m from a nest tree to an oil mallee planting. Retain foraging links between nest trees, shrub patches and flowering plantings where possible.

Average tracked movement: Males 196.2 m; females 39.2 m in the cited Western Australian study.

Longest recorded nest to planting movement: 400 m for one male.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding can occur throughout the year when food and weather conditions are suitable. Females use a pouch and then a nest, so breeding habitat must include both secure shelter and adequate flowering or insect food.

Females have an anterior-opening pouch with six teats. Delayed implantation may allow reproduction to be postponed during poor conditions. Females can enter torpor during cold weather or when food resources are low.

Young leave the pouch at about 25 days but remain semi-naked and dependent in a nest. Suckling may continue until about 50 days, so a female with young may need several linked refuges and feeding areas.

Breeding season: All year when conditions are favourable; young have been recorded in most months.

Litters per year: Two or three litters may be reared in a year.

Litter size: One to six young reported; an average of 3.5 young survived to later dependent stages in one study.

Gestation: Not stated in the supplied documents. Delayed implantation is reported.

Age at maturity: Females are thought to reach sexual maturity at 12 to 15 months.

Lactation or nest dependence: Young leave the pouch at about 25 days and may be suckled until about 50 days.

Lifespan: Not known from the supplied documents.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Breeding habitat includes tree hollows, leaf-lined nests, unused bird nests and sheltered nests among twigs, leaves, stumps or branches. Dense shrubs and flowering plants near these refuges provide food for females and developing young.

In the Western Australian study, all located nesting trees were white gums. Nest trees included roadside vegetation, a fenced remnant strip and isolated paddock trees, from 10 to 70 m from the nearest oil mallee planting.

Nest tree species recorded in one WA study: White gum, Eucalyptus wandoo.

Nest tree distance from oil mallee planting: 10 to 70 m in the cited study.

  • Retain hollow-bearing trees, isolated paddock trees, roadside remnants and shrub cover near flowering habitat.
  • Inspect likely nest trees and ground refuges before clearing, including trees outside the main vegetation block.
  • Treat any occupied nest or pouch-bearing female as a breeding constraint and follow the approved fauna handling and release procedure.

Sheltering habitat: Tree and shrub refuges

The species shelters by day in small, concealed refuges above or below ground. Refuge availability may limit populations in otherwise suitable habitat, particularly in NSW mallee areas.

Known daytime refuges include leaf-filled tree hollows, unused bird nests and nests among tree leaves. The species can also rest among Xanthorrhoea leaves.

Hollow-bearing white gums were used as nest trees in a Western Australian study. The study also recorded nests in isolated paddock trees and roadside vegetation, showing that trees outside larger remnants can be important.

Recorded nest tree: White gum, Eucalyptus wandoo.

Nest tree context: Roadside vegetation, a fenced remnant strip and isolated paddock trees were used in the WA study.

  • Retain hollow-bearing trees and inspect hollows before felling or branch removal.
  • Check isolated paddock trees, roadside trees and trees near revegetation plantings, not only trees within intact remnants.
  • Keep dense shrub and leaf cover around retained trees.

Sheltering habitat: Ground refuges

Ground-level refuges include clumps of twigs, leaf litter, leaves, stumps and branches. The species may nest on the ground and uses ground cover when travelling.

Removing litter, fallen timber and dense shrub cover can therefore remove shelter even when canopy trees are retained.

  • Search leaf litter, branch piles, stump bases, twig clumps and dense ground vegetation before clearing.
  • Retain connected patches of litter and low cover between shrubs and trees.
  • Do not assume that a site is unused because no animal is visible during daytime inspections.

Sheltering habitat: Nest boxes and monitoring

The NSW Saving our Species program is testing nest boxes at sites with different stages of post-fire regeneration. The project is assessing whether western pygmy possums use nest boxes, whether detection changes in below-average rainfall years and whether boxes are used to rear young.

Nest boxes may assist monitoring or management where approved, but the supplied documents do not establish a standard box design, height, density or replacement for natural hollows.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main risks are loss of shrub habitat and food plants, fragmentation, loss of nest sites, introduced predators and unsuitable fire regimes. Clearing controls should account for small refuges and habitat links, not only large intact vegetation blocks.

Residential development, overgrazing and vegetation clearing remove shrub cover and food sources. Small remnants may not support viable populations over the long term.

