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Yakka Skink (Egernia rugosa)

The Yakka Skink is a large, robust, terrestrial skink that forms colonies in burrow systems and shelters associated with logs, rocks, stumps, root cavities and erosion features. It is listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and in Queensland, so clearing, earthworks and linear infrastructure can harm colonies through loss of shelter, direct mortality, fragmentation and disruption of long-used sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

Yakka Skinks are live-bearing reptiles. Births are documented in January and February, while mating and adult activity timing is less certain. Avoid clearing occupied burrow and log complexes year round, with extra planning for late spring to early autumn when activity, gravid females and newborns may overlap.

Reproductive mode: Viviparous, giving birth to live young

Litter size: 1 to 6 young reported, with a mean of about 2.4

Incubation or gestation: Gestation period not recorded

Size at birth: Mean snout-vent length of 84.5 mm

Age at maturity: At least 5 years, or about 60 months

Nest or egg sites: No nest is used. Births have been recorded in active and inactive rabbit burrows; the species also uses logs, rocks, stumps, root cavities and other burrow systems for shelter.

Breeding frequency: About 0.5 to 1 litter per year reported

Confirm timing locally before works, particularly after rainfall or temperature changes, because warm, dry conditions increase activity and heavy rain can obscure burrow, basking and latrine signs.

  • Mating: No mating months are recorded for the Yakka Skink. Related Egernia species mate in spring, including September to October in E. whitii and November in E. cunninghami, so September to November is a planning guide only.
  • Gravid females: The gravid period is not recorded for the Yakka Skink. Related E. whitii females were pregnant in late January and gave birth in January to February; September to December is therefore a precautionary period for checking occupied shelters before clearing.
  • Births: Parturition is documented in January and February and can take several days to complete. Mean litter size is 2.4 young, with 1 to 6 young reported.
  • Newborns: Newborns are expected to be most abundant during and shortly after the documented January to February birth period. Mean birth size is 84.5 mm snout-vent length.
  • Active period: No species-specific active season has been formally recorded. Field guidance indicates increasing activity from about mid-September or early October, with highest detectability in warmer, drier months and during sunny periods after rain.
  • Winter inactivity: Winter inactivity or brumation is not recorded specifically for the Yakka Skink. Most Egernia species show winter hibernation, so April to August should be treated as a period when animals may remain in burrows, logs, rocks or other refuges and cannot escape machinery.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing risk is year round because colonies have high site fidelity and use permanent, interconnected shelter systems. Risk is highest in January and February when births and newborns are documented, but winter clearing can also trap animals sheltering in burrows and other refuges.

Identification

The Yakka Skink is a large, heavy-bodied skink with a thick tail, short stocky legs and a distinctive dorsal stripe. It is wary and usually retreats quickly into a burrow or cavity when approached.

Adults have a broad dark brown to almost black stripe from the nape to the base of the tail. A pale dorso-lateral stripe usually borders the dark stripe on each side.

The flanks and sides of the tail are commonly mottled brown, fawn, cream and orange-brown. The throat is white, cream or pale yellow, usually with black spots or discontinuous dark reticulation. The iris is orange-red to red-brown.

The body is robust and the thick tail is approximately as long as the body. Dorsal and caudal scales have more than three, usually four or five, obvious blunt keels. There are usually two or three large ear lobules.

Snout to vent length: 90 to 300 mm

Weight: 10 to 430 g

Mid-body scale rows: 26 to 30

Identification: Juveniles and similar species

Juveniles have more extensive orange-brown, cream and tan flecking over the back, flanks and tail. The adult dark mid-dorsal and pale side stripes are less distinct in young animals.

The species is unlikely to be confused with other large skinks in most of its range. Egernia cunninghami and Egernia hosmeri have spinose tails. Egernia frerei has less rugose scalation and fewer mid-body scale rows, usually 24 to 28 compared with 30 to 36 in the cited comparison. Eastern Blue-tongue Lizards have a banded colour pattern.

Young Yakka Skinks could be confused with Tree Skinks, Egernia striolata. Tree Skinks have a more depressed head and body. Other burrowing animals, including goannas and bearded dragons, can also produce similar burrow activity.

