This study examined the occurrence, relative abundance and condition of platypuses in the upper catchment of the South Esk River, in north-east Tasmania, Australia, and the impact of past forestry activities on the occurrence of platypuses in first order headwater streams. The main trapping sites were in twenty first order streams, eight second-fourth order headwater streams and one fifth order stream reach. Additional trapping was also undertaken in the South Esk River and farm dams. Sites were trapped during late spring/mid summer and early autumn. A total of 78 individuals were caught in the study area. Platypuses were caught at all sites trapped in the second-fourth order and fifth order stream reaches and in nine of the twenty first order streams. Catch success was greatest in the fifth order stream reach and lowest in the first order streams. There was a trend toward a higher proportion of juvenile/subadult males in the lower order stream sites. For the higher stream orders, a higher proportion of individuals was caught during the summer, however for the first order streams, a higher proportion was caught during the autumn trapping period. Information collected on the body mass, body length and condition of individuals indicated smaller individuals with a higher tail fat index in the lower order streams. There was a trend toward a lower occurrence of platypuses in the first order streams, which had been disturbed 15 years previously by forestry operations compared to first order streams with relatively undisturbed catchments. Differences in occurrence of platypuses were related to differences in the ‘instream’ and riparian characteristics of disturbed streams compared to undisturbed streams. Headwater streams form a large proportion of a river system. Although they provide more marginal habitat for the platypus than larger river reaches, their disturbance may be an important land management issue in the conservation of this species, particularly in river catchments where the species is impacted by other environmental changes or disease.

Baseline surveys of reptiles, birds and small mammals that occur in Dune Mallee woodlands in the Lower Murray Darling catchment of south-western New South Wales were conducted at 60 sites between October 2007 and March 2008. These surveys comprise the first round of a catchmentwide monitoring programme to obtain a measure of the distribution and abundance of 21 priority threatened fauna species that inhabit Dune Mallee Woodlands. A total of 127 fauna species were recorded, which included 19 of the possible 21 threatened fauna species. The 127 species comprised 37 reptile species, 15 bat species, three small mammal species and 72 bird species. The mean species richness recorded at each three hectare survey site for birds was 14.7, reptiles 7.1, small ground dwelling mammals 0.5 and bats 3.0. Mean abundance for birds was 42.7, reptiles 13.1, small ground dwelling mammals 1.0 and microbats 3.7. These surveys represent the most comprehensive inventory of fauna of the Dune Mallee Woodlands of the Lower Murray Darling catchment. Furthermore, these surveys are a platform upon which to detect changes in abundance and persistence of priority threatened fauna species, as a way of measuring outcomes of property management agreements and offset reserves where land management has been enhanced by actions such as exotic herbivore removal and predator control.

We monitored a population of Stuttering Frog Mixophyes balbus tadpoles in Macquarie Pass National Park near Albion Park on the south coast of New South Wales. The species was initially detected by the presence of tadpoles at one site in 2000. Surveys thereafter were conducted at this site and the broader catchment of Macquarie Rivulet in an attempt to detect adults and or other tadpoles. Fifteen 250 m transects located along perennial creeks were surveyed at night for 30 min each and diurnal searches for tadpoles were conducted along approximately five km of creekline. About 200-300 tadpoles were recorded at this same site in January 2005; this cohort declined to about 15 tadpoles by September 2005. A total of 20 small tadpoles were taken into captivity in January 2005 in an attempt to maintain a captive population. Swab samples taken from free-living tadpoles indicated the presence of the frog chytrid fungus, Bactrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Mixophyes balbus may no longer persist at this site and managers now have to decide if the last cohort should be allowed to breed in captivity or an attempt made to outbreed this contracted genetic base. The captive population raises the dilemma, what should we do with captive populations that represents the last genetic vestige of an isolated population that may not persist in the wild?

We surveyed a population of the Green and Golden Bell Frog Litoria aurea in and around two coastal lagoons at Meroo National Park on the south coast of New South Wales. Six survey sessions were conducted between 2002 and 2008. Seven 250 m transects located around the edge of the lakes were surveyed at night for 30 minutes each. The first two survey sessions were conducted when the lakes were closed to the sea and their water levels relatively high. The next two survey sessions were conducted when Meroo Lake was open to the sea and the final one when the lake was closed but the water level low. All surveys were conducted after periods of rain to increase the probability of detecting frogs, particularly L. aurea . A total of 54 L. aurea was detected in December 2002 and 46 in February 2003. Breeding activity was observed at five sites. Recently metamorphosed frogs were observed during the late summer survey in 2003. Litoria aurea bred in brackish water having a salinity of 3 parts per thousand and existed within an environment that contained marine species of fish. A subset of three sites was resurveyed in November 2003 and February 2004 and 2007. Breeding activity was not observed during 2003 and 2004 and only 3-4 frogs were detected. Breeding was recorded in 2007 but no recruitment occurred. No breeding activity was recorded in 2008. Surveys for L. aurea should be conducted after periods of intense rain in spring to maximise detectability. For coastal lagoons this should co-incide with periods when they are closed to the sea and the elevated water level floods shallow sedgelands. Major management issues for this population include a more comprehensive assessment of population size and habitat use, artificial opening of the lakes and the potential for the Plague Minnow Gambusia holbrooki to colonise the waterbodies from farms higher up in the catchment.