Fragmentation can separate nest trees from flowering plants and reduce covered movement routes. In rural settings, isolated paddock trees and roadside vegetation may still provide nesting habitat.

  • Survey and map flowering shrubs, dense understorey, ground cover, hollow-bearing trees and likely nest sites before clearing.
  • Stage clearing to retain connected cover between nest trees, shrub patches and nearby remnants.
  • Do not clear small remnants or isolated trees without checking for use by this species.

Threats: Fire and vegetation change

The effect of fire is not fully known, but frequent fire is likely to remove shrub species that provide food. In south-western New South Wales, nest resources are being assessed against time since fire and rainfall.

Fire can also remove leaf litter, fallen branches and other shelter. Assess fire history and post-fire regeneration when planning works in mallee or heathy vegetation.

  • Avoid unnecessary removal of post-fire shrub regeneration and ground cover.
  • Record fire age and the condition of flowering shrubs, hollows and nest resources during pre-clearing surveys.
  • Use the NSW nest-box research findings when available, but do not assume nest boxes replace natural habitat.

Threats: Predators

Introduced foxes, feral cats and domestic cats are recognised or suspected predators. Snakes and other small to medium nocturnal predators may also take western pygmy possums.

Predation risk may increase where clearing removes dense cover or forces animals to cross exposed ground.

  • Limit opportunities for cats, foxes and other predators to access retained habitat during and after works.
  • Keep retained shrub cover connected and avoid creating unnecessary exposed gaps between refuges.
  • Report predator observations and carcasses during fauna monitoring.

Threats: Roads and construction activity

The supplied documents do not quantify road mortality for this species. Roads and construction can nevertheless remove roadside nest trees, divide shrub cover, disturb nocturnal movement and increase exposure to predators.

The documented use of roadside vegetation and movements of up to 400 m between nest and foraging habitat means that linear works should be assessed beyond the direct clearing footprint.

  • Inspect roadside trees, shrub strips and adjacent habitat before widening or clearing for access tracks.
  • Include indirect loss of cover and severed movement routes in the impact assessment.
  • Use fauna spotter catchers and approved exclusion or relocation procedures where animals or nests are found.

Threats: Food shortage and weather

Flowering resources strongly influence distribution and population density. Drought, low rainfall, cold weather and rain can reduce feeding returns and cause torpor.

The species can remain torpid for up to 11 days, although periods are usually shorter. Disturbing a torpid animal or removing its refuge during poor conditions may increase energetic stress.

Reported torpor duration: Up to 11 days, usually shorter.

  • Check flowering condition and recent rainfall when scheduling clearing in occupied habitat.
  • Retain food plants and shelter together, especially during dry periods or when flowering is sparse.
  • Treat animals found in torpor as requiring specialist handling.

Threats: Disease and hydrology

The supplied documents do not identify a species-specific disease threat or a hydrology change threat for the western pygmy possum. They do identify habitat degradation, food loss, fragmentation, predators and fire as relevant risks.

Assess changes to drainage, runoff and soil conditions where they could alter shrub growth, flowering resources, leaf litter or nest cover. This is general habitat protection practice, not a documented species-specific hydrology impact in the supplied sources.

  • Prevent construction runoff and drainage changes from degrading retained shrub and ground-cover habitat.
  • Manage soil, weeds and access routes so that retained vegetation can continue to provide food and shelter.
  • Do not describe disease or hydrology as confirmed primary threats for this species without site-specific evidence.

Survey methodology: 1. Nocturnal searches and spotlighting

Use targeted nocturnal surveys that account for the western pygmy possum’s small size, arboreal habits, patchy distribution and use of hollows, dense shrubs and ground cover. No species specific survey guideline was provided in the source material, so the methods below combine documented survey techniques with standard practice for a small nocturnal arboreal marsupial.

Survey after dark because western pygmy possums are nocturnal and forage in shrubs, trees and on the ground.

Search flowering shrubs, dense understory, tree hollows, leaf litter, fallen branches and retained bushland remnants, especially where Banksia, Grevillea, Callistemon or Melaleuca occur.

Use quiet, slow searches with spotlights and record the search start and finish time, weather, observer numbers, route, area searched and all detections.

Treat a single observation as significant because the species has a patchy distribution and low numbers have been recorded in apparently suitable New South Wales habitat.

