Fauna Survey, Wingham Management Area, Port Macquarie Region
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This document has been scanned from hard-copy archives for research and study purposes. Please note not all information may be current. We have tried, in preparing this copy, to make the content accessible to the widest possible audience but in some cases we recognise that the automatic text recognition maybe inadequate and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience this may cause. FOREST RESOURCES SERIES NO. 19 FAUNA SURVEY, WINGHAM MANAGEMENT AREA, PORT MACQUARIE REGION PART 1. MAMMALS BY ALAN YORK \ \ FORESTRY COMMISSION OF NEW SOUTH WALES ----------------------------- FAUNA SURVEY, WINGHAM MANAGEMENT AREA, PORT MACQUARIE REGION PART 1. MAMMALS by ALAN YORK FOREST ECOLOGY SECTION WOOD TECHNOLOGY AND FOREST RESEARCH DIVISION FORESTRY COMMISSION OF NEW SOUTH WALES SYDNEY 1992 Forest Resources Series No. 19 March 1992 The Author: AIan York, BSc.(Hons.) PhD., Wildlife Ecologist, Forest Ecology Section, Wood Technology and Forest Research Division, Forestry Commission ofNew South Wales. Published by: Forestry Commission ofNew South Wales, Wood Technology and Forest Research Division, 27 Oratava Avenue, West Pennant Hills, 2125 P.O. Box lOO, Beecroft 2119 Australia. Copyright © 1992 by Forestry Commission ofNew South Wales ODC 156.2:149 (944) ISSN 1033-1220 ISBN 07305 5663 8 Fauna Survey, Wingham Management Area, -i- PortMacquarie Region Part 1. Mammals TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 1. The Wingham Management Area 1 (a) Location 1 (b) Physical environment 3 (c) Vegetation communities 3 (d) Fire 5 (e) Timber harvesting : 5 SURVEY METHODOLOGy 7 1. Overall Sampling Strategy 7 (a) General survey 7 (b) Plot-based survey 7 (i) Stratification 1:Jy Broad Forest Type : 8 (ii) Stratification by Altitude 8 (iii) Stratification 1:Jy Management History 8 (iv) Plot selection 9 (v) Special considerations 9 (vi) Plot establishment 10 (vii) Plot design............................................................................................................ 12 (c) Specialized survey 12 (d) Other considerations 12 (e) Data presentation and analysis 12 2. Mammal Survey Methodology 14 (a) General survey 14 (i) Literature review 14 (ii) Opportunistic sightings 14 (iii) Road survey.......................................................................................................... 14 (iv) Predator scat analysis 15 (b) Plot-based survey 15 (i) Large arboreal marsupials................................................................................... 15 (ii) Small arboreal mammals 15 (iii) Small terrestrial mammals 16 (iv) Large terrestrial mammals................................................................................... 16 Forest Resources Series No. 19 Forestry Commission ofNew South Wales Fauna Survey, Wingham Management Area, Port Macquarie Region Part 1. Mammals -ii- (c) Specialized survey ; 16 (i) Unlogged Rainforest : 16 (ii) Rocky habitats 17 (iii) Pseudornys oralis habitats 17 (iv) Grassy habitats 17 (d) Survey limitations 18 (e) Data analysis 18 RESULTS 20 1. General Survey......................................................................................................................... 20 (a) literature review............................................................................................................ 20 (b) Opportunistic sightings 21 (c) Road survey 21 (d) Predator scat analysis 22 2. Plot-based Survey 24 (a) Large arboreal marsupials............................................................................................. 24 (i) Population density ofGreater Gliders 26 (ii) Population density of Common Ringtail Posswns 28 (iii) Population density of Common Brushtail Posswns........................................... 30 (iv) Distribution ofMountain Brushtail Posswns 31 (v) Distribution ofKoalas.......................................................................................... 31 (vi) Distribution ofYellow-bellied Gliders 31 (vii) Distribution ofSugar Gliders 32 (b) Small arboreal mammals 32 (c) Small terrestrial mammals 33 (i) Plot-based survey 33 (ii) Specialized survey................................................................................................ 33 (d) Large terrestrial mammals 34 (i) Plots-based survey 34 (ii) Specialized survey................................................................................................ 36 DISCUSSION 37 1. Background Iriformation........................................................................................................... 37 2. Large ArborealMarsupials 37 (a) Greater Gliders 38 (b) Common Ringtail Posswns............................................................................................. 