Biodiversity

Project B1: Fauna monitoring on state forests

The approach

Fauna occupancy monitoring will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Coastal IFOA protections and conditions, particularly the collective multi-scale landscape protections, in maintaining species occupancy and the population status of focal species. To achieve this, the program will estimate the trends in occupancy of focal species, such as koalas and other arboreal mammals, hollow-dependant bats, nectivores, ground-dwelling mammals and forest owls.

As part of this work, new fauna call recognisers such as for owls and frogs are being developed. These will be used to analyse the extensive call datasets being collected for the monitoring program and can also be used for previously collected acoustic data sets.

Species occupancy survey design and implementation

A pilot study in 2021 (recently published and available here) assessed the feasibility of remote sampling techniques, detectability of various species and site establishment for the overall design of the monitoring program. From this, it was recommended that the program establish 300 monitoring sites across the Coastal IFOA estate to provide enough data and statistical power to estimate occupancy levels for a variety of species.

The monitoring sites are located within the three Coastal IFOA regions, Upper northeast, Lower northeast and Southern, with 100 sites per region. A proportion of these sites are surveyed in spring and the rest in autumn to allow for seasonal variation in detectability of the species, for example, powerful owls are more vocal in autumn and koalas are more vocal in spring.

The landscape-scale trend monitoring is aimed at a range of species that can be photographed with remote cameras at bait lure stations and sound recorders are being used to record the species that emit audible identifiable calls along with ultrasonic sound recorders for echo-locating bat species.

Remote sampling of fauna with cameras and sound recorders takes place over a two-week period in each season. Data is collected by the NSW Forestry Corporation and analysed by the NSW Department of Primary Industries Forest Science Unit.

More information on the fauna survey design and implementation is available here:

• Fauna occupancy survey design
• Operational manual for fauna monitoring

Further details on the set-up and programming of equipment are provided in the equipment instruction sheets:

• Reconyx camera instructions
• Song meter mini bat instructions
• Song meter mini instructions

Other monitoring information and instructions include:

• Monitoring schedule maps
• Site selection instructions
• Monitoring field sheet
• Monitoring bait station specifications
• Annual equipment check instructions.

Progress to date

• The NSW Forestry Corporation have carried out four seasons of surveys in spring 2022, autumn 2023, spring 2023 and autumn 2024.
• Camera and acoustic data collected have been shared with the NSW Department of Primary Industries Forest Science Unit and species have been identified for spring 2022 and autumn 2023 surveys.
• Occupancy modelling and analysis of co-variate data such as harvesting and fire history is underway for the spring 2022 and autumn 2023 survey data.
• Call recognisers have also been developed for 13 target species, including the glossy black cockatoo and selected priority nocturnal species, including owls, gliders and the grey headed flying fox.

Next steps and timing

• Occupancy modelling of the spring 2022 and autumn 2023 survey data and analysis of environmental co-variates is underway and expected to be completed by October 2024.
• Identification of fauna species from the spring 2023 and autumn 2024 surveys is underway.

Project B2: Fauna call recognisers

This project was initiated under the Forest Monitoring Improvement Program and has been continued under the Coastal IFOA monitoring program. In May-June 2020, the Forest Monitoring Steering Committee called for proposals from interested parties through a competitive grant process to develop call recognisers for a range of fauna species.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries were engaged and in collaboration with Queensland University of Technology, NSW Forestry Corporation and Victorian University of Wellington (AviaNZ) have developed fauna call recognisers for a range of forest dependent species such as large forest owls and arboreal animals.

Recognisers developed

Automated tools were developed to rapidly and reliably process large volumes of data generated by acoustic recorders. The team developed fauna call recognisers for a range of forest dependent species such as large forest owls and nocturnal mammals, to assist with the analysis of data collected during on-ground monitoring work for the species occupancy monitoring under the Coastal IFOA and Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program.

Existing software was used to train call recognisers for 13 nominated species. This included Queensland University of Technology’s in-house software (currently used by researchers and DPI for koala research), Kaleidoscope (a commercially produced software used widely by ecologists) and AviaNZ (Marsland, 2020), an open-source software released for recogniser development.

Note: NSW Conservation status as of August 2024

Recognisers were developed using both the AviaNZ and QUT Ecoacoustics Analysis Programs and were improved by adding a deep learning step called a convolutional neural network (CNN).

Species have been identified with these recognisers from the recent Coastal IFOA fauna occupancy monitoring surveys. Click on the links below to hear their calls.

As call recognisers are finalised they will be made available on DPI’s fauna identification service webpage.

Project B3: Long term Greater Glider monitoring

The site-specific biodiversity condition for Greater Gliders in the Coastal IFOA region requires the CIFOA monitoring program to monitor the effectiveness of site-specific conditions to protect Greater Glider populations in mapped areas.

The program has engaged Dr Rod Kavanagh, Adjunct Associate Professor at Southern Cross University to design and propose a plan to meet the new requirements. For over four decades, Dr Kavanagh has worked as a senior wildlife research scientist and forest ecologist across government, the private sector and not-for-profit organisations. He has published in peer reviewed scientific journals, including research on Greater Gliders, other arboreal marsupials and large forest owls in south eastern NSW forests.

In designing a plan, Dr Kavanagh will work closely with a cross-agency technical working group including our staff, Environment Protection Agency, Forestry Corporation of NSW, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and Department of Primary Industries.