Activity period: Nocturnal

Typical adult body length: About 80 mm

Typical adult mass: About 13 g

Typical tail length: About 86 mm

  • Search both the canopy and ground layer, including the bases of trees and sheltered areas under branches and stumps.
  • Record the exact location, height above ground, behaviour, direction of movement, habitat type and whether the animal entered a hollow or nest.
  • Repeat searches across suitable retained habitat when access, weather and project timing allow, rather than relying on one visit.

Survey methodology: 2. Live trapping and pitfall trapping

Use live trapping only under an approved fauna survey or animal ethics arrangement and with trained personnel. The documented Western Australian study used pitfall traps made from three 20 litre buckets arranged in a Y configuration, with 10 m arms and 39 trap nights across 92 traps.

Open traps at sunset and inspect them before 8 am, as described in the documented study. Provide suitable shelter and protection from exposure, predators and bycatch, and close traps during unsuitable conditions.

The study recorded 17 captures, including three recaptures, from 14 individuals. Thirteen captures were in oil mallee plantings and one was in mixed revegetation.

Documented trap type: Three 20 litre buckets in a Y configuration

Documented trap-arm length: 10 m

Documented effort: 92 traps over 39 trap nights

Documented inspection period: Opened at sunset and checked before 8 am

  • Match trapping effort to the size and habitat diversity of the impact area, and state the number of traps, trap nights, trap locations and weather conditions in the report.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher or other authorised person to remove and identify animals, and release them promptly at the capture location unless an approved relocation or veterinary response is required.
  • Do not leave traps unattended overnight or operate them during conditions that could expose this small marsupial to heat, cold, rain or flooding.

Survey methodology: 3. Nest, hollow and habitat searches

Inspect hollow-bearing trees, isolated paddock trees, fallen timber, leaf litter, dense shrubs and unused bird nests during daylight habitat assessments and before clearing.

The species has been found nesting in tree hollows, unused bird nests, leaf-lined nests, ground cover, under stumps and beneath branches. It may use hollows in isolated paddock trees and roadside vegetation as well as retained woodland.

Search for nest boxes where they have been installed as part of monitoring. The New South Wales Saving our Species project is testing nest boxes at sites with different stages of post-fire regeneration.

Documented nest tree distance from oil mallee plantings: 10 to 70 m

Longest documented movement from a nest to an oil mallee planting: 400 m

Documented pouch period: About 25 days

  • Map each hollow-bearing tree, likely nest site, dense shrub patch and connected cover within and beside the proposed disturbance area.
  • Inspect habitat features again immediately before clearing because the species may be present in a nest during the day.
  • Use remote cameras or other non-invasive monitoring where direct inspection is unsafe or likely to damage a nest.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Prepare a species-specific survey plan before fieldwork that identifies the impact area, adjoining retained habitat, proposed methods, timing, weather limits, trap effort and qualified personnel.
  • Use more than one method where the site contains suitable habitat and the proposed works could remove hollows, dense shrubs, flowering food plants or connected ground cover.
  • Record negative results as well as detections, including the area and habitat actually searched, search effort, trap effort, weather, observer qualifications and equipment used.
  • Submit verified records and spatial data to the relevant state wildlife database and provide records to the project approval authority where required.
  • Report survey limitations clearly, including inaccessible habitat, unsuitable weather, incomplete trap deployment and areas not searched.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Avoid clearing western pygmy possum habitat wherever practicable. The species depends on structurally diverse habitat, dense shrubs, flowering food plants, tree hollows and protected movement routes, and small remnants may not support a viable population in the long term.

Redesign the work area to retain dense shrub patches, Banksia, Grevillea, Callistemon and Melaleuca stands, hollow-bearing trees, fallen timber, leaf litter and connected cover.

Retain isolated paddock trees and roadside vegetation where they contain hollows or provide movement routes. Documented nest trees occurred 10 to 70 m from oil mallee plantings and included isolated paddock trees.

Avoid fragmenting small remnants further. The species uses clumps of twigs and leaf litter for covered movement and requires structurally diverse habitat for nesting and travel.

  • Keep machinery, access tracks, spoil, lighting and material storage out of retained habitat.
  • Maintain links between shrub patches, tree hollows, leaf litter and adjoining bushland wherever practicable.
  • Do not remove flowering food plants unless the impact has been assessed and approved.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

Confirm the current Commonwealth and state conservation status before works begin. The supplied profile identifies the species as endangered in New South Wales, while the source material identifies it as common but limited through much of the remainder of its range.

