recovery of spotted-tailed quoll in bushfire affected regions of east gippsland

Summary:

The Spotted-tailed Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) is a marsupial carnivore endemic to eastern Australia, where it is found from north-eastern Queensland to Tasmania.  There are two subspecies: D. maculatus gracilis and D. maculatus maculatus. The latter occurs in the bushfire affected regions of New South Wales and Eastern Victoria where it is likely that the recent bushfires have had a detrimental effect on their populations. 

Major threats to the Spotted-tailed quoll include inappropriate burning regimes including bushfire, habitat loss, timber harvesting, competition and predation from introduced carnivores, deliberate killing, road mortality and climate change.  A National Recovery Plan for the Spotted-tailed Quoll was developed in 2016 however many of the actions outlined in this plan are still to be undertaken, particularly in Victoria. 

Recovery strategy:

Threatened Species Conservancy will form a specialist working group to guide the implementation of the following actions from the Spotted-tailed Quoll recovery strategy:

●        Develop a working group of key experts including partners in the Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning (DELWP), Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI), The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), Zoos Victoria and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.

●        Implement targeted survey techniques and monitoring protocols using a combination of techniques to detect quolls at a range of population densities including camera trapping, detector dogs, latrine searches and eDNA. This will include genetic sampling of scats which will provide information on population structure without the need for live capture.

●        Develop a draft translocation plan for the translocation of Spotted-tailed quolls to East Gippsland in the Southern Ark footprint once a sufficient amount of habitat has recovered to support this.  The draft will identify knowledge gaps that will need to be addressed prior to finalising the plan and implementing a translocation.

●        Increase community awareness of Spotted-tailed quolls and involvement in the recovery program by involving the community in survey and monitoring efforts for the species and Preparing education resources to be distributed to an identified target audience.

Partners:

Arthur Rylah Institute

Conservation Status: Endangered (EPBC), Threatened (FFG)
Estimated Cost of Project: $893,780
Funding Received: $0
Duration: 2 years