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Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles Gunnii

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Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles Gunnii Threatened Species Strategy – Year 3 Priority Species Scorecard (2018) Eastern Barred Bandicoot Perameles gunnii Key Findings The mainland subspecies of Eastern Barred Bandicoot faced near- extinction in the late 1980s due to predation by foxes and feral cats, habitat loss, and impacts from livestock grazing. A captive breeding program commenced in 1991, providing Eastern Barred Bandicoots to 11 different translocation sites. Where successful, the new sites have significantly improved recovery prospects. Photo: Victorian DELWP Significant trajectory change from 2005-15 to 2015-18? No significant change. Population recovering in 2005-15, with continuing recovery over the period 2015-18. Priority future actions • Continue captive breeding to provide insurance against extinction in the wild, and to provide animals for translocations. • Maintain biosecurity of fenced exclosures and island release sites, expand translocation sites. • Develop conservation strategies to allow coexistence with low levels of feral cats and foxes Full assessment information Background information 2018 population trajectory assessment 1. Conservation status and taxonomy 8. Expert elicitation for population trends 2. Conservation history and prospects 9. Immediate priorities from 2019 3. Past and current trends 10. Contributors 4. Key threats 11. Legislative documents 5. Past and current management 12. References 6. Support from the Australian Government 13. Citation 7. Measuring progress towards conservation The primary purpose of this scorecard is to assess progress against achieving the year three targets outlined in the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Strategy, including estimating the change in population trajectory of 20 mammal species. It has been prepared by experts from the National Environmental Science Program’s Threatened Species Recovery Hub, with input from a number of taxon experts, a range of stakeholders and staff from the Office of the Threatened Species Commissioner, for the information of the Australian Government and is non-statutory. It has been informed by statutory planning documents that guide recovery of the species, such as Recovery Plans and/or Conservation Advices (see Section 11). The descriptive information in the scorecard is drawn from the summaries of (Mallick et al. 1997; DEWHA 2008; Winnard and Coulson 2008; Hill et al. 2010; Woinarski et al. 2014; Woinarski and Burbidge 2016; Parrott et al. 2017) and references therein; unless otherwise noted by additional citations. The background information aims to provide context for estimation of progress in research and management (Section 7) and estimation of population size and trajectories (Section 8). 1 Information current to December 2018 Threatened Species Strategy – Year 3 Priority Species Scorecard (2018) 1. Conservation status and taxonomy Conservation status Whole Tasmanian subspecies Victorian subspecies (2018) EPBC Not listed Vulnerable Endangered VIC n/a n/a Extinct in the wild SA Endangered n/a Not listed TAS Not listed Not listed n/a Taxonomy: A genetic distinction between Eastern Barred Bandicoots from the Australian mainland and Tasmania has been reported (Robinson et al. 1993; Robinson 1995). This was stated to be ‘at least the level commonly ascribed to subspecies’ (Maxwell et al. 1996), and this informal treatment is generally accepted and supported by some morphological differentiation. There has not yet been a formal subspecific description and name applied to the mainland population. 2. Conservation history and prospects The pre-European distribution of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot (EBB) included most of Tasmania (except high altitude areas and highest rainfall areas), and the southern part of south-east Australia, from the south-eastern corner of SA, eastwards through Victoria to near Melbourne. The mainland and Tasmanian populations are genetically and morphologically differentiated. Although they have not been formally described as separate subspecies, the mainland and Tasmanian populations are treated separately in this assessment, as per the EBPC Act, which recognises P. gunnii gunnii from Tasmania, and P. gunnii (Victorian subspecies) from the mainland. Eastern Barred Bandicoots mainly inhabit grasslands and grassy woodlands, preferring areas with moist soils. They are capable of living in highly modified habitats such as plantations, gardens, parkland and farmlands. Although they often forage in open areas, they usually nest in thick cover. They eat a variety of invertebrates, fungi, seeds, bulbs and fruit. On the mainland, Eastern Barred Bandicoots have undergone a severe reduction in range and abundance. The last record