Check whether state threatened species approvals, animal ethics approvals, scientific licences, wildlife rehabilitation arrangements or project conditions apply to the survey, capture, handling or relocation work.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies the spotter catcher, survey methods, exclusion areas, stop-work triggers, release sites, emergency contacts, veterinary arrangements and record keeping.

  • Refer the project for Commonwealth assessment if the current EPBC Act assessment indicates that referral is required.
  • Obtain written approval before capturing, handling, relocating or temporarily holding an animal.
  • Brief all supervisors, operators and subcontractors on the mapped exclusion areas and the response procedure.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

Complete a pre-clearance inspection immediately before disturbance, with particular attention to hollow-bearing trees, unused bird nests, dense shrubs, leaf litter, fallen branches, stumps and flowering food plants.

Mark retained habitat and no-go areas clearly on the ground and in site plans. Include habitat outside the clearing footprint where it is needed for movement or release.

Install exclusion fencing only where it will not trap animals or block access to retained habitat. Inspect fencing daily and remove it when the risk of entry or entrapment has passed.

  • Stage clearing so the fauna spotter catcher can inspect each work area before machinery enters.
  • Where practicable, remove loose materials and rubbish that could trap a small marsupial before clearing begins.
  • Confirm that nearby retained habitat has suitable dense cover and nest sites before any approved relocation is undertaken.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and spotter catcher duties

Clear in small, supervised stages. A fauna spotter catcher must remain able to see the active work area, direct machinery and respond immediately to any animal or habitat feature found.

Conduct a daily pre-start inspection of the active work area, exclusion fencing, retained habitat, tree hollows, nest boxes and access routes.

Use one agreed communication system between the fauna spotter catcher, plant operators, supervisor and environmental officer.

Direct machinery to work from the already disturbed edge towards retained habitat only where this improves animal escape options and does not drive animals into roads, machinery or unsuitable exposed ground.

Stop machinery whenever visibility is lost, an animal is detected, a nest or hollow is exposed, or the spotter catcher cannot safely inspect the next section.

  • Keep the fauna spotter catcher within safe viewing distance of the clearing front and never place that person within the plant exclusion zone.
  • Use low speed and short clearing stages around shrubs, hollows, logs and stumps.
  • Keep domestic animals, vehicles and unnecessary personnel away from retained habitat and release sites.

During habitat disturbance: Handling animals and habitat features

Do not catch, handle or relocate a western pygmy possum unless the person is authorised and trained under the applicable state requirements.

Allow an uninjured animal to move into nearby retained habitat where this is safe and consistent with the approved fauna management plan. If capture is necessary, use species-appropriate equipment and minimise handling time.

Take an injured, cold, heat-stressed or orphaned animal to an appropriately qualified wildlife carer or veterinarian under the approved chain of care.

Treat hollow-bearing trees, logs, branches, dense shrub clumps and leaf-litter patches as potential habitat features, even when no animal is visible.

Retain and carefully relocate suitable logs, branches and leaf litter to nearby retained habitat where approved. Do not burn, chip or bury these features before inspection.

Known daily shelter sites: Tree hollows, leaf-lined nests, unused bird nests, leaves, stumps and branches

Known food resources: Nectar, pollen, insects and possibly small lizards

  • Inspect tree hollows and unused bird nests before felling or branch removal.
  • Lower hollow-bearing sections carefully where removal is approved, and place them in nearby retained habitat only under the fauna management plan.
  • Do not move an animal to an isolated patch, exposed ground or habitat without dense cover, food plants or suitable nest sites.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

Stop work in the affected area if a western pygmy possum is found, an occupied nest or hollow is exposed, an animal is injured, exclusion fencing is breached, or the spotter catcher cannot maintain safe supervision.

Keep the affected area undisturbed until the authorised fauna handler and environmental officer have assessed the animal or feature and confirmed the next action.

Record every detection, attempted capture, handling event, injury, relocation, mortality, habitat feature and stop-work period.

  • Record the date, time, exact location, habitat, animal condition, action taken, release location, personnel involved and photographs where appropriate.
  • Report unexpected mortality, repeated detections, occupied nests and any breach of approval conditions to the project environmental officer and relevant authority.
  • Update the site map daily to show cleared areas, retained habitat, release locations and unresolved risks.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must confirm that no animals or occupied shelter sites remain in the disturbed area and that retained habitat controls are still functioning. Monitoring should focus on whether the project has reduced access to food, shelter or connected cover.