The role of landholders in kangaroo harvesting is an issue that has been revisited often over time as circumstances continue to change within the kangaroo industry, within rural communities and within national and international conservation frameworks. It is again time to assess the state of play. The kangaroo industry has, after more than 30 years of operation, a legitimate claim to being sustainable. But where does it stand in relation to current international thinking on sustainable use and in relation to the broader conservation goals for Australia's rangeland environments? This paper presents strategies for linking the kangaroo harvest with conservation in the sheep rangelands through models that can provide economic returns and a greater management role for landholders in the kangaroo industry. According to the principles of conservation through sustainable use (CSU), when local people receive direct economic returns from the sustainable use of wildlife, they can gain incentives to undertake species and habitat conservation. This is not happening with kangaroo harvesting at present and if it is to be achieved we need improved knowledge of kangaroo grazing dynamics, increased valuing of kangaroo products, pathways for landholders to engage with the industry and a clear will on the part of government agencies responsible for managing the harvest to move beyond the frameworks that have traditionally guided kangaroo management policy in Australia.

The current and historical distribution of the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus was studied in the Richmond River catchment northern New South Wales in order to determine whether changes in distribution have occurred over the past 60-70 years, sightings were collected from residents, government departments and by reviewing existing records. A range of methods was used to collect platypus sightings from residents, including a media campaign, questionnaires and a resident survey, where people in more remote areas of the catchment were approached and asked if they had sighted platypuses. The public provided information on 300 sites. Eighty-two per cent of these were occupied by platypuses, 11% were previously but no longer occupied by platypuses, and 6% were sites where platypuses have never been recorded. Public sightings indicate that platypuses are widely distributed throughout the catchment, and that they are more commonly sighted in areas of basalt than sandstone substrates. The distribution of platypuses appears to have contracted in some parts of the catchment.

The Central West and Lachlan Catchments lie west of the Great Dividing Range in central NSW and have been subjected to extensive land clearing, grazing and agricultural pressures beginning in the 1820s. Many vertebrate species are known to have disappeared from these catchments but reliable data for species diversity, distribution, abundance and conservation status are not available. For this assessment of the diversity and status of the vertebrate fauna in these catchment areas a comprehensive database of vertebrate records was established, species distributions mapped, faunal communities determined by pattern analysis and conservation status determined at a regional level. The extent of post-European human-induced landscape change was evaluated by assessing the degree of habitat loss, loss of landscape function and resilience through changes to the water cycle, soil and energy flow and the impact of invasive species, diseases and agricultural pollution. Of the 595 vertebrate species verified for these catchments, 6% are introduced, 12% have been listed in NSW under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 , 4% by the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 , 40% are regionally vulnerable, 20% regionally endangered and 2% likely to have become extinct in the region. Overall we estimate that 64% (382) of species are declining. These statistics present a grim picture of the survival of vertebrates in these catchments and potentially for the sheep-wheat belt of eastern Australia. The extreme loss of habitat and its poor condition across much of these catchments followed by serious changes to the functioning of the landscape provide clear reasons for the catastrophic decline of vertebrates in this landscape. If this serious decline in the Central West and Lachlan catchments is to be halted, strategies aimed at habitat and landscape restoration must be developed. Current strategies based on Threatened Species management plans and ad hoc planting for revegetation have not produced results. We need a radical rethink.

ABSTRACT Many invasive species have had negative effects on the Australian environment, including the introduced Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor) . However, there is a paucity of information on the factors influencing the fine scale distribution and abundance patterns of Sambar Deer in south-eastern Australia. We present the results of a field survey of Sambar Deer in the Critically Endangered Mountain Ash ( Eucalyptus regnans ) forests of the Central Highlands, Victoria. Our key question was: What factors influence detections of Sambar deer (based on scat counts) within the Mountain Ash forests of the Victorian Central Highlands? We surveyed 86 long-term field sites and detected a total of 245 groups of Sambar Deer pellets on 42% of these sites. Negative binomial regression modelling identified three factors associated with the occurrence of deer pellets. We recorded more pellets: (1) in 30 and 80 year old forest that remained unburned in fires that occurred in 2009, (2) on sites within closed National Parks relative to sites in State Forest, and (3) close to streams.

A community-based survey was conducted to establish the current distribution of the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus in the Huon River catchment, southern Tasmania. The species was found to be common and sighted in waterbodies throughout the Huon River catchment. Fewer platypuses were sighted in the eastern part of the catchment, where rainfall is lower and mudstone is the dominant geology. The absence of platypus sightings from some rivers needs further investigation as it may reflect geology, stream ecology or land use practices. Smaller waterbodies such as farm dams and creeks appeared to provide important habitat. A number of platypuses were also observed in estuarine areas where salinity levels were high. The survey also indicated that the platypus is an effective icon species for raising community awareness of the issues surrounding catchment management and river protection.

