Woylie Conservation and Research Project: Progress Report 2010–2013 Adrian F. Wayne, Marika A. Maxwell, Colin G. Ward, Christos V. Vellios, Ian J. Wilson, Kathryn E. Dawson October 2013 State Natural Resource Management Department of Parks and Wildlife Locked Bag 104 Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983 Phone: (08) 9219 9000 Fax: (08) 9334 0498 www.dpaw.wa.gov.au © Department of Parks and Wildlife on behalf of the State of Western Australia 2013 October 2013 This work is copyright. You may download, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 , all other rights are reserved. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Department of Parks and Wildlife. 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Cover image: Juvenile woylie in the hand, photo by Sabrina Trocini ii Department of Parks and Wildlife Woylie Conservation and Research Project 2010-2013 Contents Acknowledgments.................................................................................................... xvi Summary ................................................................................................................ xvii I) Introduced predator control and monitoring .................................................... xviii Improving the quantification of introduced predator activity ............................ xviii II) Perup Sanctuary .............................................................................................. xix III) Woylie conservation.........................................................................................xx Woylie translocations.........................................................................................xx Woylie monitoring ..............................................................................................xx IV) Community participation and education.......................................................... xxi V) Evaluation of woylie conservation actions ...................................................... xxii Perup Sanctuary.............................................................................................. xxii Fox control regimes in the Upper Warren region ............................................. xxii Woylie species overview................................................................................. xxiii Other medium-sized mammals in the Upper Warren region........................... xxiii Future planning and priorities ......................................................................... xxiii 1 Background ......................................................................................................... 25 1.1 Woylie decline overview ............................................................................ 25 1.2 Woylie conservation and research............................................................. 25 1.3 National Recovery Team and Plan for the woylie...................................... 27 Recovery actions within the recovery plan........................................................ 27 2 Report scope ....................................................................................................... 29 3 Project outlines for externally funded programs................................................... 31 3.1 WA State NRM Project I: summary and aims............................................ 31 Project objectives.............................................................................................. 31 Project outcomes.............................................................................................. 31 Project milestones ............................................................................................ 32 Monitoring and evaluation milestones............................................................... 32 3.2 WA State NRM Project II: summary and aims........................................... 32 Project objectives.............................................................................................. 33 Project activities................................................................................................ 33 3.3 CFOC Project summary and aims............................................................. 34 Project description ............................................................................................ 34 Department of Parks and Wildlife ` iii Project targets .................................................................................................. 34 Project activities................................................................................................ 34 4 Introduced Predators ........................................................................................... 37 4.1 Introduction................................................................................................ 37 4.2 Control—DPaW ......................................................................................... 37 4.2.1 Aerial and ground baiting activities..................................................... 38 4.2.2 Recent additional core baiting activities ............................................. 40 4.3 Control—Landholders................................................................................ 42 4.3.1 Landholder profile............................................................................... 42 4.3.2 Landholder engagement..................................................................... 43 4.3.3 Landholder preferred control methods ............................................... 45 4.3.4 Landholder training............................................................................. 46 4.3.5 External assistance to landholders’ control effort ............................... 47 4.3.6 Recommendations ............................................................................. 47 4.4 Monitoring.................................................................................................. 47 4.4.1 Introduction......................................................................................... 48 4.4.2