Population characteristics and management of the long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus) in high-quality habitat in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda A. Norton ◽  
Alison Prentice ◽  
Juliet Dingle ◽  
Kris French ◽  
Andrew W. Claridge
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Live Trapping ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Fox Control ◽  
Potorous Tridactylus

Since European settlement in Australia the long-nosed potoroo (Potorous tridactylus) has suffered greatly from fox predation and habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation. To better understand the threats it faces we examined the population dynamics of the potoroo at two study sites in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales over five years, using live-trapping. As neither site had experienced inappropriate habitat change for over 25 years, fox predation was considered the major threat to this population. An assessment of fox activity and diet was undertaken at both sites for comparison with potoroo abundance. Potoroos increased at both sites over time, although at one site this increase was only in density and not range. The density increase would not have been detected using camera surveys, a monitoring technique recommended for this species. The relative abundance of foxes fluctuated over the study despite fox control in one of the two sites. Analysis of fox scats at the same sites indicated high levels of predation on potoroos. Future management should aim to provide effective fox control (particularly following any fire due to the associated loss of ground cover) and improved fox monitoring to ensure an accurate understanding of what is happening to the fox population.

Effects of logging and fire on small mammals in Mumbulla State Forest, near Bega, New South Wales

1987 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Lunney ◽  
B. Cullis ◽  
P. Eby
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
First Year ◽  
Severe Effect ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Antechinus Stuartii ◽  
Rattus Fuscipes

This study of the effects of logging on small mammals in Mumbulla State Forest on the south coast of New South Wales included the effects of a fire in November 1980 and a drought throughout the study period from June 1980 to June 1983. Rattus fuscipes was sensitive to change: logging had a significant impact on its numbers, response to ground cover, and recapture rate; fire had a more severe effect, and drought retarded the post-fire recovery of the population. The three species of dasyurid marsupials differed markedly in their response to ground cover, canopy cover, logging and fire. Antechinus stuartii was distributed evenly through all habitats and was not affected by logging, but fire had an immediate and adverse effect which was sustained by the intense drought. A. swainsonii markedly preferred the regenerating forest, and was not seen again after the fire, the failure of the population being attributed to its dependence on dense ground cover. Sminthopsis leucopus was found in low numbers, appeared to prefer forest with sparse ground cover, and showed no immediate response to logging or fire; its disappearance by the third year post-fire suggests that regenerating forest is inimical to the survival of this species. Mus musculus showed no response to logging. In the first year following the fire its numbers were still very low, but in the next year there was a short-lived plague which coincided with the only respite in the 3-year drought and, importantly, occurred in the intensely burnt parts of the forest. The options for managing this forest for the conservation of small mammals include minimising fire, retaining unlogged forest, extending the time over which alternate coupes are logged and minimising disturbance from heavy machinery.

The decline and likely loss of a population of the Northern Long-nosed Potoroo Potorous tridactylus tridactylus in Tyagarah Nature Reserve on the New South Wales Far North Coast

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Milledge ◽  
Norman Graham ◽  
Jill Smith
Keyword(s):  
Nature Reserve ◽  
New South ◽  
Local Population ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Camera Trapping ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Far North ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Alectura Lathami ◽  
Potorous Tridactylus

ABSTRACT A population of the Northern Long-nosed Potoroo Potorous tridactylus tridactylus in Tyagarah Nature Reserve on the far north coast of New South Wales was first recorded in 1985. In 1992, a cage-trapping study captured 15 individuals in the central section of the reserve and the population was estimated at 80–90 individuals at that time. A subsequent cage-trapping study in 2004 captured four individuals in the southern section of the reserve, but further cage- and camera-trapping surveys in 2009 and 2012 failed to detect any individuals. Additional camera-trapping surveys between 2012 and 2015 and more intensive surveys between 2015 and 2016 also failed to detect any individuals. The lack of detections from targeted surveys over seven years between 2009 and 2016 suggests that the Tyagarah population of the subspecies has been lost. Reasons for this loss are unclear but may be due to a combination of factors including isolation of the reserve by urban development and highway upgrades, a lack of fire for 40 years, competition for food with the local population of the Australian Brush-turkey Alectura lathami, prolonged drought and possibly, predation by the Red Fox Vulpes vulpes and non-target effects of predator control programs.

