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Significant Species Management Plan 3 Egernia Rugosa (Yakka Skink)

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Significant Species Management Plan 3 Egernia Rugosa (Yakka Skink) Significant Species Management Plan 3 Egernia rugosa (Yakka Skink) Egernia rugosa (Photo Craig Eddie) Egernia rugosa Occurrence Records Map (Atlas of Living Australia, 2015) EPBC Act Conservation Status Vulnerable NC Act Conservation Status Vulnerable Known Distribution The Yakka Skink is distributed from Cape York Peninsula in the north, to central southern Queensland, as far south as the St. George area. Much of its southern distribution lies within the Brigalow Belt Biogeographic Region (Wilson and Knowles 1988; Cogger 2000). Recent surveys have extended the range further south to the NSW border (TSN 2008). This Yakka Skink distribution and records in relation to the Anya project area are shown in Figure 1. Occurrence within Anya Block There are currently no available records of the Yakka Skink from within the Anya block however mapping indicates the species distribution may extend over the area. Atlas of Living Australia (2015) shows the closest record to Anya as being 58kms North West near the Condamine State Forest. However, QGC has found the Yakka Skink within the southern portion of the Braemar State Forest during Surat Basin gas field development, approximately 11km South West from Anya. The Land Zones (LZ) and dominant tree species within Anya may provide suitable habitat for the species (refer to Preferred Habitat and Microhabitat). Potential habitat for the species within the Anya project area has been mapped using RE associations and is shown in Figure 2. Description and Relevant Characteristics The Yakka Skink is a large, robust skink to 40cm long (DoE 2015). It is a little smaller than a Blue- tongued Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides). The Yakka Skink has a light brown body with a darker brown back and usually a straw-coloured line along each side (DoE 2015). Biology and Reproduction The Yakka Skink, like other Egernia species, is highly gregarious, with populations occurring primarily as colonies or aggregations; these groups consist of both adults and juveniles of a wide variety of body sizes (Chapple 2003; Osterwalder et al. 2004). Colonies live in burrows under or around surface structures such as rocks or logs and they have been known to excavate deep burrow systems (DoE 2015 DSITIA 2014). They tend to be active during cooler parts of the day, dusk and sometimes at night. The Yakka Skink is an omnivorous species (consumes plant and animal matter) ambushing arthropods and small vertebrates that venture near the burrow entrance. The species produces live young, with around six per litter (TSN 2008). The breeding season has not been recorded. Preferred Habitat and Microhabitat Yakka Skinks occur in a wide variety of vegetation types including Poplar Box (Eucalyptus populnea), Ironbark (Eucalyptus spp.), Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla), White Cypress Pine (Callitris spp.), Mulga (Acacia aneura), Bendee (Acacia catenulata) and Lancewood (Acacia spp.) woodland and open forest (TSN 2008) in QLD RE LZs 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10. Of these LZs 3, 5 and 7 occur within Anya. Chapple (2003) suggests that this species is diurnal and secretive, preferring ecotonal forest in rainforest and wet / dry sclerophyll forest in the northern sections of its range. They use burrows as shelter that are dug under rocks, logs (especially very large logs, if available), old root tracts, bases of large trees or stumps, stick-raked piles and dense covering vegetation. They may also utilise old rabbit warrens, deep gullies and tunnel erosion and sinkholes (QMDC 2008). Like several related species, Yakka Skinks use communal defecation sites near permanent burrows (Ehmann 1992; Wilson and Knowles 1988). These sites help to identify burrows that are currently in use by a colony (DSITIA 2014). This species, and other similar skinks, often take refuge among dense ground vegetation, large hollow logs, and cavities in soil-bound root systems of fallen trees and beneath rocks (Wilson and Knowles 1988; Cogger 2000). Alternatively, this species may also excavate burrow systems among low vegetation or below logs (Ehmann 1992). In cleared habitat, this species can persist where shelter sites such as tunnel erosion, rabbit warrens and log piles exist (TSN 2008). This species is not generally found in trees or rocky habitats (Chapple 2003). The Yakka Skink may use several sites during the year with the occupied burrow identified by scat piles near the entrance (Ehmann 1992). General Threats The main threat to the Yakka Skink is habitat reduction and degradation. The Yakka Skink occurs in the Brigalow Belt Bioregion, an area of high human impact (Covacevich et al. 1998). Much of this land has been modified through agricultural and