Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey of Royal & Heathcote National Parks & Garawarra State Conservation Area
The National Park the first national park in Australia, established 26 th April 1879
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey vegetation sampling units Vegetation Community Heathland Scribbly Gum Plateau Woodland, Angophora costata / Eucalyptus piperita Gully Forest Tall Forest Eucalypyus pilularis,, Warm Temperate Rainforest Eucalyptus pilularis / E. botryoides Forest, Littoral Rainforest Vegetation Group No of Sampling Sites Unburnt Heathland 8 0 Woodland / Forest 12 9 Tall Rainforest 3 6 Coastal Complex 4 3 Vegetation communities were grouped into four categories for sampling purposes. Heathland Woodland / Forest Tall Rainforest Coastal Complex and unburnt habitats were included where possible. Marine and estuarine habitats were not surveyed.
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey survey transects and sites Fifteen 2 km transects and 45 permanent sampling sites were established across the 18, 700 ha that comprise the reserves. Sampling sites were replicated across habitat types. and unburnt sites were included where possible. Heathland was restricted to Royal NP there was no unburnt heathland. Tall Rainforest only occurred in Royal NP & Garawarra SCA. Coastal complex only occurred in Royal NP. Woodland / Forest sites were located in Royal NP. Unburnt Woodland / Forest sites were located in Heathcote NP.
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey vegetation sampling units Heathland Tall Rainforest Coastal Complex Woodland / Forest Heathland
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey extent of 1994 fire More than 90% of the area of Royal NP and Garawarra SCA was burnt in the January 1994 fire. The fire started at East Heathcote on the 5 th January, Bundeena was evacuated on the 6 th January and the fire was extinguished in the southern part of the reserves on the 13 th January. Heathcote NP was unburnt by the 1994 fire, being last burnt in 1977, with a small area on Woronora Dam Rd being burnt in 1982.
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey survey transects 15 2 km transects each including 3 permanent sampling sites were established along roads, management tracks & walking tracks. Standardised survey activities along transects included:- 10 large cage traps & 10 hair traps Spotlighting 3 owl censuses Predator scat collection Harp trapping Frog searching at streams / wetlands Bird census
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey survey sites 3 rows of 6 Elliot traps 1 row of 6 pitfall traps & drift fence 1 row of 6 hair tubes Bird census Reptile search (some systematic sites) Systematic survey sites were comprised of a 70m x 30m grid on which were:- Other survey activities at sites included:- Additional survey activities included:- Ultrasonic bat call census Co-ordinated ordinated owl census Opportunistic records
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey knowledge of the vertebrate fauna Fauna Group No of species recorde d prior to 1994 fire No of specie s possibl y extinct or in doubt No species recorde d in /1997 surveys All vertebrates 358 10 246 No of new species detected in /1997 surveys Frogs 20 3 16 2 Reptiles 40 0 37 Birds 268 4 164 2 Mammals 30 3 29 5 Royal & Heathcote NPs & Garawarra SCA support a wide array of habitat types and therefore support a wide diversity of flora and fauna. Prior to this survey 358 vertebrate species were recorded for the reserves of which 10 species were thought to be locally extinct. This survey detected 246 species including 9 new species. This survey did not sample all potential habitats in Royal NP.
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey - mammals Mammal Group No of species recorded prior to 1994 fire No of species recorded during /97 surveys Total Native Mammals 30 28 Possible Extinctions 4 1 New Species 5 Monotremes 2 1 Carnivorous marsupials 4 2 Bandicoots 1 1 Wombat 1 1 Koala 1 1 Possums 7 6 Macropods 3 1 Fruit bats 1 1 Micro bats 7 11 Rodents 3 3 Total 30 28 Introduced mammals 7 8 28 species of native mammal were found during the surveys compared to 30 species known prior to the fire. 4 species, Platypus, Tiger Quoll, Red-necked Pademelon & Red- necked Wallaby may have been locally extinct prior to the fire. The Greater Glider may have become locally extinct following the fire. 5 new species of microbats were detected for the reserves. The Dingo was originally recorded when the park was established but is locally extinct and not included in totals here.
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey small mammals Species Total captures / 97 Pitfall trap Pitfall Elliott trap Elliott trap Brown Antechinus 153 20 21 112 Common Dunnart Eastern Pygmy 2 2 0 0 Possum 26 17 4 5 New Holland Mouse 51 23 5 23 Bush Rat 212 15 19 178 Swamp Rat 23 2 2 19 House Mouse 2 1 1 0 Black Rat 3 0 0 3 Eight small mammal species were detected by a range of trapping techniques. Some species were more readily detected by particular techniques. Eastern Pygmy Possum was most often caught in pitfall traps. The Common Dunnart was only trapped in pitfall traps. The Brown Antechinus, Bush Rat and Swamp Rat were readily caught in Elliott traps. The New Holland Mouse was trapped in Elliott & pitfall traps.