Identification: Field signs and confirmation

Search for several burrow entrances around a log, stump, rock pile, root cavity, erosion feature or other shelter. Fresh or compacted excavated soil, tracks, worn trails and polished basking areas indicate recent use.

Communal latrines may occur within a few metres of burrow entrances. They can be under sticks, branches, grass tussocks or inside hollow logs. Scats may contain shed scales. Scales with more than three large blunt keels, usually four or five, are considered diagnostic in a latrine.

Yakka Skinks have no reported call of value for field detection. Eyeshine is not a standard detection feature, although a torch can be used carefully to inspect burrows and hollow logs. Do not excavate burrows or roll habitat structures.

Confirm records with a clear colour photograph of the animal, burrow system, microhabitat and latrine where present. Distant observation, passive infrared cameras, a carefully used borescope or, if necessary, shaded funnel trapping can confirm occupancy.

Camera trapping effort: 12 camera trap nights per colony, normally over 4 nights

Distant observation effort: 20 minutes per day on 3 separate days

  • Use binoculars or a spotting scope from a position that does not block the animal's retreat.
  • Use passive infrared cameras for about four nights at suspected burrow entrances, latrines and basking positions during warmer months.
  • Use a borescope carefully and avoid damaging burrow walls or contacting animals.
  • Treat burrows, latrines, worn basking areas and associated shelter structures as evidence of a potentially occupied colony until assessed by a suitably experienced ecologist.

Distribution: National range

The Yakka Skink is endemic to Queensland, with records close to the Queensland and New South Wales border suggesting possible occurrence in northern New South Wales. Its distribution is discontinuous and patchy, and northern records are poorly known.

The main range extends from the Queensland and New South Wales border north through eastern and inland Queensland to Cape York Peninsula. Published records include the Brigalow Belt North and South, Mulga Lands, South East Queensland, Desert Uplands, Einasleigh Uplands, Wet Tropics and Cape York Peninsula bioregions.

The known Queensland range extends from areas around Bundaberg and west of Gympie to Mariala National Park west of Charleville, and from the southern Queensland border to Mungkan Kandju National Park on Cape York Peninsula.

Queensland status: Endemic to Queensland according to the cited Queensland survey guideline

Possible additional state: Northern New South Wales, based on records close to the border

Distribution: Strongholds and population knowledge

The Brigalow Belt and Mulga Lands are the core parts of the range, with the highest numbers detected so far in the cited Queensland guidance. Records in northern Queensland are scattered and the species' habitat preferences there are less well understood.

No reliable national population estimate, colony count or population trend is provided in the supplied documents. The species is long-lived, has low fecundity, shows high site fidelity and has limited ability to disperse from a colony, so an apparently empty survey area should not be treated as proof of absence without suitable survey effort.

Population size: Not reported in the supplied documents

Population trend: Not quantified in the supplied documents

Range size: 786,934 km² in the cited trait dataset

Habitat: Vegetation and substrates

Yakka Skinks use a broad range of dry open forests, woodlands and low shrublands. Habitat suitability depends heavily on retaining shelter structures and connected ground cover, not only on vegetation type.

Recorded vegetation includes poplar box, ironbark, white cypress pine, mulga, brigalow, bendee, belah, lancewood, buloke and other eucalypt woodlands and open forests. The species also occurs in low shrubland and in some rocky or lateritic settings.

The species is most often associated with firm but friable soils, although it also uses rock, sand, clay and loamy red earth. In northern Queensland it has been recorded from open forest on granite hillslopes and at deciduous vine thicket and open forest edges.

  • Map open forest, woodland and low shrubland before clearing.
  • Inspect both remnant and disturbed habitat where large logs, woody debris, rocks, stumps, erosion features or animal burrows remain.
  • Include apparently cleared or grazed areas when shelter structures are retained.

Habitat: Structural habitat

Important structure includes large hollow logs, log piles, tree stumps, partly buried rocks, root cavities, dense ground vegetation, fallen woody material and abandoned animal burrows. Deep gullies, tunnel erosion, sinkholes, rabbit warrens and rubble piles can also support colonies.

