Proceedings of the WWF-Australia Quoll Workshop 15 - 16 April 2008, Sydney, Australia © WWF-Australia. All rights reserved ISBN: “Proceedings of the WWF-Australia Quoll Workshop” 978-1-921031-32-8 Head office Level 13, 235 Jones St Ultimo NSW 2007 Tel: +612 9281 5515 Fax: +612 9281 1060 www.wwf.org.au Published December, 2008 by WWF-Australia. Any reproduction in full or in part of this publication must mention the title and credit the above-mentioned publisher as the copyright owner. First published 2008 The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of WWF. Editor: Alison Colyer, Julie Kirkwood, Brydie Hill and Samantha Vine WWF Designer: Helen Pitman, WWF Cover image: Jamie Williams Photography World Wide Fund for Nature ABN: 57 001 594 074 CONTENTS Background Workshop summary Summary of actions and recommendations List of participants BACKGROUND Australia has the worst rate of mammal extinctions in the world. Since European settlement at least 10% of Australia’s mammals have become extinct. Quolls are mainland Australia’s largest surviving marsupial carnivore. When Captain Cook recorded ‘quolls’ as their Aboriginal name in 1770, it is thought that most of Australia was inhabited by at least one quoll species. However, since then quolls have declined in the wild. There are four species of quoll found in Australia; the northern quoll, the eastern quoll, the western quoll, and the spotted- tailed quoll. In New Guinea there are two species of quoll; the New Guinea quoll and the bronze quoll. All quoll species are listed on the IUCN Red List. Under Federal legislation in Australia, three of the four species are listed as being threatened, the spotted-tailed quoll, western quoll and northern quoll. The fourth species, the eastern quoll, is not currently listed as being nationally threatened, however its status is discussed in greater detail during this workshop. Further information on the current distribution of all quoll species can be found in the Current Status and Distribution Updates of the Theme 1 Panel Discussion from this workshop. The following recovery teams and plans have been established for each quoll species; • Northern Quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus • National Recovery Plan in preparation, contact Brydie Hill, TSN, or Simon Ward, NRETA • No formalised recovery team • Eastern Quoll, • No recovery plan under development • No recovery team • Spot-tailed Quoll, Dasyurus maculatus (Spotted-tailed Quoll, Tiger Quoll) • National Recovery Plan in preparation, contact Gary Backhouse, DSE • ACT Action Statement (2005) • Victorian Action Plan (2003) • No formalised recovery team • Western Quoll, Dasyurus geoffroii (Chuditch) • Review of National Recovery Plan in preparation, contact Keith Morris, WA DEC • Expired National Recovery Plan (1992-2001) • No formalised recovery team • New Guinea Quoll, Dasyurus albopunctatus • No recovery plan or team established • Bronze Quoll, Dasyurus spartacus • No recovery plan or team established WWF-Australia and the Threatened Species Network (TSN) invited conservation managers and researchers from all over Australia and New Guinea to attend the first ever quoll workshop, 15-16 April, 2008, The aim of the quoll workshop was to initiate steps towards achieving coordinated implementation of quoll conservation in Australasia and to ensure that appropriate actions are being undertaken to conserve all quoll species. The workshop helped to set priorities and improve communication and cooperation in order to pursue this first step. 4 WORKSHOP SUMMARY Objective: The key objective of the workshop was to find the best way to achieve coordinated action and implementation of key priorities for quoll conservation in Australasia. Key aims of the workshop to help pursue this objective were to: 1. Identify common national and international issues and priorities across all quoll species 2. Share new research and lessons learned 3. Support collaborative networks and communication among researchers and conservation managers 4. Identify clear actions to progress quoll conservation into the future Themes: Presentations and workshops to pursue these key aims were provided over the two days through four key sessions: Theme 1: Updates and new information Theme 2: Threats and interactions Theme 3: Conservation actions Theme 4: Barriers and solutions • Workshop participants © Helen Pitman/WWF 5 Theme 1: Updates and new information Presentations for this introductory theme provided overviews of new research and current knowledge gaps, quolls in New Guinea, and suggested priority actions for future quoll conservation. A number of presentations were given which aimed to provide an overview of WWF-Australia’s reasoning for the workshop, of which summaries are provided