Species Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey small mammals - habitat Heathld Heathd 1997 Woodld / Woodld / 1997 Woodl / Forest / Unbur nt Woodld / Unburn t 1997 Tall Forest / Rainfs t / Tall Forest / Rainfs t / 1997 Tall Rainfst / Unburnt Tall Rainfst / Unburnt 1997 Coastal Comple x No of Sites 8 8 12 10 9 9 3 3 6 6 4 3 No of trapnights Brown 768 768 1152 960 864 864 288 288 576 576 384 288 Antechinu s 2 5 2 11 14 19 3 6 27 39 17 8 Common Dunnart 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Eastern Pygmy Possum 0 1 1 7 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 New Holland Mouse 32 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bush Rat Swamp 5 8 38 18 1 5 1 2 41 27 14 52 Rat 0 5 0 2 4 0 2 10 0 0 0 0 House Mouse 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Black Rat 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Total species 3 7 3 5 5 5 3 3 2 3 2 3 Coastal Comple x Unburnt
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey native small mammals Brown Antechinus & Common Dunnart Brown Antechinus Common Dunnart
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey native small mammals Eastern Pygmy Possum & New Holland Mouse Eastern Pygmy Possum New Holland Mouse
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey native small mammals Bush Rat & Swamp Rat Bush Rat Photo Ray Williams Swamp Rat
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey introduced small mammals House Mouse & Black Rat House Mouse Photo: Oz Animals Black Rat Photo: Australian Museum
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey - medium sized mammals survey techniques Species Cage trapping Survey technique survey Hair tube trapping Spotlighting Predator scat collection Survey effort 600 tp nights 1200 tp nights 58.15 hrs 32 scats Echidna 3 1 Long-nosed nosed Bandicoot 1 3 6 unidentified bandicoot 2 5 Eastern Pygmy Possum 2 Feathertail Glider 2 Sugar Glider 8 Common Ringtail Possum 11 Common Brushtail Possum 5 Mountain Brushtail Possum 3 9 Trichosurus sp. 10 5 Swamp Wallaby 12 15 5 Grey-headed Flying Fox 2 10 European Rabbit 1 Domestic Cat 2 2 Dog 3 Javan Rusa Deer 1 Total No Species 1 6 9 10 Echidna Long-nosed Bandicoot
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey arboreal mammals -habitat Feathertail Glider Common Ringtail Possum Mountain Brushtail Possum Photo : I McCann Woodld / Woodld / Tall Tall Coastal Coastal Species Heathld Unburnt Rainfst / Rainfst / Unburnt Complex Complex Unburnt No of transects 4 7 5 4 4 2 1 Spotlighting hours 6.55 16.5 10.6 9.5 7.8 5 2.25 Eastern Pygmy Possum 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Sugar Glider 0 2 2 2 3 1 0 Common Ringtail Possum 0 3 1 1 2 2 3 Common Brushtail Possum 0 4 2 1 0 0 0 Mountain Brushtail Possum 0 4 0 1 2 0 2 Grey-headed Flying Fox 0 2 11 0 0 0 0 Total species 0 5 5 4 3 2 2
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey large owls - habitat Powerful Owl & chicks Photo: K. Lipworth Sooty Owl Photo: R. Jackson Species Heathld Woodld / Woodld / Unburnt Tall Rainfst / Tall Rainfst / Unburnt Coastal Complex Coastal Complex Unburnt No of sites 13 43 16 11 23 9 4 Powerful Owl 0 1 3 0 3 1 0 Barking Owl 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Sooty Owl 0 2 4 5 11 0 0 Masked Owl 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 0 3 7 5 14 1 0
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey arboreal mammals Greater Glider - local extinction Greater Glider Photo: R. Paine
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey microbats harp trapping Species No of survey sites Heathld 3 Woodld / 15 Woodld / 1997 10 Woodld / Unburn t 6 Woodld / Unburn t 1997 6 Tall Rainfst / 1 Tall Rainfst / 1997 1 Tall Rainfst / Unburn t 4 Tall Rainfst / Unburn t 1997 1 Coastal Complex Unburnt 2 No of trapnights 3 25 10 11 8 2 1 4 2 5 Eastern Horseshoe Bat 0 1 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 Large-eared eared Pied Bat 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 Gould's Wattled Bat 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Chocolate Wattled Bat 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Little Forest Bat 0 13 37 5 12 2 1 1 1 0 Gould's Long- eared Bat 0 1 25 1 2 0 1 0 2 1 Large-footed Myotis 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 Total species 0 6 6 2 3 3 2 1 4 3
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey microbats harp trapping Gould s Wattled Bat Eastern Horseshoe Bat Harp trap Large-eared Pied Bat Photo: N. Williams
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey microbats ultrasonic census Species Heathld Woodld / Woodld / Unburnt Tall Rainfst / Tall Rainfst / Unburnt No of Sites 1 3 7 1 2 No of censuses 2 6 10 1 5 Eastern Horseshoe Bat * Large-eared eared Pied Bat * * Gould's Wattled Bat * * Chocolate Wattled Bat * Little Forest Bat * Common Bent-wing Bat * * * Large-footed Myotis * * Greater Broad-nosed Bat * * * a mastiff bat * * No of species 1 5 5 0 6 Little Forest Bat Greater Broad-nosed Bat Large-footed Myotis Photo R. Williams
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey microbats harp trapping Little Forest Bat Gould s Long-eared Bat
Post Fire Vertebrate Fauna Survey conclusions Old growth eucalypt Greater Glider Photo: R. Paine Platypus Tiger Quoll Common Dunnart
Acknowledgements Royal Area NPWS Staff Toyota Australia Many Enthusiastic Volunteers