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Woma Python (Aspidites ramsayi)

The Woma Python is a large, non-venomous, nocturnal python of arid and semi-arid Australia. It favours sandy habitats, including spinifex dunefields and sandplains, and may be affected by clearing, burrow destruction, road mortality and introduced predators on development sites.

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Near threatened.

Breeding season

Woma Pythons mate mainly from May to August, with egg laying recorded in September and October. Clearing can disturb mating snakes, gravid females, eggs and hatchlings, while burrow and shelter damage remains a risk in every month.

Reproductive mode: Egg laying

Clutch size: Usually 5 to 19 eggs, with an average of about 14 and up to 22 recorded

Incubation: About 50 to 60 days, or approximately 2 to 3 months

Size at hatching: Approximately 45 cm in one captive source; another source records 12 inches

Age at maturity: Generally about 3 years; broader pythonine information gives about 18 months to 4 years

Nest or egg sites: Secluded burrows, small trenches in burrows or protected cavities. Captive nesting sites include a hide box containing sand or damp newspaper.

Breeding frequency: One clutch per year after maturity

Confirm timing with local records and pre-clearance surveys, and adjust for local rainfall and temperature because these conditions can affect activity, cooling behaviour, laying and hatching dates.

  • Mating: Wild mating is reported mainly from May to July, with other species accounts extending the period to August. Males may search for females and compete during the breeding period.
  • Gravid females: The duration of pregnancy is not directly recorded. Treat females as potentially gravid from the mating period in May to August through egg laying in September and October, with the strongest practical concern from August to October.
  • Egg laying: Egg deposition is recorded in September and October. Females use secluded burrows or protected sites and may dig a small trench for the clutch.
  • Incubation: Eggs remain in the nest for about 50 to 60 days, or 2 to 3 months. Eggs laid in September or October may therefore remain in burrows from September through December, depending on laying date and local temperature.
  • Hatchlings: Hatching is expected about 2 to 3 months after laying, giving a likely emergence period from November to January for eggs deposited in September and October. Hatchlings are independent after hatching and may remain near the nest or shelter while they begin feeding.
  • Active period: Woma Pythons are active throughout the year, with mainly nocturnal activity. They may shift towards more daytime activity during cooler periods and shelter during hot daytime conditions, so night surveys are generally more suitable in warm weather.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest from September to December because burrows may contain freshly laid eggs, incubating eggs or emerging hatchlings. Mating and gravid females increase concern from May to October, while destruction of burrows, hollow logs and dense cover can harm Womas in any month.

Identification

The Woma is a robust but relatively slender python with a narrow head, small eyes and regular dark cross-bands. It is non-venomous, but its markings can be confused with those of brown snakes.

Adults average about 1.5 m long and may reach approximately 2.6 to 2.7 m. Reported weight is about 1 to 5 kg. The body is broad and somewhat flat in profile, with a tapering tail and smooth scales.

Colour varies from yellowish, reddish, grey or olive brown to rich red-brown. Dark olive, brown or black cross-bands are usually narrower than the paler spaces between them and may fade with age. The underside is cream to yellow, often with pink or brown blotches.

Adult length: Average about 1.5 m; maximum approximately 2.6 to 2.7 m

Weight: About 1 to 5 kg

Identification: Diagnostic features

The head is narrow and only slightly distinct from the neck. The eyes are small, and the top of the head has enlarged, symmetrical shields. Aspidites lacks the heat-sensing labial pits found in many other Australian pythons, and it also lacks teeth on the premaxilla.

The Woma is best separated from a Gwardar, or Western Brown Snake, by its heavier body, broader banded pattern, smooth python-like head shields and non-venomous python form. It is also generally more robust and less sharply patterned than many small desert snakes.

Identification: Field signs

Look for a large snake track or body trail leading to loose sand, an animal burrow or dense cover. Womas can use the head and front of the body to scoop sand and enlarge burrows.

Daytime observations are most likely to involve a snake sheltering in a burrow, hollow log or thick vegetation. Individuals may occasionally bask during mild weather. A shed skin may be found near a shelter, but the supplied sources do not provide a distinctive Woma-specific measurement for sloughs, tracks or burrow entrances.

The species has no documented call relevant to field detection. Eyeshine survey results and a Woma-specific scat description are not provided in the supplied sources.