urban development (Cogger et al. 1993; McDonald et al. 1991). In particular, Brigalow communities have been severely modified and are poorly reserved (Covacevich et al. 1998). Other threats impacting the Yakka Skink include inappropriate roadside management, removal of wood debris and rock microhabitat features, ripping of rabbit warrens and feral animals (TSN 2008). Inappropriate roadside management includes road widening and removal of microhabitat such as rocks, logs, dense leaf litter and fallen bark. Feral animal impacts include predation by Foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and Feral Cats (Felis catus). Inappropriate fire regimes and trampling of burrow systems by stock and feral pigs are also known to have adverse impacts. Potential Project Threats The Project specific threats for this species include: Development • Clearing resulting in the loss of habitat; • Soil or burrow degradation from clearing, use of heavy vehicles and machinery and increased access by stock • Reduced shelter availability and soil degradation from removal of microhabitat features; • Clearing activities causing injury or mortality; • Vehicle traffic resulting in injury or mortality; • Increased access to habitat by feral predators; • Increased likelihood of trampling of individuals or burrows by livestock due to increased access to habitat; • Creation of barriers to movement; • Trenches and other excavations acting as traps resulting in injury or mortality; • Provision of shelter resources (open pipes and under stored equipment/building materials) resulting in subsequent mortality; and • Increased likelihood of weed invasion leading to degradation of habitat. Operation • Vehicle traffic resulting in injury or mortality; • Increased likelihood of weed invasion from disturbed areas leading to degraded habitat; • Increased predation due to increased access to habitat by feral species; and • Increased predation by fauna which may benefit from the disturbance. Decommissioning • Vehicle traffic resulting in injury or mortality; • Altered fire regimes; and • Increased likelihood of weed invasion from disturbed areas leading to degradation of habitat. Management Strategies As the Yakka Skink has not been identified as occurring in the Anya project area, the primary management strategy is to focus on the identification, avoidance and protection of individuals, populations, habitat and breeding areas. Planning and placement of infrastructure During the planning phase proposed infrastructure locations will be placed following QGCs Constraints Planning and Field Development Protocol (The Protocol). The primary aim of the protocol is to avoid placing infrastructure within areas of significant environmental value, including MNES, by ranking constraints as Low, Moderate, High, Very High or No Go according to infrastructure type. In accordance with the Protocol, MNES, including the Yakka Skink are designated as either ‘very high’ or ‘no go’ constraints in the mapping depending on infrastructure type (e.g. static or linear). Buffers are applied to these areas for linear and static infrastructure and these buffers are assigned the same constraint ranking as the MNES. Where the constraint is ‘no go’, QGC will not conduct activities in the area containing MNES unless: • ground truthing and field ecological surveys demonstrate that siting infrastructure in that location will cause minimal adverse impact on MNES or ESAs, including habitat for listed species and/or MNES/habitat is recoverable; • it would be within disturbance limits; and • other constraints preclude any alternative location; or • QGC obtains the relevant permits and/or approvals for the activity to commence e.g. EA Amendments or Clearing Permits. Where the constraint is ‘very high’ QGC will seek alternative locations for proposed infrastructure in that location. Very high is generally assigned to environmental constraints when planning for linear infrastructure as it is not always possible to avoid these constraints. From a mapping and desktop assessment perspective, Yakka Skink habitat may be widespread throughout the area as assessment stops at the RE level. Further validations will aim to further refine these areas to a more accurate representation of habitat on a finer scale. This will allow infrastructure to be proposed within areas that are less likely to provide suitable habitat or that offer lower quality habitat. Burrows and Burrow systems (particularly active sites/those with latrines) will be ranked as No Go as these are likely to be discrete locations that can be avoided. Alternative locations may be recommended by QGC’s environment advisers based on desktop analysis of environmental and other constraints, or the DoE approved ecologist conducting pre-clearance surveys in the field. The approval process for determining the final location of infrastructure is described in Section 3.0 of the Protocol. This requires
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