National Recovery Plan for the Sandhill Dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila) 2019 1 Adopted under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999: 2019. ISBN: 978-0-9806503-3-4 © Department of Environment and Water, South Australia This publication is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Government of South Australia. Requests and enquiries regarding reproduction should be addressed to: Department of Environment and Water GPO Box 1047 ADELAIDE SA 5001 Note: This recovery plan sets out the actions necessary to stop the decline of, and support the recovery of, the listed threatened species or ecological community. The Australian Government is committed to acting in accordance with the plan and to implementing the plan as it applies to Commonwealth areas. The plan has been developed with the involvement and cooperation of a broad range of stakeholders, but individual stakeholders have not necessarily committed to undertaking specific actions. The attainment of objectives and the provision of funds may be subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved. Proposed actions may be subject to modification over the life of the plan due to changes in knowledge. Citation: Department for Environment and Water (2019). National Recovery Plan for the Sandhill Dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila). Department for Environment and Water, South Australia. Electronic copy: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/recovery.html Cover photograph: Sandhill Dunnart (Sminthopsis psammophila) by Nigel Cotsell. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................................. 4 1.0 SPECIES INFORMATION .............................................................................................................. 5 1.1 Description ............................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Conservation status ................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Ecology ..................................................................................................................................... 7 1.4 Distribution ............................................................................................................................... 8 1.5 Habitat .................................................................................................................................... 12 1.6 Survey design ........................................................................................................................ 13 2.0 DECLINE AND THREATS ........................................................................................................... 14 2.1 Predation by cats and foxes .................................................................................................. 14 2.2 Fire regimes ........................................................................................................................... 15 2.3 Habitat loss and fragmentation ............................................................................................. 15 2.4 Introduced flora (buffel grass) ............................................................................................... 16 2.5 Introduced herbivores ............................................................................................................ 17 3.0 RECOVERY INFORMATION ....................................................................................................... 17 3.1 Current conservation actions ................................................................................................ 17 3.2 Recovery objectives and actions .......................................................................................... 21 3.3 Cost of the recovery plan ...................................................................................................... 21 3.4 Program implementation and evaluation ............................................................................. 25 3.5 Management practices .......................................................................................................... 25 3.6 Biodiversity benefits/impacts ................................................................................................. 25 3.7 Affected agencies and stakeholders .................................................................................... 26 3.8 Role and interests of Traditional Owners ............................................................................. 26 3.9 Social and economic impacts ............................................................................................... 27 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................... 27 REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................................... 27 APPENDICES ....................................................................................................................................... 34 Appendix I: Cost of Recovery ........................................................................................................... 34 Appendix II: Recorded sightings of Sandhill Dunnarts ................................................................... 36 Appendix III: Habitat descriptions ..................................................................................................... 39 Appendix IV: Current distribution of buffel grass (SA and WA) ...................................................... 41 FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1. Sandhill Dunnart, Sminthopsis psammophila ............................................................................. 5 Figure 2. National distribution of the Sandhill Dunnart .............................................................................. 8 Figure 3. Landscape scale distribution of Sandhill Dunnart sub-populations ........................................ 10 Figure 4. Local scale distribution of Sandhill Dunnart sub-populations .................................................. 11 Figure 5. Life stages of Triodia spp. as per Churchill (2001b) ................................................................ 13 Figure 6. Examples of vegetation types on Eyre Peninsula, SA ............................................................. 39 Figure 7. Example of vegetation in the Great Victoria Desert, WA ......................................................... 40 Figure 8. Examples of vegetation types in the Great Victoria Desert, SA .............................................. 40 Figure 9. Buffel grass management zones and distribution in South Australia ..................................... 41 Figure 10. Distribution of buffel grass in Western Australia .................................................................... 42 Table 1. Summary of recovery objectives, recovery actions, performance criteria ............................... 22 3 SUMMARY Scientific name: Sminthopsis psammophila Common name: Sandhill Dunnart National status (EPBC Act): Endangered Action Plan for Aust. Vulnerable (IUCN criteria: B2ab(ii,iii,iv,v); D2) Mammals 2014: WA status (BC Act): Endangered (IUCN criteria: B2ab(ii,iii,iv,v)) SA status (NPW Act): Vulnerable NT status (TPW Act): Data Deficient International obligations: Vulnerable (B2ab(ii,iii,v); D2) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES) Distribution: Three widely separated areas including; the Great Victoria Desert (SA and WA) and Eyre Peninsula, SA. Historically found in NT Extent of occurrence*: 151,635 km² (stable) (Woinarski et al. 2012) Area of occupancy*: 185 km2 (probably under-estimate), assumed to be < 2000 km² based on likely areas of habitat within known population limits as currently defined (decreasing) (Woinarski et al. 2012) No. of mature individuals*: 5000 - 10,000 (decreasing) No. of sub-populations*: 5 (largest sub-population approx. 2500 individuals) Habitat requirement: Sandy substrates in arid and semi-arid regions, with hummock grassland understorey (10-70% cover), >8 years post fire^ Threats: 1. Predation by feral cats and foxes 2. Fire regimes 3. Habitat loss and fragmentation 4. Introduced flora (buffel grass) and introduced herbivores Critical knowledge gaps: Influence of fire, undetected populations, habitat critical to survival, knowledge of threats (including any interrelationships between threats, such as fire, predation and introduced herbivores) National recovery plan: First for the species Recovery plan period: Ten years from the time of adoption, or until replaced Long term recovery Secure and enhance the conservation status of the Sandhill objective: Dunnart in the wild Recovery plan objectives: 1. Develop & implement appropriate threat management strategies to protect & conserve all known sub-populations 2. Expand the knowledge of the distribution, status, & population trends 3. Increase understanding of the biology & ecology 4. Identify habitat critical to survival & map potential habitat 5. Promote awareness of Sandhill Dunnarts & required conservation actions to