Distribution: National range

The Woma has a broad but discontinuous distribution across arid and semi-arid Australia. The supplied sources describe populations from central Australia and the Great Victoria Desert to Western Australia, South Australia and western Queensland.

In Western Australia, the range extends from the Pilbara coast and the Eighty-mile Beach area south through the Great Victoria Desert and the eastern Goldfields, with additional populations in the south-west from Cape Peron south and east.

The species also occurs through central Australia, northern South Australia and western Queensland. The Queensland range extends from the Northern Territory border to the Yuleba, Surat and St George area, including parts of the Brigalow Belt. The supplied state information identifies New South Wales and the Northern Territory as jurisdictions with conservation listings.

Broad range: Arid and semi-arid Australia, from coastal Western Australia to western Queensland

Named regions: Pilbara, Great Victoria Desert, eastern Goldfields, south-west Western Australia, central Australia, northern South Australia and western Queensland

Distribution: Subpopulations and trend

The Woma is represented by populations across the arid interior, but the supplied sources do not provide a national population estimate, density estimate or quantified population trend.

There are very few recent records from the southern parts of the Western Australian range. The south-western Western Australian population is described as declining in the project fauna survey, while the arid interior population potentially occurring near Lake Wells had no formal Western Australian conservation listing in that report.

Population estimate: Not provided in the supplied sources

Documented trend: Decline reported for the south-western Western Australian population; no quantified trend given for the arid interior population

Lake Wells survey result: Not recorded during the fauna survey and assessed as having low likelihood of occurrence

Distribution: Development-site context

At the Lake Wells study area, the Woma was not recorded but was considered a potential resident of sandplain habitat. No records were reported within 100 km of that study area.

A negative survey result does not exclude the species where suitable sandplain, spinifex or sandy burrow habitat remains present.

Habitat: Habitat types

Womas are ground-dwelling snakes of dry Australia, particularly where sandy soils support burrowing and provide access to reptile prey. They also use woodland, shrubland and grassland habitats when suitable shelter is present.

The species occurs in arid zones and uses open myrtaceous heath on sandplains, spinifex dunefields and other sandy habitats. It is also recorded from arid forest, shrubland, woodland, savanna and grassland.

In Queensland, it can occur on black soils and stony ridge country in Brigalow woodland and grasslands. At the Lake Wells project area, sandplain was identified as the most likely habitat.

Preferred substrates: Sandy soils, sandplains and dunefields

Associated vegetation: Open myrtaceous heath, spinifex, woodland, shrubland, savanna and grassland

Habitat: Structural features

Suitable habitat contains loose or workable soil, animal burrows, hollow logs, thick vegetation and ground cover. These features provide daytime shelter and may also support ambush hunting.

The supplied sources do not provide an elevation limit, a minimum patch size or a defined vegetation height requirement. Habitat assessment should therefore record soil texture, burrows, hollow timber, dense ground cover, spinifex age and the continuity of sandy habitat.

  • Map sandplains, dunefields and sandy drainage margins before clearing.
  • Mark active or potentially occupied burrows, hollow logs and dense refuge patches for avoidance.
  • Record connections between sandy habitat patches because young snakes may disperse through areas used less often by adults.

Foraging habitat: Diet

The Woma is a nocturnal ambush predator that hunts on the ground and may also search within burrows. Its diet is dominated by terrestrial vertebrates, especially reptiles in the xeric-adapted Aspidites group.

Womas eat small terrestrial mammals, ground birds, bird eggs and lizards. Australian Aspidites generally have a strong reptile component in the diet, and the group account cited in the supplied sources reports that reptiles formed 92 percent of dietary items in A. melanocephalus.

A Woma can constrict prey in open space. Inside a narrow burrow, it may instead press prey against the burrow wall. It may also take venomous snakes and is described as immune to snake venom.

Main prey: Small mammals, lizards, ground birds and bird eggs

Foraging period: Mainly at night

Foraging habitat: Foraging areas

Foraging occurs on the ground in sandy habitat, shrubland, woodland and grassland, wherever prey and shelter are available. The Woma may remain motionless and use its narrow tail as a lure before striking.

The supplied sources do not provide a measured home range, foraging radius or population density for Womas. Avoid assuming that a snake found beside a work area is restricted to that location, particularly where sandy habitat and connected burrows continue beyond the disturbance footprint.

