ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES Endangered Long-nosed Bandicoot Population at North Head The following information is provided to area. Spotlighting and searching for assist authors of Species Impact signs, such as conical diggings, are Statements, development and activity considered adequate for initial proponents, and determining and consent presence/absence surveys. Trapping and authorities, who are required to prepare radiotracking may be required to confirm or review assessments of likely impacts nesting activity and should only be on threatened species pursuant to the conducted by suitably qualified and provisions of the Environmental experienced people who hold the Planning and Assessment Act 1979. necessary licence under the National These guidelines should be read in Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. conjunction with the NPWS Information Limit of known distribution Circular No. 2: Threatened Species Assessment under the EP&A Act: The ‘8 Potential habitat for the population of Part Test’ of Significance (November Long-nosed Bandicoots occurs on the 1996). area of North Head south of Addison Proponents, consent and determining Road, Manly (Figure 1). authorities should also note that a recovery plan for the Long-nosed Figure 1 Map of Long-nosed Bandicoot population is currently being Bandicoot distribution on North Head prepared. The recovery plan will require (1997 NSW Scientific Committee). that any developments or activities will be assessed in accordance with the recovery plan and these environmental impact assessment guidelines. Development proposals must asses direct and indirect impacts on the bandicoot population and its habitat. Direct impacts can include harm to individual bandicoots, loss, fragmentation of habitat and restriction of access to shelter and foraging areas through barriers/fences. Indirect impacts can include increases in noise and light around nesting or foraging areas and fragmentation and isolation of habitat areas. Survey Survey for development assessment purposes should target areas of potential foraging and shelter habitat and should be performed by a suitably qualified and licensed person. Habtiat includes areas of Life cycle of the species woodland, heath, scrub and open areas such as lawns, playing fields and garden Mating takes place at night and may beds. As Long-nosed bandicoots at North occur throughout the year in the Sydney Head are active all year the timing of the Region, although there is a trough in survey is not crucial. Identification of the breeding activity from late autumn species is quite straight forward as there (April) to mid-winter (June) (Stoddart are no similar species present in the local 1995). At North Head, Scott (1995) Last updated July 2004 recorded Long-nosed Bandicoots “Predation by the European Red Fox breeding from mid winter (June) to (Vulpes vulpes)” is listed as a KTP and is Autumn (March) and found the average identified as a threat to the Long-nosed litter size to be 2.3. Bandicoot. Birth takes place during the daylight In June 2000, 8 bandicoots were killed hours after a gestation of only 12.5 days by a fox at North Head. Subsequent (Stoddart 1995). The young are carried in baiting was successful in removing this the pouch for 50 to 54 days and are then fox. This incident highlights the impact left in the nest. After about 60 days, the one fox can have on the population. young begin to accompany their mother Monitoring of the establishment of foxes and learn to forage for themselves on North Head needs to be vigilant as (Menkhorst and Seebeck 1995). When they are difficult to control given the young are about 50 days old the limitations on predator control mother may mate again and produce techniques in urban areas. another litter several days after the previous one has been weaned (Stoddart “Predation by the Feral Cat (Felis 1995). In good years, females may catus)” is listed as a KTP and is produce up to 4 litters. Female identified as a threat to the Long-nosed bandicoots may begin breeding at about Bandicoot. four months and males around five months (Menkhorst and Seebeck 1995). “Clearing of native vegetation as defined by the Scientific Committee” )” is listed There are insufficient data concerning as a KTP and is identified as a threat to longevity, although individuals have the Long-nosed Bandicoot. been recorded living up to three years in captivity (Lyne 1982) and it is expected Major threats to the North Head that they may live up to two to two and a population include the loss, modification, half years in the wild. degradation and/or fragmentation of suitable habitat and direct impacts to Scott (1995) found that the diet of P. individuals. nasuta at North Head consisted primarily of beetles, larvae, ants, monocot leaf and Whilst there has been a major loss of stem and fungi. habitat over the past 200 years as a result of urbanisation (Manly), the amount of Bandicoots spend the day in a nest, habitat lost in the last 20 years at North usually a shallow hole or depression on Head has been minimal and the majority the surface of the ground