A Queensland project definition of primary habitat used open forest or woodland with more than 30 percent ground-cover vegetation, more than 30 percent cover of leaf litter and fallen woody material, and more than 10 combined shelter features per 100 metre by 100 metre plot. This is a project-specific habitat definition, not a complete description of all occupied habitat.

Example primary habitat threshold: More than 30 percent ground-cover vegetation and more than 30 percent leaf litter and fallen woody material

Example shelter feature threshold: More than 10 combined rock outcrops, large logs, stumps or animal burrows per 100 metre by 100 metre plot

Large log threshold used in one project definition: Logs more than 30 cm in diameter

  • Retain large logs, hollow logs, stumps, rock piles, dense ground cover and burrow systems within and beside work areas.
  • Survey spoil heaps, stick-raked piles, road verges, sheds, loading ramps and building rubble where shelter may have been retained.
  • Maintain links between colony sites and nearby woodland or open forest where practicable.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied documents describe occurrence across sub-humid to semi-arid eastern Queensland and across tropical to subtropical bioregions. They do not provide a confirmed elevation range or a defined upper or lower climatic limit.

The species becomes more detectable in warmer, drier conditions. Heavy rain can wash away excavated soil and degrade scat evidence.

Foraging habitat: Diet and feeding sites

The Yakka Skink is omnivorous and forages on the ground around its shelter system. The supplied documents provide little detail on particular food plants, prey proportions or foraging distances.

The species is classified as omnivorous. It forages in terrestrial habitat around burrows, logs, rocks, root cavities and dense ground vegetation.

Shed skin in latrines shows that Yakka Skinks eat shed scales. The supplied documents do not identify particular plant species, invertebrate taxa or vertebrate prey as regular food items.

Diet: Omnivorous

Known food-related field sign: Shed scales in latrine scats

Foraging range: Not reported in the supplied documents

  • Retain leaf litter, ground vegetation, fallen woody material and shelter structures around occupied or potential colonies.
  • Avoid assuming that cleared habitat is unsuitable if burrows, logs, stick piles, rabbit warrens or other refuges remain.
  • Do not clear or heavily disturb the area immediately around an active burrow while foraging use is being assessed.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Yakka Skinks are colonial and viviparous, but the supplied documents do not establish a confirmed breeding season, gestation period or specific nesting site. Breeding habitat is therefore best treated as the occupied colony and its connected shelter system.

Young are born live rather than laid as eggs. The cited trait dataset reports 1 to 6 young, with a mean of about 2 to 2.5, and first breeding at about 60 months.

No confirmed breeding months or gestation period are provided. Colonies may use several latrine and shelter sites during the year, so clearing one part of a colony can affect breeding animals even when no young are seen.

Reproduction: Viviparous

Litter size: 1 to 6 young reported; mean about 2 to 2.5

Gestation: Not reported in the supplied documents

Age at first breeding: About 60 months

Lifespan: Longest recorded life 12 years

Confirmed breeding season: Not reported in the supplied documents

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Suitable breeding habitat is likely to be within the same communal colony system used for shelter and daily activity. Relevant features include large hollow logs, cavities beneath logs and rocks, stumps, root cavities, dense ground vegetation, deep erosion features and abandoned animal burrows.

High site fidelity and limited dispersal mean that a colony should be managed as a connected unit rather than as isolated burrow entrances.

  • Treat active burrow complexes and nearby latrines as potential breeding habitat.
  • Retain multiple shelter structures and ground-cover patches around a colony.
  • Use pre-clearance checks by an experienced observer before removing logs, stumps, rocks, spoil piles or structures containing potential refuges.

Sheltering habitat: Burrows and refuges

Shelter is the defining habitat requirement for the Yakka Skink. Colonies occupy interconnected burrows and cavities and may persist in modified areas when suitable refuges remain.

Colonies use burrows dug under or between partly buried rocks and logs, beneath large hollow logs, in old root tracts and at the base of trees or stumps. They also use tunnel erosion, sinkholes, deep gullies, abandoned rabbit warrens and other animal burrows.