  • Inspect sandy ground, burrow systems, hollow logs and dense cover during pre-clearance searches.
  • Treat linked sandplain and dunefield habitat as potential foraging habitat even when no Woma is observed.
  • Keep night lighting, vehicle movement and disturbance to the minimum practicable level near retained burrows and sandy refuge areas.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Womas lay eggs and use a sheltered burrow or similar protected site for incubation. The female remains coiled around the clutch and can generate heat by shivering when temperatures fall.

The species is oviparous. The available Woma-specific information is based mainly on captive observations and a small number of records, so field timing may vary between regions.

A female lays in a burrow or other protected site and coils around the eggs until hatching. Suitable breeding habitat therefore needs a secure cavity or burrow, stable substrate, thermal shelter and nearby cover.

Mating: May to August

Egg laying: September to October

Clutch size: Usually 5 to 19 eggs; up to 22 recorded

Incubation: Approximately 57 days in the Western Australian source; about 2 to 3 months in the general species account

Hatching: Usually about 2 to 3 months after laying

Age at maturity: Woma-specific data are not provided. Australian pythonines generally mature in about 18 months to 4 years.

Lifespan: 20 years or more, based on the species account

Breeding habitat: Breeding-site features

Potential breeding sites include animal burrows, enlarged cavities in sandy soil, hollow logs and dense vegetation. The supplied sources do not specify a preferred burrow diameter, depth or minimum distance from water.

Retain suitable shelters and avoid collapsing or filling burrows during earthworks, trenching, grading and vehicle access. If a female is found coiled around eggs, stop work in the immediate area and follow the project fauna handling and approval conditions.

Sheltering habitat: Known refuges

Womas shelter during the day in places that provide darkness, thermal buffering and protection from predators. They can excavate loose sand but also use existing animal structures.

Recorded or described shelters include hollow logs, animal burrows, self-dug or modified burrows and thick vegetation. Loose sand is important because the snake can use its head and anterior body to enlarge a burrow.

A captive Woma has been observed burying the front 0.5 m of its body in loose sand for 15 to 20 minutes before emerging briefly and repeating the behaviour. This demonstrates the species' ability to use sand directly as shelter, although it is not a field estimate of normal burrow dimensions.

Observed captive burial depth: Front 0.5 m of the body

Observed captive burial bouts: 15 to 20 minutes, followed by brief emergence

Sheltering habitat: Site protection

Burrow destruction is a recognised threat, including destruction through intensive cropping or livestock trampling. Construction can create similar risks through grading, compaction, trenching, stockpiling and repeated vehicle passage.

Where possible, retain hollow logs, dense ground cover, sandy soil and existing burrows within undisturbed habitat. Do not assume that an unoccupied burrow is unused, because Womas may use burrows for shelter and hunting at different times.

  • Fence or clearly mark retained burrows and hollow logs before clearing.
  • Keep spoil, laydown areas and vehicle routes away from sandy refuge patches.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher when clearing suitable habitat and inspect cavities, logs and burrows before they are disturbed.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main project risks are loss of sandy habitat, destruction of burrows and shelter, vehicle strike and predation by introduced or large native predators. Risk is greatest where clearing removes connected refuge and foraging habitat.

Clearing for agriculture, infrastructure and other development removes habitat and can destroy burrows, hollow logs and dense ground cover. Trampling, soil compaction, grading and stockpiling can make sandy habitat unsuitable for digging and shelter.

At the Lake Wells project, the species was identified as locally significant because it is infrequently recorded in the region and may be vulnerable to road mortality.

  • Avoid clearing sandplain and sandy dunefield habitat where practicable.
  • Complete pre-clearance searches of burrows, hollow logs, dense vegetation and loose sandy ground.
  • Use staged clearing so fauna can be detected before each work area is opened.
  • Keep construction traffic to defined routes and enforce low-speed controls in potential habitat.

Threats: Roads and fragmentation

Road mortality is a recognised concern for the Woma. Fragmentation can also isolate sandy habitat and interrupt movement between burrows, prey areas and seasonal shelter.

The supplied sources do not provide a species-specific road-crossing distance, home range or crossing season. Road risk should therefore be assessed from local habitat continuity, traffic volume, night works and records of snakes or other fauna on the road.

  • Record all Woma observations and carcasses with coordinates, date, time and road conditions.
  • Avoid night-time traffic through known or potential Woma habitat where practicable.
  • Maintain movement routes between retained sandy habitat patches.