ABSTRACT Fires are a common occurrence in Australian terrestrial ecosystems. A large fire occurred in January 2013 within and adjacent to the Warrumbungle National Park, near Coonabarabran in NSW, burning over 560 km 2 of the park and surrounding region (the Wambelong fire). The Wambelong fire affected Dunphy Lake, the only lake in the park. In this study, we assessed the post-fire aquatic animal community of the lake in March and September 2014. At the times of sampling the lake was largely dry and had only small isolated pools. We found 53 invertebrate taxa including the larvae of the dragonfly Austrogynacantha heterogena and one vertebrate species (larvae of the frog Litoria rubella ) in the pool-water samples. Artificial inundation of the lake sediment samples under laboratory conditions led to the emergence of 31 taxa, totalling 62 taxa in the lake overall. Most taxa found in the lake are opportunistic and characteristic of those in still-water bodies. Dunphy Lake seems to be highly resilient in sustaining diverse aquatic animals. We highlight the importance of complementary pre- and post-fire data for improved assessments and interpretations of fire impacts to guide monitoring of post-fire recovery.

ABSTRACT Long-term research is vital for understanding long-lived, dynamic systems like forests, yet for bats such research is notable for its absence. Recent advances in technology over the last 10–20 years means that long-term studies of bats are viable and can be cost-effective. I outline three case-studies of long-term research on forest bats using different techniques. These involve annual monitoring of populations at cave roosts, periodic monitoring of forest bat activity with ultrasonic detectors and advanced mark-recapture modelling of annual banding data to describe population dynamics. Annual counts over a 17 year period of a large maternity population of Eastern Horseshoe Bats Rhinolophus megaphyllus in a sandstone cave revealed a relatively stable population in the absence of major perturbations. There were only minor variations with climatic fluctuations, suggesting the cave and associated feeding grounds in a high rainfall gully could function as a climate refuge for the species. The second case study used acoustic detectors over a 14 year period to describe changes in bat use of forest regenerating (harvesting/fire) from the 1970s when specific environmental protection was not practised in New South Wales (NSW) forests. Forest regeneration was a dynamic process, especially in relation to changing vegetation density. Dense regrowth regenerating from harvesting rapidly dominated and persisted over a considerable period of time and provided unsuitable habitat for most bat species. Our third case study used mark-recapture of banded bats to estimate population dynamics in an experimental forest with environmental protection similar to that practised today in NSW forests (protection of riparian zones; habitat trees, rainforest). Analysis of 14 years of annual banding data demonstrated little effect (either no effect, or minor positive and negative effects) of harvesting history on survival and no effect on abundance or body condition. Environmental protection measures (and tracks) appeared to mitigate the impacts of dense regrowth and bats likely used these features at a local landscape scale. Long-term banding data also revealed negligible effects of weather extremes on survival and we suggest our high elevation study site represented a climate refuge that buffered bats from the effects of weather extremes. No single technique provides all the answers to bat ecology, rather each captures a different piece of the puzzle and, most importantly, each can be applied over long periods of time.

Riparian zones are an important habitat for a range of bat species and, as a consequence, understanding whether land use practices such as timber harvesting influence their use is important for conservation and management. This small-scale study used bat activity as a measure of the use of riparian and up-slope zones along headwater streams by bats, and to determine whether past timber harvesting influenced the use of these areas by bats by comparing regrowth with no retained riparian buffers and mature forest. This study found no significant differences in bat activity between treatments, but did find a trend of higher bat activity in riparian zones compared to up-slope zones, particularly in regrowth forest. However, many sites had little to no bat activity indicating activity was influenced by factors not measured in this study. Despite limited data, this study highlights the potential value of retaining riparian habitat in harvested forests for bats, as is practised elsewhere in Australia, and the need for future research into the effectiveness of forest retention measures for wildlife.

Coomonderry Swamp, the largest freshwater coastal wetland in New South Wales, lies 15 km north east of Nowra. The wetland and its catchment are utilized for a number of purposes including dairy farming, beef cattle production, turf farming, plant nurseries and a national park. Coomonderry Swamp provides habitat for several species of fauna currently recognized as endangered in New South Wales including the Green and Golden Bell Frog ( Litoria aurea ). There have been several attempts to drain the wetland in order to convert the area to other land uses including dairying, a golf course and housing. Currently there is a proposal to rezone part of the wetland's catchment from rural to rural residential. All such proposals would compromise to some extent the habitat value of this significant wetland. If regional biodiversity is to be maintained planning authorities, need to adopt local environmental planning instruments that protect habitats identified as significant for rare and endangered species such as L. aurea .

The blue claw yabby Cherax destructor is a native of the Murray Darling drainage basin in the interior of south-eastern Australia. In New South Wales (NSW) the species naturally occurs west of the Great Dividing Range but recently, it has become established in eastern parts of NSW, outside of its natural range. The potential threats and translocation of this species into eastern NSW was first documented at 20 sites by Coughran et al. (2009). This paper builds on their initial work and documents a further 52 translocation sites (Table 1) recorded over the last four years. In an effort to further our understanding of the threat, we present information on the dispersal of this species together with observational information on interactions with freshwater crayfish (Parastacidae) species and suggest recommendations to help slow the translocation process.