Bandicoot Super Highway

A landscape protection burn at Ironbank last December will help expand habitat for the Southern Brown Bandicoots. The prescribed burn was carried out by Nationals Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia on 15 hectares of private land near Mark Oliphant Conservation Park.

Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board Regional Ecologist, Luke Price, said that “the burn will help create additional habitat for bandicoots when it regenerates.” Prior to the burn the project team and the NPWS undertook surveys in the burn area and adjacent habitat using remote cameras. Results showed bandicoots present in the better quality habitats and none in the more “open” proposed burn site. The results did not come as a surprise.

“Quite often ageing or degraded native vegetation is viewed as healthy habitat at first glance, but in many areas, further scrutiny can reveal degradation due to various combinations of weed infestation, overgrazing by kangaroos and deer, or the prolonged absence of fire. This area was a prime example. Overgrazing by native and introduced herbivores, competition from weeds and extended fire-interval all contributed to reduced habitat value for bandicoots in this case,” said Luke. The use of appropriate ecological fire management across the landscape is a cost effective and efficient way to maximise habitat for many threatened species in the region.

The burn is only one part of the process for this project. They are investigating temporary fencing options with the landholder for minimising excessive kangaroo and deer grazing at the site while the vegetation regenerates.

Remote cameras will continue being used for surveying and monitoring at the burn site to see when bandicoots return, and the results will help NPWSSA plan future prescribed burns to improve outcomes for threatened species and manage bushfire risk. The team will host a workshop in the coming months for community groups and the general public to learn more about bandicoots, how to use remote cameras and identify diggings for bandicoot surveys, amongst other things to help direct recovery efforts.

A community planting day is also planned for mid-2022 to expand available habitat for a priority bandicoot population in Mark Oliphant Conservation Park.

Keep an eye on the Fleurieu’s page Bandicoot Superhighway project page for further information about the project and how you can be involved.

Building Bungalows for Bandicoots

Southern brown bandicoot numbers in South Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges have been on a steady decline in recent years. Researchers have learned that bandicoot numbers are reduced by several factors including predators; changes in native habitats caused by humans, other animals and weeds; and also changes in climate.

Research has highlighted the need to connect genetically isolated populations of these marsupials, so they can intermingle to ensure their survival. Providing a safe environment in areas where there is a lack of native habitat is a first step to creating stepping stones between these isolated bandicoot populations.

In areas with a lack of native habitat available, bandicoot bungalows have been constructed from pallets to provide these creatures with a home base and stepping stones into new territory, using branches, grass and sticks to the top to provide dense shelter.

To assess the suitability of these new dwellings, bandicoot ‘Big Brother’ is watching to capture video data on how often, and in what way, the bandicoots use the structures. The next stage of this project will involve the deployment of more bandicoot bungalows and wildlife cameras to assess whether these ‘big nest boxes’ can help the endangered creatures move into habitat that is currently unsuitable.

FNPW gratefully appreciates the involvement of the Sturt Upper Reaches Landcare Group and University of Adelaide in this project.