Threats: Predators and land use

Foxes and feral cats are identified as predators. Mulga Snakes may also prey on Womas, particularly young snakes, and predation has affected some reintroduction efforts.

Clearing for agriculture, grazing, inappropriate roadside management and habitat thinning are documented threats. The supplied sources do not identify a specific disease or hydrological threat for Womas.

  • Integrate feral cat and fox control with habitat protection where those programs are authorised and available.
  • Avoid removing roadside and reserve cover without assessing its value as reptile habitat.
  • Do not infer a hydrology or disease impact without site-specific evidence.

Survey methodology: 1. Confirm habitat and survey constraints

The Woma is a nocturnal, terrestrial python associated with sandy habitats, including sandplains, spinifex dunefields, open myrtaceous heath, shrublands, woodlands and grasslands. It shelters in burrows, hollow logs and dense vegetation, and was not recorded during the Lake Wells survey despite potentially occurring on sandplain habitat. [Do not include source ids in prose; citations are provided in each block.]

Map sandy substrates, sandplains, dunefields, spinifex, open myrtaceous heath, hollow logs, animal burrows and dense vegetation before selecting survey methods.

Treat apparently suitable habitat as occupied until targeted survey and the relevant state approval authority support another conclusion.

Record recent fire, grazing, clearing, vehicle access and feral predator activity because these may affect habitat condition and detectability.

Survey methodology: 2. Nocturnal searches and spotlighting

Use nocturnal walking searches and spotlighting because the Woma is primarily nocturnal and hunts at night.

Search sandy tracks, sandplain vegetation, the edges of spinifex, logs, burrow entrances and dense cover, recording the route, start and finish times, weather, temperature if measured, moon phase and personnel.

Include mild-weather periods when animals may bask or move, but do not rely on daytime searches alone.

  • Search slowly and quietly, keeping the beam on the ground, burrow entrances and cover objects rather than only scanning open ground.
  • Record live animals, sloughed skins, tracks, scats, burrows, prey remains and other signs separately, with photographs and GPS coordinates where practicable.
  • Repeat searches across more than one suitable night where the project risk and habitat extent warrant it, and report the exact number of nights and search hours rather than describing effort as intensive.

Survey methodology: 3. Targeted burrow, log and cover searches

Inspect suitable animal burrows, hollow logs, dense vegetation and loose sand during the day without entering, collapsing or blocking shelter sites.

Look for freshly disturbed sand, tracks, shed skin, faecal material and prey remains around burrows, while recognising that absence of signs does not demonstrate absence of Womas.

Use endoscopic or other specialist inspection equipment only where authorised and where it will not injure an animal or damage the shelter.

  • Lift or move cover objects only under an approved fauna management procedure and with a fauna spotter catcher present.
  • Replace logs, rocks and other cover in their original position and orientation after inspection.
  • Do not excavate burrows or use smoke, water, chemicals or trapping methods that could harm an occupied shelter.

Survey methodology: 4. Camera traps and supplementary methods

Deploy motion-triggered cameras at burrow entrances, sandy movement routes and other likely shelter or travel points when direct searches are unlikely to provide adequate coverage.

Use cameras as a supplementary method because the source survey recorded no Woma, and the species can remain concealed in burrows and other shelter.

If trapping is proposed, obtain approval for the method, specify trap type, placement, checking frequency, weather limits and release procedures, and use only personnel authorised under the relevant state requirements.

  • Record the number of cameras, deployment locations, deployment dates, retrieval dates, operational nights and any equipment failures.
  • Do not place cameras or other equipment where they obstruct burrow entrances or increase predation or trapping risk.
  • Use habitat assessment and targeted searches to interpret negative camera results.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Define survey effort before fieldwork by habitat area, number of searchers, kilometres walked, search hours, nights, camera nights and any trapping effort.
  • Survey all areas proposed for clearing that contain sandy substrates, sandplains, dunefields, spinifex, hollow logs, burrows or dense cover, including retained habitat that may receive relocated fauna.
  • Plan survey timing around the Woma's nocturnal activity and breeding period, which is reported as May to August, with egg deposition in September and October and hatching about two to three months later.
  • Have a fauna spotter catcher inspect any habitat feature that cannot be safely assessed before clearing.
  • Report all records and evidence, including negative results, to the relevant state wildlife database and project approval authority, and retain photographs, coordinates, effort data and chain of custody for specimens or images.
  • Escalate a confirmed record or occupied burrow to the project ecologist and relevant state wildlife authority before disturbance continues.