In cleared or developed areas, shelter sites can include stick-raked piles, road construction spoil heaps, sheds, loading ramps, old building rubble and other structures with suitable substrate.

Burrow size: Specific dimensions are not reported in the supplied documents

Colony arrangement: Multiple burrow entrances and several latrine sites may occur around a structure or within a relatively small area

  • Do not fill, collapse, excavate or drive over suspected burrow systems.
  • Keep heavy machinery, vehicle parking, materials storage and access tracks away from burrow entrances and associated latrines.
  • Inspect large logs, hollow timber, rock piles, stumps, root cavities and spoil heaps before relocation or removal.
  • Retain shade and ground cover around refuges, especially where trapping or construction monitoring is underway.

Sheltering habitat: Signs of occupied shelter

Occupied or recently used shelter may have loose or compacted excavated soil, tracks, worn trails, polished basking platforms and communal latrine piles. Basking sites are commonly close to a retreat and may be exposed to sun in mid-morning or late afternoon.

Evidence can be obscured by dense ground cover or heavy rain. Surveys for signs are most effective when ground cover is reduced and at least two weeks have passed since heavy rainfall.

  • Search within a few metres of each potential refuge for latrines, worn paths and compacted basking areas.
  • Record the complete shelter complex, not only individual burrow entrances.
  • Use gloves when handling scats or other animal signs.

Threats: Clearing and construction

The main threat is loss and degradation of habitat, especially the shelter structures and connected ground cover used by colonies. The species' long life, low fecundity, high site fidelity and limited dispersal increase the risk from sudden disturbance.

Clearing can remove woodland, logs, stumps, rocks, leaf litter, dense ground cover and burrows. Earthworks can collapse burrow systems, bury refuges or trap animals in holes, trenches and drains.

Construction traffic and machinery can cause injury or mortality. Rail, road and utility corridors can fragment colonies and increase edge effects. In one assessed mine and rail project, potential impacts included clearing, fragmentation, vehicle and machinery encounters, entrapment, weed spread, poor erosion control and altered fire regimes.

Survey effort in suitable habitat: 20 minutes of diurnal searching per hectare, covering 20 percent of suitable habitat when 50 hectares or more is present, or 40 percent when less than 50 hectares is present

  • Avoid active colonies and retain connected shelter structures wherever practicable.
  • Fence and mark exclusion areas before clearing or earthworks begin.
  • Inspect and manage holes, trenches, pipes and drains so animals cannot become trapped.
  • Use fauna-friendly culverts and crossings where linear infrastructure interrupts habitat.
  • Use the precautionary approach where suitable habitat and microhabitat are present but surveys have not confirmed absence.

Threats: Fragmentation, roads and fire

Yakka Skinks have high site fidelity and limited ability to disperse from a colony. Fragmentation can therefore isolate colonies and remove access to nearby refuges and feeding areas.

Road widening and roadside management can remove rocks, logs, bark, leaf litter and other microhabitat. Inappropriate fire regimes can reduce ground cover and shelter and alter the condition of occupied sites.

  • Keep retained habitat patches connected through shelter-rich corridors.
  • Avoid unnecessary removal of fallen timber and roadside refuge features.
  • Plan fire management to retain the logs, litter, dense ground vegetation and burrow entrances used by colonies.
  • Control vehicle speeds and restrict off-road access near known colonies.

Threats: Predators, weeds and hydrology

Predation by feral cats and European Red Foxes is identified as a threat. Ripping rabbit warrens can remove established refuge systems. Weeds can alter ground cover and increase habitat degradation.

Sediment and erosion control failures can degrade adjacent habitat and water quality. The supplied documents do not identify a species-specific disease or hydrological requirement, but earthworks, drainage changes and tunnel erosion can directly damage burrows and shelter features.

  • Include feral cat and fox control in site and offset management where they threaten colonies.
  • Do not rip rabbit warrens or disturb erosion features without first assessing them for Yakka Skink use.
  • Prevent sediment movement into retained habitat and avoid uncontrolled drainage across burrow systems.
  • Clean equipment between sites to reduce weed and pathogen spread.