below. Tammie Matson, Program Leader Species, WWF-Australia WWF-Australia Flagship Species Approach Tammie Matson outlined the goals and activities of WWF-Australia’s Species Program, particularly in relation to the organisation’s Flagship approach. WWF has selected national flagship species on which to focus its work. These species (or groups of species) are representative of threats and/or habitats that relate to many other plants and animals, so that by conserving the flagship species there will be a significant broader biodiversity benefit. Flagship species are also chosen for their charismatic and iconic qualities, thereby having the capacity to mobilise public support and action for conservation. Kat Miller, Program Manager – Threatened Species, WWF-Australia Threatened Species Network and Quoll Conservation Kat Miller summarised the role of the Threatened Species Network, which is a joint program of WWF-Australia and the Australian government. Kat also described the Threatened Species Network’s role to date in quoll conservation, which ranges geographically from Tasmania to the Northern Territory, working with community and indigenous groups, government agencies and policy makers for the benefit of gathering better information and reducing the threats to quoll species. Just some of the quoll projects with which TSN have been involved include; • the translocation of northern quoll to cane-toad free offshore islands in the NT • working with Traditional Owners, Lianthawirriyarra Sea Ranger Unit and NT Parks and Wildlife Service to establish a monitoring program for northern quolls on the Sir Edward Pellew Islands. • the establishment and support of the Qld Quoll Seekers Network • numerous habitat enhancement projects for the spot-tailed quoll in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and WA • regional Victorian spot-tailed quoll surveys and community training on spot-tailed quoll and habitat identification • tracking of western quolls released into Denmark State Forest, WA, and engagement with local community in baiting program Karen Firestone, Taronga Conservation Society Australia Overview of New Research and Current Knowledge Gaps Karen Firestone identified a number of knowledge gaps in quoll conservation. In particular she identified gaps regarding the taxonomic status of quolls, the phylogeographical status of northern quolls and the genetic response of northern quolls to cane toads. She noted a general lack in understanding of the basic biology and ecology of New Guinea quolls and the factors limiting bronze quoll distribution. Both species are found only in New Guinea. As well as a need for further research on New Guinea and bronze quolls, there is a need for further understanding of spotted-tailed quolls in north Queensland and Tasmania. Karen outlined recent research that has focussed on quolls and their response to cane toads. This research has found that in Queensland cane toads have reduced quoll populations, but that persisting populations of quolls still remain. In the Northern Territory there have been localised extinctions caused by cane toads. In Western Australia there has been no exposure of quolls to cane toads to date but the toad front will inevitably cross into Western Australia in the near future. 6 Plenary The following discussion and questions were covered following the presentation. Karen Firestone indicated a desire for a dedicated field project focusing on New Guinea and bronze quolls. She also agreed to accept genetic samples from work conducted by the workshop participants. Q. What yard sticks are used for determining ESU (Evolutionary Significant Units)? A. Usually it’s a divergence of 5% in mammals. Q. Has anyone tried breeding the bronze quoll with the New Guinea quoll? A. So far no, it’s not clear if they would produce viable offspring. Q. Are the eastern quolls the most ancestral species? A. No, the northern quolls are. Q. Are cane toads present in the TransFly? A. They are, but so far they are not widely spread. Q. What are the current priorities of the PNG government departments? A. At the moment the priorities encompass community and sustainable development, thus there is very little support for conservation research. Q. What other species are connected with quoll conservation in New Guinea? A. Possibly bats and water rats, but it’s not really known at this time. {Ed. - Depending on which species of quoll you refer to, these could be tree kangaroos, cuscus, possums, rats and other small mammals, } Steven Hamilton, University of New South Wales Quolls of New Guinea Steve outlined the key factors relevant to quoll conservation in New Guinea. He noted that two of the six quoll species occur in New Guinea: the Bronze quoll Dasyurus spartacus and the New Guinea quoll