Inspect the cleared area, retained vegetation edge, stockpiles, trenches, machinery and exclusion fencing after each clearing stage and before the area is handed back to construction.

Check retained hollow-bearing trees, nest boxes, logs, branches, leaf litter and dense shrubs for damage, exposure, fire impact or loss of connection to other cover.

Close or cover trenches, pits and other hazards at the end of each shift, or provide escape measures approved by the fauna spotter catcher.

  • Repeat targeted nocturnal searches if animals were detected before or during clearing, if a nest was disturbed, or if suitable habitat remains beside the work area.
  • Remove temporary exclusion fencing and other controls only after the environmental officer confirms that the risk of entry or entrapment has ended.
  • Keep retained habitat free from spoil, weeds, lighting spill, vehicles and material storage.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained habitat and rehabilitation areas using the approved survey methods, with attention to flowering shrubs, hollows, nest boxes and post-fire or post-disturbance regeneration.

Use the New South Wales nest box approach where relevant to test whether possums use nest boxes, whether detections vary with rainfall and whether boxes are used for rearing young.

Compare monitoring results with the pre-clearance baseline and report changes in detections, habitat condition, nest use, injuries, mortalities and control failures.

  • Set monitoring dates, effort and success measures in the fauna management plan before construction starts.
  • Provide final spatial records and verified sightings to the relevant state wildlife database and approval authorities.
  • Retain the field sheets, photographs, trap records, handling records, veterinary records and rehabilitation inspections with the project environmental records.
  • Implement any approved offset, restoration or additional management requirement where residual impacts remain after avoidance and mitigation.

Rehabilitation actions: Rebuild food and shelter habitat

Rehabilitation should recreate the combination of food, shelter and covered movement habitat used by western pygmy possums. Planting alone is not enough where hollows, ground cover and connected shrub structure have been lost.

Plant locally appropriate native shrubs and trees that provide dense cover and flowering resources, including Banksia, Grevillea, Callistemon and Melaleuca where they form part of the local vegetation community.

Re-establish structurally diverse ground cover using leaf litter, fallen branches and retained or salvaged logs. The species uses clumps of twigs and leaf litter for shelter and movement.

Retain or install nest boxes where natural hollows are limited, using an approved design and placing them in suitable retained or regenerating habitat.

Use nearby retained vegetation, remnant woodland and revegetated areas as connected habitat rather than creating isolated planting blocks.

Documented oil mallee study planting size: 2 to 11 ha

Documented nest hollow locations: White gum trees, roadside vegetation, fenced remnant strips and isolated paddock trees

  • Place salvaged logs and branches so they provide sheltered movement routes without blocking vehicle access or creating new fauna hazards.
  • Protect new plantings from grazing, trampling and browsing until they provide dense cover.
  • Do not remove flowering shrubs during maintenance without checking the effect on food availability.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage fire, weeds and predators

Plan fire management to retain shrub species and flowering food resources. The South Australian profile notes that frequent fire is likely to remove shrub species used as food sources, while the New South Wales monitoring project links nesting resources to time since fire and rainfall.

Control weeds and prevent grazing or residential disturbance from reducing shrub cover, leaf litter and food plants.

Manage introduced predators in accordance with approved project and state programs, particularly feral and domestic cats and foxes where they threaten retained habitat.

  • Record fire history and regeneration stage for each rehabilitation area.
  • Avoid broad-scale or frequent burning of newly established shrub habitat.
  • Inspect rehabilitation areas for predator activity, grazing, weed invasion and loss of ground cover during each monitoring visit.

Rehabilitation actions: Measure rehabilitation success

Set success measures for plant survival, shrub cover, flowering resources, hollow or nest box availability, retained ground cover and connectivity to adjoining habitat.

Monitor whether western pygmy possums use nest boxes, restored hollows, dense shrubs and flowering plantings. Record detections by method, effort, date, rainfall and time since fire or rehabilitation.

Continue management when rehabilitation provides plants but not the shelter, nesting sites or covered movement routes used by the species.

  • Use the same survey methods and reporting units during baseline and follow-up monitoring so results can be compared.
  • Inspect nest boxes for occupancy without disturbing pouch young or dependent animals.
  • Report rehabilitation failures, animal mortality, predator impacts and any need for replacement plantings or additional habitat features to the approval holder and relevant wildlife authority.

Sources