39 (c) Common Brushtail Posswns 39 Forestry Conunission ofNew South Wales Forest Resources Series No. 19 Fauna Survey, Wingham Management Area, -iii- PortMacquarie Region Part 1. Mammals (d) Mountain Brushtail Possums 40 (e) Koala 40 (f) Yellow-bellied Gliders................................................................................................... 42 3. Small Arboreal Mammals 42 (a) Brush-tailed Phaseogale 43 (b) Eastern Pygmy Possum 43 (e) Sugar Glider 43 (d) Other small arboreal mamrnals 44 4. Small Terrestrial Mammals 45 5. Large Terrestrial Mammals 46 6. Other Native Mammals 47 7. Introduced Speeies 48 8. Fire Management 48 9. Conservation Issues 50 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 51 REFERENCES 51 FIGURES Figure 1. Locality map showing Wingham Mangement Area and surrounding National Parks,..... 2 Major Reserves and State Forest areas. Figure 2. Location offauna survey plots...................................................................................... 13 TABLES Table 1. State Forests within the Wingham Mangement Area 3 Table 2. The definition ofBroad Forest Types within the Management Area 4 Table 3. State Forest areas by Broad Forest Types 4 Table 4. Allocation ofstudy plots within the Management Area 10 Table 5. General infonnation for fauna survey plots................................................................... 11 Table 6. Arboreal mammal species recorded during road transect survey 22 Table 7. Analysis ofpredator seats and hair samples........................... 23 Forest Resources Series No. 19 Forestry Commission ofNew South Wales Fauna Survey, Wingham Management Area, Port Macquarie Region Part 1. Mammals -iv- Table 8. Relative species richness ofall large arboreal marsupials on study plots differing 24 in Broad Forest Type, Management History and Altitude. Table 9. Relative species richness oflarge arboreal marsupials on study plots differing in......... 25 Broad Forest Type and Mangement History. Table 10. Relative population density ofGreater Gliders on study plots differing in Broad.......... 26 Forest Type, Management History and Altitude. Table 11. Relative population density ofGreater Gliders on study plots differing in Broad.......... 27 Forest Type and Mangement History. Table 12. Relative population density ofCommon Ringtail Possums on study plots differing...... 28 in Broad Forest Type, Martgement History and Altitude. Table 13. Relative population density ofCommon Ringtail Possums on study plots differing...... 29 in Broad Forest Type and Mangement History. Table 14. Relative population density ofCommon Brushtail Possums on study plots differing.....30 in Broad Forest Type, Mangement History and Altitude. Table 15. Relative population density ofCommon Brushtail Possums on study plots differing.... 31 in Broad Forest Type and Mangement History. Table 16. Relative population density ofthe Brown Antechinus on study plots differing 32 in Broad Forest Type, Mangement History and Altitude. Table 17. Plot-based records oflarge terrestrial mammals 35 APPENDICES Appendix 1. Floristic communities as derived from numerical classification......................... 56 ofsurvey data. Appendix 2. List ofknown mammal fauna for the region 57 Appendix 3. Detail ofroad survey transects 59 Foresl.1)' Commission ofNew South Wales Forest Resources Series No. 19 ~~-_. ~~-~~~-----------------------=---------------.., Fauna Survey, Wingham Management Area. -1- PortMacquarie Region Part 1. Manunals INTRODUCTION This report constitutes the first of a four part series (Forest Resources Series No. 19-22) which detail the results ofa substantial fauna survey undertaken within the Wingham Management Area in the Taree Forestry District ofNew South Wales. The other three fauna reports are entitled: Fauna Survey, Wingham Management Area, Port Macquarie Region. Part 2. Birds, Part 3. Reptiles and Amphibians, and Part 4. Bats. The vegetation ofthe Management Area has been surveyed and results are presented in Forest Resources Series No. 18 (Binns and Chapman, 1992). This report covers all mammal groups in the Management Area, excluding the bats, which are covered in Part 4 ofthe Series. The Survey Methodology section within this document provides background information pertinent to all fauna reports, however where specialised techniques and approaches were used for particular components ofthe survey, they are described in the relevant report. The results from these surveys were used in the preparation ofthe Wingham Management Area Environmental Impact Statement (Truyard Pty. Ltd., 1992), and these flora and fauna reports also function as reference material for that E.I.S. The information collected during the fauna surveys forms part ofthe Forestry Commission's wildlife management database and, in conjunction with similar databases maintained by the Australian Museum, the National Parks and Wildlife Service ofNew South Wales