Habitat use and density of numbats (Myrmecobius fasciatus) reintroduced in an area of mallee vegetation, New South Wales

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.M. Vieira ◽  
G.R. Finlayson ◽  
C.R. Dickman
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Survey Period ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Transect Sampling ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
Future Management

The distribution of the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus) has been dramatically reduced since European settlement, with remnant populations now occurring naturally only in the south west of Western Australia. In recent years a number of reintroductions have led to the reestablishment of this species in parts of its former range. In this study we investigated the density and habitat use of the numbat within a 4,000 ha feral - free site on Scotia Sanctuary in western New South Wales. Numbats had been reintroduced to this site in 1999 and 2000. During transect sampling 500 km were driven and 10 numbats were observed. An additional 14 sightings were made incidentally during the survey period. We estimated the density of numbats at Scotia to be 1.24 individuals/100 ha (SE = 0.56). Numbats were located randomly throughout the four major vegetation communities within the reintroduction site. At a finer scale, numbats selected for areas with less spinifex and less bare ground, although visibility using this sampling technique in areas with less spinifex cover may be increased. This study provides information on the habitats used and selected for by numbats at a local scale, and suggests that the species is capable of re-inhabiting areas within its former range where essential resources such as food and shelter are still available at adequate levels, and introduced predators are absent. This, in turn, has implications for future management decisions about how and where to reintroduce this species to other parts of its former range.

Establishing surface-sown pastures in a Poa labillardieri-Themeda australis association

1986 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 331 ◽  
Author(s):  
MH Campbell ◽  
MJ Keys ◽  
RD Murison ◽  
JJ Dellow
Keyword(s):  
Festuca Arundinacea ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Phalaris Aquatica ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Before And After

The effects of time and rate of application of glyphosate, 2,2-DPA and tetrapion on Poa labillardieri and Themeda australis were measured in seven experiments carried out 55 km south of Braidwood, on the southern tablelands of New South Wales between 1980 and 1982. In an eighth experiment (1981) and in a 35-ha demonstration (1983), at the same site, the effects of applying herbicides (before and after the autumn break) and surface-sowing Phalaris aquatica, Festuca arundinacea and Trifiolium repens with fertiliser on the control of P. labillardieri were ascertained. All three herbicides proved effective in reducing the ground cover of P. labillardieri from applications at any time of the year. For T. australis, tetrapion proved effective when applied at any time of the year, while glyphosate and 2,2-DPA were effective in all seasons except winter. Glyphosate at rates between 0.72 and 1.44 kg/ha a.i. was more cost effective than 2,2-DPA (11.1 kg/ha a.i.) and tetrapion (3.75 kg/ha a.i.). Best establishment and development of sown grasses and legumes was attained by applying herbicides after the autumn break but before heavy frosts, and then surface-sowing 1-3 months later. Control of P. labillardieri was best where P. aquatica and F. arundinacea established most densely.

The genetic diversity and distinctiveness of the Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby Petrogale xanthopus (Gray, 1854) in New South Wales

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa C. Pope ◽  
Andy Sharp ◽  
Craig Moritz
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Habitat Disturbance ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Feral Animals ◽  
Species Being

Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies (YFRW) Petrogale xanthopus have declined in numbers since European settlement from past hunting for skins, habitat disturbance and predation and competition with feral animals (Gordon et al. 1978, 1993; Copley 1983; Henzell 1990). This has led to the species being classed as potentially vulnerable to extinction in Australia (Kennedy 1992), and endangered in New South Wales (Schedule 1, Threatened Species Conservation Act, 1995).

An analysis of bait-take and non-target impacts during a fox-control exercise

1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Dexter ◽  
Paul Meek
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
The Other ◽  
Target Species ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Poison Baiting ◽  
Heath Forest ◽  
Free Feeding ◽  
Fox Control ◽  
Control Exercise

The effectiveness of a fox-control exercise at the Beecroft Peninsula, New South Wales, was evaluated by examining the change in proportion of baits taken during free-feeding and after lethal baiting in four different habitats (heath, forest, coastal scrub, beach), and the change in number of radio-collared foxes alive during the course of the baiting exercise. The change in proportion of baits taken by non-target species was also examined over the course of the study. Bait take declined by 97% from the initiation of poison baiting to the final day of poison baiting eight days later with significantly more baits being taken in heath than in any other habitat. Four out of six radio-collared foxes died on the first day of poison baiting while the other two foxes died within ten days of the start of the poison-baiting session. Black rats, currawongs and ravens took a small number of baits throughout the baiting exercise.

The contribution of the community to defining the distribution of a vulnerable species, the spotted-tailed quoll, Dasyurus maculatus

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lunney ◽  
Alison Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Field Survey ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Vulnerable Species ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Private Lands ◽  
Survey Techniques ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Port Stephens

Community-based wildlife postal surveys, which included the spotted-tailed quoll, were undertaken in Eden, Port Stephens, Bellingen and Iluka. This resulted in 68 records for spotted-tailed quolls for Eden, 40 for Port Stephens, 39 for Bellingen and 7 for Iluka. Such a high number of records from coastal New South Wales, with many on private lands, identifies postal surveys as a major source of previously overlooked sightings. Spotted-tailed quolls have declined in range by as much as 50–90% since European settlement, which has seen them listed as a nationally vulnerable species. There have been few surveys of spotted-tailed quolls in New South Wales due to their difficulty of detection using standard field survey techniques, such as cage trapping and hair tube sampling. Their unique appearance makes them an ideal species to include in community-based surveys. Future use of these surveys has the potential to contribute significantly to conservation programs of spotted-tailed quolls that involve private lands and local support.