Before habitat disturbance: 1. Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Plan around the Woma's use of sandy ground, burrows, logs and dense cover. The species is not listed under the EPBC Act in the supplied material, but state approval and fauna handling requirements still need to be checked for the project location.

  • Avoid clearing sandplains, dunefields, spinifex areas, open myrtaceous heath, hollow logs, dense vegetation and known or suspected burrows where practicable.
  • Retain connected areas of suitable sandy habitat rather than leaving isolated small patches between roads, pads or linear infrastructure.
  • Keep vehicle movements, laydown areas, trench spoil and temporary fencing out of retained habitat and away from burrow entrances.
  • Retain natural shelter features because Womas use hollow logs, animal burrows and thick vegetation during the day.

Before habitat disturbance: 2. Check approvals and plan the works

  • Check the current state conservation legislation, wildlife handling rules, scientific or relocation licences and project approval conditions before survey, capture or relocation.
  • Confirm the EPBC Act position for the project and species using the current protected species records, even though the supplied profile identifies the Woma as not listed under that Act.
  • Schedule clearing outside periods when females may be incubating eggs where practicable, noting that breeding is reported from May to August and egg deposition from September to October.
  • Stage clearing so that fauna can move towards retained habitat and so that the spotter catcher can inspect each work area progressively.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan covering survey methods, exclusion zones, handling, relocation, injury response, stop-work triggers, reporting and contacts.

Before habitat disturbance: 3. Prepare and mark the site

Average total length: About 1.5 metres

Reported maximum length: 2.7 metres

  • Complete a pre-clearance inspection of all sandy habitat and likely shelter features shortly before works begin.
  • Mark retained sandplain, spinifex, logs, burrows, dense vegetation and other exclusion areas on plans and in the field.
  • Use exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery and personnel entering retained habitat without blocking animal movement between retained areas.
  • Brief operators on the species' appearance, including its narrow head, dark cross-bands and typical length of about 1.5 metres, with individuals reported to reach 2.7 metres.

During habitat disturbance: 1. Daily clearing controls

Use a controlled, progressive clearing system. Womas may be concealed in burrows, logs or dense vegetation, and the species can dig or enlarge burrows in loose sand.

  • Hold a daily pre-start briefing covering the approved clearing limits, habitat exclusions, spotter catcher authority, emergency contacts and the Woma response procedure.
  • Inspect the active work area each day before machinery enters, with particular attention to sandy ground, burrows, logs, dense vegetation and spoil piles.
  • Clear progressively in small sections so the fauna spotter catcher can maintain visual coverage and inspect exposed ground and shelter features.
  • Keep machinery, vehicles and workers outside marked exclusion zones and prevent materials from being stored over burrows or retained shelter.
  • Suspend work during conditions that prevent effective searching, such as poor visibility, unless the ecologist and fauna spotter catcher approve an alternative control.

During habitat disturbance: 2. Spotter catcher and machinery protocol

  • Position the fauna spotter catcher where the operator can see and hear the stop signal before each clearing movement.
  • Use a slow, staged approach around logs, burrows, dense vegetation and loose sand, allowing the spotter catcher to inspect each feature before it is removed or crushed.
  • Stop machinery immediately when the spotter catcher identifies a Woma, possible occupied burrow, fresh sign or an unsafe handling situation.
  • Allow only appropriately authorised and experienced personnel to capture, handle or relocate the animal.
  • Do not chase, restrain by the tail, pin the snake behind the head or attempt handling outside the approved method statement.

During habitat disturbance: 3. Animal found, injured or dead

  • Stop work, clear people and machinery from the immediate area and allow the spotter catcher to assess the animal from a safe distance.
  • Do not handle the Woma unless the authorised fauna handler considers capture necessary and has the required approval, equipment and competence.
  • Relocate a captured animal only to nearby suitable retained habitat approved by the project ecologist and relevant authority, with sandy substrate, shelter and no immediate machinery activity.
  • Keep the animal's movement, capture location, release location, time, condition, photographs and handler details in the fauna record.
  • Take an injured animal promptly to an appropriately qualified veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer, following the approved transport procedure.
  • Do not move a dead animal without recording its location and notifying the project ecologist, because it may indicate a work control failure or road mortality.