Survey methodology: 1. Map habitat and microhabitat

Survey for Yakka Skink, Egernia rugosa, must focus on colonies, burrows and associated shelter features rather than relying on general reptile trapping. The species is cryptic, wary and difficult to detect, so an absence claim requires suitable survey effort or a documented, evidence-based alternative.

Define the survey area and map open forest, woodland and low shrubland, including remnant and regrowth areas. Prioritise sites with large logs, log piles, tree stumps, partly buried rocks, dense ground cover, root cavities, abandoned animal burrows, tunnel erosion, sinkholes and spoil heaps.

Record habitat condition, connectivity and the location of potential colonies before selecting survey sites. Suitable habitat can occur in cleared or grazed areas where shelter features remain.

Typical vegetation: Poplar box, mulga, cypress pine, ironbark, brigalow, bendee, belah, lancewood, buloke and other open forest, woodland and low shrubland

Important shelter features: Large hollow logs, logs greater than 30 cm diameter, log piles, tree stumps, rocks, root cavities, rabbit warrens, erosion tunnels, sinkholes and building rubble

Survey methodology: 2. Diurnal search for colony signs

Search on foot during the warmer, drier months, when activity around burrow complexes is more apparent. In the Brigalow Belt and Mulga Lands, activity generally increases from mid-September to early October.

Do not roll logs, rocks or other habitat during a passive search. The species is particularly wary and may retreat rapidly if it detects movement.

Minimum effort: 20 minutes searching per hectare

Area to search: 20 per cent of suitable habitat when 50 hectares or more is present, or 40 per cent when less than 50 hectares is present

Recommended timing: Spring and early summer, or other warmer, drier periods with reduced ground cover

  • Search around shelter features for multiple burrow entrances, excavated or compacted soil, tracks, worn basking areas, worn trails and communal latrine sites.
  • Inspect within a few metres of burrow entrances for concentrated scats, including scats under sticks, branches, tussocks or inside hollow logs.
  • Conduct the minimum search effort of 20 minutes per hectare within suitable habitat.
  • Search 20 per cent of suitable habitat where 50 hectares or more is present, or 40 per cent where less than 50 hectares is present.
  • Avoid searching immediately after heavy rain because rain can wash away excavated soil, worn areas and scats; conduct sign searches at least two weeks after heavy rainfall where practicable.

Survey methodology: 3. Distant observation and night torching

Use distant observation because Yakka Skinks retreat quickly when approached. Scan from a vantage point without entering or disturbing the shelter feature.

Warm nights can provide opportunities to confirm animals near burrow entrances or inside hollow logs.

Distant observation effort: 20 minutes on each of three separate days

Best observation periods: As morning temperatures rise and during the late afternoon before dusk

  • Conduct distant observation for 20 minutes per day on three separate days.
  • Scan areas with abundant microhabitat, including large logs, log piles, rabbit warrens, extensive tunnel erosion, spoil heaps and road verges with retained timber.
  • Use binoculars or a spotting scope during the morning as temperatures rise and during the late afternoon before dusk.
  • Shine a torch down burrows and nearby hollow logs during the day or at night, without damaging the burrow or disturbing the animal.
  • Treat burrows and signs as unconfirmed until supported by a diagnostic scale, photograph, camera image or direct observation.

Survey methodology: 4. Camera confirmation and limited trapping

Use passive camera trapping in preference to physical trapping where a suspected colony has not been confirmed. Set cameras so they do not obstruct burrow entrances, latrines or basking positions.

Physical trapping should only be used when needed to confirm an unconfirmed colony and by personnel experienced with the species and reptile welfare.