Sustainable grazing systems for the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. 4. Soil water dynamics and runoff events for differently-managed pasture types

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 483 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Hughes ◽  
I. J. Packer ◽  
D. L. Michalk ◽  
P. M. Dowling ◽  
W. McG. King ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Management Factors

Soil water, runoff amount and quality, pasture production and environmental data were measured for a pastoral prime lamb enterprise in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales from 1998 to 2002. There were 4 pasture treatments: fertilised and sown chicory (CH), fertilised and sown introduced pastures (SP), fertilised naturalised pastures (FN) and unfertilised naturalised pastures (UN). Two grazing management regimes, tactically grazed (TG) and continuously grazed (CG) were imposed on the SP, FN and UN treatments. The CH treatment was rotationally grazed. To compare pasture and grazing system water use, maximum soil water deficit values (SWDMax) were calculated from neutron moisture meter data. SWDMax was influenced by both environmental and management factors. Management factors that influenced SWDMax were herbage mass of perennials, degree of perenniality, and the perennial species present. Environmental factors accounted for >50% of the variation in SWDMax. Inclusion of management factors (perennial herbage mass of C3 and C4 species and percentage perennial herbage mass), accounted for an additional 16% of variation. While the influence of pasture management appears to be relatively small, importantly, management is the only avenue available to land managers for influencing SWDMax. The UNTG and all sown treatments, with greater perennial herbage mass or greater C4 herbage mass consistently produced the highest SWDMax. Runoff amount and quality data are presented for ground cover percentages which generally exceeded 80% for the experimental period. Runoff as a proportion of rain received during the experiment was <3%. Environmental factors explained 47% of variation in runoff, while pasture herbage mass and ground cover percentage explained an additional 2% of variation. Water quality was monitored on 3 treatments (SPTG, FNTG and UNCG) for total nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (P) and total suspended solids (TST) over a 6-month period. The mean values for total N and P were below the acceptable contaminant concentration for agricultural irrigation water. An important outcome of this research is the concept of a practical Targeted Water Management Plan (TWMP) which devises a framework for optimum water usage and productivity at a landscape scale.

Use of herbicides for selective removal of Eragrostis curvula (Schrad.) Nees from a Phalaris aquatica pasture

1985 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 665 ◽  
Author(s):  
MH Campbell ◽  
JJ Dellow ◽  
MJ Keys ◽  
AR Gilmour
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Rate ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Trifolium Subterraneum ◽  
Selective Removal ◽  
Main Experiment ◽  
Phalaris Aquatica ◽  
Eragrostis Curvula ◽  
South Wales

In the main experiment, the effectiveness of tetrapion, glyphosate and 2,2-DPA in selectively removing Eragrostis curvula from a Phalaris aquatica pasture was determined by applying each at three rates in July 1980, September 1980, December 1980 and March 1981 near Braidwood, New South Wales. Auxiliary experiments were conducted from April 1981 to April 1983 to determine the reliability of herbicide effect on E. curvula. Tetrapion (2.25 and 3.375 kg/ha a.i.) was the most effective herbicide in killing E. curvula and promoting P. aquatica and Trifolium subterraneum. It was more selective when applied in September 1980 and December 1980 than when applied in July 1980 or March 198 1. Re-infestation by E. curvula seedlings in the 3 years after spraying with tetrapion amounted to a maximum of 3% of ground cover. In the auxiliary experiments, tetrapion was effective on all nine occasions of application, which demonstrated its reliability and effectiveness at any time of the year. Glyphosate (1.08 and 1.62 kg/ha a.i.) was effective in killing E. curvula in March 1981 but this result could not be repeated in March 1982 or March 1983 or in nine other applications at other times in these years. 2,2-DPA (maximum rate 22.2 kg/ha a.i.) was ineffective in killing E. curvula at four times of application. Recovery of the P. aquatica pasture after treatment declined in the order: tetrapion >2,2-DPA>glyphosate.

Studies on the Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallaby, Petrogale xanthopus Gray (Marsupialia : Macropodidae) I. Distribution in South Australia

1983 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
PB Copley
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Australia ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Introduced Herbivores ◽  
Flinders Ranges ◽  
South Wales

Petrogale xanthopus still occurs over most of its former range in South Australia. It is widespread in the Flinders Ranges, where almost 200 colonies are now known, and is locally common in areas of both the Rinders Ranges and Olary Hills. Six colonies are currently known in the western Gawler Ranges with an outlying population on Carriewerloo Station only 50 km west of Port Augusta. Seven colonies have been found in the Olary Hills, to the north and north-west of Olary. The species has suffered a major decline in abundance since European settlement, having become extinct locally throughout this range. Hunting for skins, competition with introduced herbivores for food and shelter, and predation by foxes seem to be the main reasons for this decline. However, it is still not possible to say whether the species currently has a decreasing population and is at risk, is in equilibrium, or is increasing. Information published in this paper and current studies in South Australia and New South Wales should soon determine this.

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