from SA was in the late 1800s; the last wild population (near Hamilton) was extirpated from Victoria around 2002. Declines were caused by predation by foxes and cats, habitat loss and the transformation of native grasslands by livestock grazing, seeding of exotic pasture, the spread of weeds, and the use of fertiliser and insecticides. A captive population of Eastern Barred Bandicoots was established in 1989 using 40 animals from Hamilton, taken initially to a semi-captive situation at Woodlands Historic Park, and then transferred to a more intensive breeding program at Zoos Victoria in 1991. Only 19-23 of these 40 captive individuals bred successfully, becoming the founders for the entire wild and captive populations of the mainland 2 Information current to December 2018 Threatened Species Strategy – Year 3 Priority Species Scorecard (2018) subspecies. By 2018, the captive-breeding program had produced over 960 offspring, 577 of which were released to 11 translocation sites (Parrott et al. 2017). Five translocations to unfenced sites all failed, due to combinations of fox predation, overgrazing by rabbits and kangaroos, and drought. Early translocations to two fenced sites also eventually failed, again mainly due to fox predation, as a consequence of ineffective fencing. Following fence upgrades, later translocations to these same sites were successful. A third fenced site (Mt Rothwell) was successful from the start, and now contains the majority of the entire population of the mainland subspecies of Eastern Barred Bandicoots. More recently, a trial introduction was carried out to French Island, and (to date) successful translocations have occurred to two other islands (Churchill and Phillip). Currently, 780-1115 individuals persist in three fenced mainland exclosures (Mt Rothwell, Hamilton Community Parkland, Woodlands Historic Park), one island from which cats and foxes are absent (Churchill), and another island from which foxes are absent and cats are intensively controlled (Phillip). The captive insurance program currently houses an additional ~60 animals per year, including 30 breeding animals, plus young for release, and animals for research and display. Future reintroductions are planned at Tiverton (a 950 ha fenced exclosure) and French Island. Trial releases at three unfenced mainland sites to test the effectiveness of guardian dogs to product EBBs from fox predation are also imminent. Genetic diversity within the mainland population of Eastern Barred Bandicoots over the past 30 years has diminished (Weeks et al. 2013), and genetic conservation is a high priority objective in the recovery plan. A gene-pool mixing program with the Tasmanian EBB has confirmed that outcrossed animals have markedly higher genetic diversity with no negative fitness issues. These outcrossed animals will be used to increase the genetic diversity of mainland EBB populations. In Tasmania, the Eastern Barred Bandicoot was distributed across much of central, eastern and northern parts of the island. It has declined, especially in the Midlands which has experienced high clearing rates of the bandicoot’s favoured habitat (grasslands and grass woodlands), and especially between the 1950s and 1990s. It also occurs on Bruny Island, and was introduced to Maria Island. Subfossil evidence indicates that Eastern Barred Bandicoots also occurred on islands in the Bass Strait during the Pleistocene, when these islands were linked to the mainland. Although there are no reliable estimates for population size or trends, data from long-term spotlighting transects, carried out annually, do indicate population decline from the mid-1980s, but with considerable inter-annual variability. 3. Past and current trends Since European settlement the mainland subspecies of the Eastern Barred Bandicoot has declined catastrophically in distribution and abundance. The last record from SA was in the late 1800s. In Victoria, it persisted and was even common in some areas up to 1930; after this, records became sparser and more localised. By 1972, the bandicoot survived only in Hamilton in western Victoria, in an area of about 3,000 ha, and with a population size of about 1000. The area occupied and the population size halved by the mid-1980s. By 1991, this last wild population was nearing extinction; the last confirmed record was in 2002. In 1988, a captive population had been established by taking 40 animals from the Hamilton population. The captive population has never housed fewer than 30 animals and generally houses ~60 animals per year. The captive population became the source for a series of future reintroduction attempts. Translocations to 11 sites have occurred since 1989, comprising: 3 Information current to December 2018 Threatened Species Strategy – Year 3 Priority Species Scorecard (2018) • translocations to five unfenced sites which failed due to combinations
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