Camera effort: 12 camera trap nights per colony, normally four nights

Funnel trap effort: 60 trap nights per colony, normally four nights

Trap location: Within 3 metres of a colony is required for standard arrays to have a reasonable chance of detecting the species, and this is not recommended as a routine pitfall approach

  • Deploy multiple passive infrared cameras over the most-used burrow entrances, latrine sites and basking positions.
  • Use the highest practical passive infrared sensitivity, or time-lapse photography at 5 to 10 minute intervals where appropriate.
  • Operate cameras for 12 camera trap nights per colony, normally four nights with three cameras.
  • If trapping is necessary, use shaded funnel traps near confirmed or suspected burrow entrances and latrines for 60 trap nights per colony, normally 10 traps for four nights.
  • Check funnel traps at dawn, again in mid-morning and every few hours thereafter, with more frequent checks during warm weather.
  • Provide at least 70 per cent shade over funnel traps, close traps before heat becomes a risk, and do not trap during temperature extremes.
  • Do not use standard pitfall or funnel arrays away from colonies as a general detection method, because they are not sufficient unless deployed within 3 metres of a colony.
  • Do not target Yakka Skinks with Elliott or cage traps unless an authorised, species-specific procedure requires it; the Queensland guideline does not recommend these traps because of injury, heat, cold and ant risks.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Use observers who can demonstrate experience detecting Yakka Skink signs and colonies.
  • If the recommended effort cannot be completed and suitable habitat and microhabitat are present, treat the species as potentially present rather than relying on a negative result.
  • Photograph animals, burrows, latrine sites and the surrounding microhabitat in colour, with scale and location information.
  • Confirm suspected records using direct observation, a diagnostic scale from a latrine, a clear camera image or an appropriately authorised capture record.
  • Send potential records and photo vouchers to the Queensland Museum or the relevant state fauna authority and museum for identification and databasing.
  • Submit confirmed records, survey effort, search areas and negative results to Queensland WildNet or the relevant state wildlife database.
  • Record survey dates, weather, rainfall history, observer experience, effort, habitat condition, colony signs, trap checks, by-catch and all management responses.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat suitable habitat as occupied where survey effort is incomplete or the species cannot be reliably excluded. Planning must protect colony sites and the shelter features that support them, including in cleared or modified areas.

Primary habitat indicator: More than 30 per cent ground cover vegetation and more than 30 per cent cover of leaf litter and fallen woody material, with more than 10 combined large shelter features per 100 metre by 100 metre plot

EPBC status: Vulnerable

Queensland status: Vulnerable under the Nature Conservation Act 1992

  • Avoid clearing occupied or potentially occupied colony sites, large hollow logs, log piles, tree stumps, rocky shelter features, root cavities, rabbit warrens, erosion tunnels and sinkholes.
  • Retain connected patches of open forest, woodland and shrubland rather than isolating individual shelter features.
  • Retain ground cover, leaf litter and fallen woody material around known or potential colonies.
  • Do not remove microhabitat during road widening, vegetation management, firebreak construction or site preparation unless it has been assessed and managed under the approved project controls.
  • Include primary habitat in the impact assessment where open forest or woodland has ground cover, leaf litter and fallen woody material, together with abundant rocks, large logs, stumps or animal burrows.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project controls

  • Check whether the proposed action may significantly impact this EPBC Act listed species and obtain environmental advice before clearing or construction.
  • Check Queensland and other applicable state or territory requirements, including fauna handling, clearing and relocation authorisations.
  • Set disturbance limits and no-go areas on project drawings and in the environmental management plan.
  • Prepare a species-specific fauna management or species management plan where the project approval requires one, including controls for clearing, fragmentation, vehicle strike, trenches, sediment, weeds, fire and feral predators.
  • Use the species survey results, habitat mapping and any state government constraints layers to refine the infrastructure layout before works commence.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete the targeted pre-clearance search using the Queensland effort guide where suitable habitat remains within or near the disturbance footprint.
  • Mark confirmed colonies, potential colonies, burrow systems, latrine sites, basking areas and retained habitat on the ground and in the site GIS.
  • Establish exclusion fencing or clearly marked no-go zones around retained colonies and habitat features where fencing will not block necessary movement or cause entrapment.
  • Brief the fauna spotter catcher, supervisors and machine operators on Yakka Skink signs, shelter features, stop-work triggers and the approved response procedure.
  • Plan staging so that retained habitat and connected shelter features remain available until the relevant clearing and fauna management steps are complete.
  • Schedule searches during spring and early summer or other warmer, drier conditions where practicable, while avoiding sign searches for at least two weeks after heavy rain.