which is lined of habitat currently available to with grass and leaves which it scrapes bandicoots is either in National Park, together (Stoddart 1995). These nest can will be added to National Park or is be extremely difficult to locate and the currently having management plans entrance is closed when occupied. At prepared to protect and enhance habitat North Head, bandicoots were observed values. However, there are a number of nesting in a variety of habitat types current development proposals that may including areas of dense shrubs, long result in further loss of small areas of grass, exotic vegetation (pampas grass) habitat. and in residential backyards (Scott 1995, Puddephatt and Miller 1996, Ecotone “High Frequency fire resulting in the Ecological Consultants 1998; NPWS disruption of life cycle processes in 1998). plants and animals and loss of vegetation structutre and compostion” )” is listed as Threatening processes a KTP and is identified as a threat to the Long-nosed Bandicoot. Four Key Threateneing Processes (KTPs) that have been listed under Schedule 3 of the TSC Act 1995 are known to have implications for the Long- nosed Bandicoot population. Last updated July 2004 Other threats, although not listed as the arrival of a fox. The population was KTPs that are likely to imact on the also extremely sensitive to increased Long-nosed Bandicoot include:- adult mortality. S Road mortality. This analysis needs to be repeated and tested with new and more robust S Inbreeding depression. Small information as it becomes available. populations such as the North Head However, it is apparent that the North population are likely to suffer from Head population will remain vulnerable inbreeding depression. There have to stochastic events such as major been no studies of the genetic wildfire, outbreak of disease or variability and health of the establishment of introduced predators population. such as the fox. Contingencies for these situations need to be considered. S Disease. The population could potentially be affected by Significant area of habitat toxoplasmosis. The protozoan The amount of available habitat for parasite Toxoplasma gondii is a well breeding and foraging seems to be the recognised cause of disease and main limiting factor affecting the mortality in Australian marsupials. In distribution of the Long-nosed Bandicoot Australia, Toxoplasma is a parasite population at North Head. Therefore all of the introduced cat. There is a known or potential habitat is considered substantial population of domestic significant. Areas identified as high cats adjacent to North Head and feral value bandicoot habitat should not be cats are occasionally trapped by further fragmented or isolated through NPWS staff. There have been no development. Movement of bandicoots studies completed of the incidence of between habitat areas should not be toxoplasmosis at North Head. further restricted by development and Viable local population corridors between bandicoot habitat and Sydney Harbour National Park should be Systematic monitoring of the North Head retained and where possible enhanced. population by the NPWS began in 1998. This monitoring indicates that the At North Head, Long-nosed Bandicoots population has remained relatively stable occupy to varying degrees all of the between 1998 and 2002 (Banks & Powell habitat types available including 2002), however, has not been able to woodlands, scrub, heath and open areas. determine the population size with any certainty. A comprehensive populaton Isolation and fragmentation census co-ordinated by the NPWS in The Long-nosed Bandicoot population at May 2002, indicated that the population North Head is currently isolated. It is consists of around 100 animals, assuming extremely unlikely that this population that 80% of the population was sampled interacts with other bandicoot (Banks & Hayward 2002), which is populations in the Sydney area. Any consistent with the population estimate further fragmentation of the population at provided in the Scientifc Committee’s North Head is likely be detrimental to its final determination for the continued existence. population.This census was repeated in May 2004 (Banks& Lenehan 2004) and Adequacy of representation the results indicated that the population in conservation reserves had apparently increased to between 130 and 160 animals. The North Head bandicoot population occupies approximately 260 hectares of Population viability analysis for the woodland, heath, scrub and open habitats population (Banks 2000, 2004) indicates across North Head and has also been that the North Head bandicoot population recorded occupying some of the 100 had a 10% chance of going extinct within hectares of highly modified habitats in 20 years due due chance events such as residential areas. Ninety percent (160ha Last updated July 2004 NP, 75ha Sydney Harbour Federation habitat; these corridors should be as Trust lands out of 260ha) of this habitat wide as possible and include dense is under the control of the NPWS or is ground cover to provide shelter from being managed primarily for predators; conservation purposes.