During habitat disturbance: 4. Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work in the affected area if a Woma is found, an occupied burrow is suspected, a shelter feature cannot be safely inspected, exclusion fencing fails or the fauna spotter catcher loses safe visibility of the clearing face.
  • Maintain a daily register of work areas, dates, personnel, weather, habitat cleared, animals observed, captures, relocations, injuries, mortalities, stop-work events and corrective actions.
  • Notify the project manager and ecologist immediately for a confirmed record, injury, mortality, repeated sightings or any departure from the fauna management plan.
  • Submit required records to the relevant state wildlife database and approval authority within the project or statutory reporting timeframe.

After habitat disturbance: 1. Post-clearance checks

Completion checks should confirm that no Womas remain in active work areas, retained habitat has not been damaged and all fauna events have been closed out. Maintain controls while disturbed ground remains accessible to vehicles and machinery.

  • Inspect the cleared area, access tracks, stockpiles, trenches and spoil for Womas, burrows, tracks, shed skin and other signs after each clearing stage.
  • Check that retained logs, dense vegetation, sandplain and spinifex areas have not been buried, fragmented or entered by machinery.
  • Close, cover or make safe trenches and other excavations in accordance with the fauna management plan, and inspect them before backfilling.
  • Document the final cleared footprint, retained habitat, exclusion zones, fauna incidents and any changes from the approved plan.

After habitat disturbance: 2. Monitoring and control maintenance

  • Maintain exclusion fencing, signs and vehicle controls until construction hazards are removed and the ecologist confirms that the area is safe.
  • Monitor retained and rehabilitated sandy habitat for Woma records, shelter use, road mortality and feral predator activity where required by the approval or fauna management plan.
  • Investigate repeated records near roads, work fronts or infrastructure and add speed controls, fencing or habitat protection where supported by the risk assessment.

After habitat disturbance: 3. Reporting and offsets

  • Provide the completion report to the project manager, environmental authority and relevant state wildlife database, including methods, effort, results, handling events, injuries, mortalities and photographs.
  • Report any confirmed impact against approval conditions and implement corrective actions before the next clearing stage.
  • Apply any approved offset, habitat protection or conservation commitment required by the project approval, with its area, location, management actions and monitoring period recorded.

Rehabilitation actions: 1. Reinstate habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate the sandy, sheltered conditions used by Womas for movement, hunting and daytime refuge. The supplied documents identify sandy habitat, spinifex, myrtaceous heath, logs, burrows and dense vegetation as relevant features.

  • Restore sandy soil profiles and drainage so that compacted work areas can again support burrowing and movement.
  • Replant or allow regeneration of locally appropriate spinifex and open myrtaceous heath species consistent with the pre-clearing community and approved rehabilitation plan.
  • Retain or reinstate hollow logs, coarse woody debris and dense vegetation as daytime shelter.
  • Reinstate natural surface cover without blocking existing or newly formed animal burrows.
  • Do not introduce non-local plant material, weeds, rubbish or artificial shelter unless approved by the ecologist and land manager.

Rehabilitation actions: 2. Manage predators, weeds and fire

  • Control weeds and prevent weed establishment in rehabilitated sandplain and dunefield habitat.
  • Include fox and feral cat control where these predators threaten the rehabilitation objective and control is permitted under the project and land management arrangements.
  • Manage fire so that retained and rehabilitated habitat includes suitable shelter and is not repeatedly burnt before vegetation and cover recover.
  • Use the site's pre-disturbance fire history and the needs of other conservation-significant fauna when setting fire management actions.

Rehabilitation actions: 3. Monitor rehabilitation success

  • Inspect rehabilitation for erosion, soil compaction, weed invasion, loss of logs, burrow obstruction and vehicle access at the intervals specified in the rehabilitation plan.
  • Use repeat nocturnal searches, targeted shelter inspections and camera traps at suitable burrows or movement routes to check for Woma use.
  • Record planted or regenerating vegetation, retained logs, shelter features, predator activity, fire history and all Woma detections using fixed photographs and GPS locations.
  • Define success as stable sandy substrate, functioning shelter features, established native cover, no uncontrolled vehicle access and evidence of use by native fauna, including Woma records where the species is present in the surrounding area.
  • Continue monitoring and remedial works until the agreed rehabilitation criteria are met.

Sources