During habitat disturbance: Daily site controls

Clearing must proceed slowly enough for the fauna spotter catcher to inspect shelter features and direct machinery. The species may remain hidden in burrows, logs or root cavities, so a single visual sweep is not sufficient.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, no-go markers, trenches, pits and access routes before work starts each day.
  • Keep the fauna spotter catcher in direct communication with the machine operator and supervisor during vegetation clearing and earthworks.
  • Clear in stages towards retained habitat, where this is consistent with the approved fauna management plan, so animals have an opportunity to move away from machinery.
  • Maintain low machine speed and stop machinery when the spotter catcher identifies a burrow, log, stump, rock pile, erosion tunnel, sinkhole or other potential shelter feature.
  • Cover or ramp open trenches, holes and pits as soon as practicable, and inspect them for trapped fauna before backfilling.
  • Prevent sediment, erosion, weeds and contaminated material from entering retained habitat or degrading nearby ground cover.
  • Keep vehicles on approved access routes and control speed near retained habitat to reduce collision risk.

During habitat disturbance: Handle habitat features carefully

  • Do not destroy or drag large logs, hollow logs, stumps, rocks, log piles, root masses, burrows or erosion features until the spotter catcher has inspected them and the approved procedure allows disturbance.
  • Do not insert tools or equipment into burrows or hollows unless an authorised person is using a suitable inspection device and can avoid damage to the structure and animal.
  • Retain habitat features in place wherever possible; if an approved plan requires movement, place them in nearby retained habitat with similar shelter and ground-cover conditions.
  • Treat communal latrines and worn basking areas as evidence of a colony and protect the nearby burrow system until the fauna ecologist or authorised spotter catcher has assessed it.
  • Keep cleared timber and rocks that are designated for habitat retention separate from waste material and protect them from crushing or burning.

During habitat disturbance: Respond to an animal or colony

  • Stop work immediately within the defined exclusion area when a Yakka Skink, occupied burrow or confirmed colony is found.
  • Keep people and machinery away from the animal and its shelter, and allow the fauna spotter catcher or other authorised wildlife handler to assess the situation.
  • Do not chase, excavate, corner or handle the animal unless handling is authorised and necessary under the project fauna procedure.
  • Use a clear colour photograph and record the animal, burrow, latrine or microhabitat location for identification and reporting.
  • Relocate an animal only when authorised by the relevant approval and fauna management plan, and use nearby retained habitat that provides suitable shelter and connectivity.
  • Take injured animals to an appropriately experienced wildlife carer or veterinarian under the approved wildlife care procedure.
  • Resume work only after the authorised fauna professional has cleared the area and any required exclusion, relocation or habitat protection measures are in place.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work if a Yakka Skink is found, if a suspected colony cannot be excluded, if machinery enters a no-go area, or if a burrow or shelter feature is damaged unexpectedly.
  • Stop trapping when temperatures become unsafe, when traps cannot be checked at the required frequency, or when ants, snakes or other by-catch create a welfare risk.
  • Record the date, time, location, activity, animal or sign, habitat feature, photographs, personnel involved, action taken, outcome and approval reference for every incident.
  • Report any injury, mortality, habitat damage, unplanned clearing or exceedance of a disturbance limit to the project environmental officer and approval authority as required.
  • Update the project GIS and constraints maps after each confirmed record or newly identified colony.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must verify that retained colonies and habitat features remain functional. Monitoring should focus on shelter use, colony signs, new threats and compliance with the approved disturbance limits.

  • Inspect the cleared edge and retained habitat for trapped, injured or displaced Yakka Skinks, damaged burrows, crushed logs, removed stumps and changes to erosion features.
  • Check trenches, pits, culverts and other structures before closure and after major rainfall or earthworks changes.
  • Reinspect retained colonies and potential colonies for fresh excavated soil, worn basking areas, trails and communal latrines.
  • Repair exclusion fencing, sediment controls and habitat protection measures promptly if they are damaged or no longer effective.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Camera follow-up option: Four nights with three cameras, or 12 camera trap nights per colony

Disturbance control: The EPBC approval example sets whole-of-project disturbance limits and requires contact with the department before a limit is reached or predicted to be exceeded

  • Monitor retained colonies using the same search locations and methods used for the baseline survey so changes in detectability can be assessed.
  • Use distant observation, camera trapping and sign searches to check whether burrows, basking areas and latrines remain active.
  • Record monitoring effort, weather, rainfall, habitat condition, signs, sightings, mortalities, injuries, weed cover, predator activity and corrective actions.
  • Report confirmed records and significant incidents to the relevant state wildlife database and approval authority.
  • Review monitoring results against the species management plan, offset management plan and project disturbance limits.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and adaptive management

  • Secure and manage offsets where residual impacts are authorised and required under the EPBC Act approval or applicable state approval.
  • Include baseline condition, habitat amount, connectivity, legal security, threat controls, performance indicators, monitoring frequency, triggers and corrective actions in the offset management plan.
  • Use monitoring results to adjust fire, weed, feral predator, grazing and habitat management measures.
  • Apply additional survey or research where monitoring indicates that colonies are declining, habitat features are being lost or the project is affecting connectivity.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate the shelter structure and ground conditions used by Yakka Skink colonies, not simply replace the canopy. The target is connected open forest, woodland or shrubland with durable burrows, logs, stumps, rocks, leaf litter and ground cover.

Habitat associations: Open dry sclerophyll forest, woodland and low shrubland on firm but friable soils, with large logs, woody debris, rocks or burrows

Shelter features: Large hollow logs, logs, stumps, rocks, root cavities, rabbit warrens, tunnel erosion, sinkholes and rubble piles

  • Revegetate with locally appropriate open forest and woodland species that reflect the pre-clearing community, such as poplar box, mulga, cypress pine, ironbark, brigalow, bendee, belah, lancewood or other species documented for the site.
  • Reinstate large logs, hollow logs, tree stumps, partly buried rocks and woody debris in clusters that provide cavities and protected edges.
  • Retain or rebuild dense ground cover, leaf litter and fallen woody material around shelter features.
  • Stabilise and protect suitable erosion gullies, root cavities and abandoned burrows where they form part of retained or restored habitat, without creating unsafe erosion or construction hazards.
  • Connect restored areas to retained woodland or open forest and avoid narrow, isolated habitat fragments where practicable.

Rehabilitation actions: Manage threats during recovery

  • Control invasive weeds so dense introduced growth does not remove access to burrows, basking areas or movement paths.
  • Manage feral cats and European Red Foxes in accordance with the relevant threat abatement plans and project pest management plan.
  • Use fire regimes that retain logs, stumps, ground cover, leaf litter and colony shelter features, and avoid unplanned high-intensity fire through retained colonies.
  • Manage grazing, vehicle access and maintenance activities to prevent trampling or removal of burrows, logs, rocks and woody debris.
  • Control sediment and erosion so restored habitat and nearby colonies are not buried or degraded.

Rehabilitation actions: Measure success

Colony monitoring method: Diurnal sign search, distant observation or passive camera trapping focused on burrows, latrines and basking positions

Camera monitoring effort: 12 camera trap nights per colony, normally four nights

  • Set measurable rehabilitation targets for area restored, connectivity, survival of planted vegetation, ground-cover retention, retained woody debris and the number and condition of shelter features.
  • Inspect restored habitat at least after major earthworks, heavy rain and fire, and at the monitoring frequency specified in the approved plan.
  • Search for fresh burrow entrances, worn basking areas, trails, communal latrines and Yakka Skinks using consistent effort and methods.
  • Use camera trapping at restored colony sites where signs are present or where confirmation is required, using 12 camera trap nights per colony as the species guideline effort.
  • Trigger corrective action if shelter features are removed, ground cover or woody debris declines, weeds or predators increase, erosion damages burrows, or monitoring shows no recovery within the approved performance period.
  • Report rehabilitation results, failures and corrective actions to the project environmental officer, approval authority and relevant state wildlife database where records are generated.

Sources