Project B4: Long term koala monitoring

The Coastal IFOA monitoring program has engaged Dr Alistair Melzer, Adjunct Research Fellow at Central Queensland University to design a long-term, species-specific plan to monitor the effectiveness of koala conditions in the Coastal IFOA. Dr Melzer, a field ecologist, has worked on koalas and their habitat for over two decades. He is a previous member of the Queensland Government’s Koala Expert Panel, advising on the most appropriate actions to reverse population decline and ensure long-term persistence of south east Queensland’s koalas. He has authored or co-authored over fifty scientific publications, primarily on the koala.

As outlined in the approved Coastal IFOA monitoring program, this work will build on recent research and findings under our koala research program. This program investigates koala response to harvesting, including conditions related to habitat, koala tree retention and harvesting limits.

Dr Melzer will work closely with a cross-agency technical working group including our staff, Environment Protection Agency, Forestry Corporation of NSW, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and Department of Primary Industries.

Project B5: Yellow-bellied Glider species management plan

The program engaged the DPI Forest Science team to analyse 2021-23 data under the yellow-bellied glider SMP and a report with findings is being finalised. The results of this analysis on the recovery of the species post-fire will inform further review of the yellow-bellied glider SMP.

2020 review

The first species management plan review for the yellow-bellied glider is now complete.

The Species Management Plan Review Group worked collaboratively to recommend changes to the yellow-bellied glider species management plan based on an analysis undertaken by the DPI Forest Science team. The group identified potential improvements including updating the objectives of the species management plan to ensure they can be effectively answered with improved monitoring methods, and a revision of the species management plan objectives to consider yellow-bellied glider recovery in a post-fire landscape. These improvements were endorsed by the FMIP Steering Committee and the Commission, on behalf of the Steering Committee, advised the EPA:

• Improvements to the method to monitoring yellow-bellied Gliders such as the use of songmeters going forward, to allow for repeat surveys (nights) for occupancy analysis.
• Occupancy modelling should continue for the next 2-3 years to assess trends in the Bago-Maragle yellow-bellied glider population, particularly the impact of the bushfires and recovery of the species post-fire. Objectives of the species management plan will need to be updated to support these changes.
• Once the monitoring is complete, the specific conditions relating to the species will be reviewed, should the Coastal IFOA conditions be found to be adequately protecting this species, yellow-bellied gliders will be monitored as part of the broader species occupancy monitoring and a species management plan will no longer be required.

Analyses of yellow-bellied glider survey data to understand the population trend from 1995, 2010 and 2013-2020, and the species response to the 2019/20 wildfire and harvesting have been published here.

• Yellow-bellied Glider - Species monitoring plan
• Yellow-bellied Glider - Monitoring data review from Bago-Maragle Forests (1995-2019) - Report (2020)

Project B6: Southern Brown Bandicoot species management plan

The program engaged the DPI Forest Science team to analyse 2020-23 data under the southern brown bandicoot SMP and a report with findings is being finalised. The results of this analysis will inform further review of the southern brown bandicoot SMP.

2020 review

The Southern Brown Bandicoot Species Management Plan (SMP) was approved in 2007. Monitoring has been undertaken by FCNSW in line with the SMP since this time. The DPI Forest Science team has analysed field data and reported findings for the Southern Brown Bandicoot.

A cross agency technical team – the Species Management Plan Review Group (the group) - reviewed DPI’s analysis and recommended improvements to the NSW Forest Monitoring Steering Committee (the Committee). In reviewing the species management plan and associated monitoring, the group was supported by native wildlife and monitoring expert Dr Andrew Claridge and the Committee’s independent advisor Professor Phillip Gibbons.

The NSW Forest Monitoring Steering Committee has endorsed the team’s recommendations.

The Commission, on behalf of the Steering Committee, advised the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to:

• update management objectives to ensure bushfire and harvesting impacts are effectively monitored, including thresholds to trigger management responses
• implement and monitor the effectiveness of predator control on state forests
• increase locations to monitor different harvest treatments and use the Ben Boyd National Park dataset as a control site to compare and analyse differences
• update data analysis to include timber harvesting as a primary parameter when investigating potential changes.

The EPA have accepted the recommendations. The EPA will work with Forestry Corporation of NSW and the group to ensure the management plan is updated accordingly.

• Southern Brown Bandicoot - Assessment of trends in occupancy in southern forests of NSW (May 2021)
• Southern Brown Bandicoot - Species monitoring plan

Project B7: Giant Burrowing Frog species management plan

The Giant Burrowing Frog Species Management Plan (SMP) was approved in 2008. FCNSW have monitored the species in line with the SMP since this time. The plan focuses on three known sites in the Eden region. The SMP is required to manage and inform conservation of the species across the region over time and develop understanding of potential impacts including predation by pests, fire and forestry operations.

Due to low detection rates with traditional survey methods, a cross agency technical working group including the EPA, FCNSW, DPI and DCCEEW sought an alternative to continuing current SMP sampling methods and locations.

eDNA monitoring

The term ‘environmental DNA’ (eDNA) refers to DNA taken from environmental samples including water and soil. eDNA is a new but recognised scientific method to detect aquatic fauna including amphibians.

We engaged EnviroDNA to run a pilot project trialling the use of eDNA sampling as a detection method. The aim is to assess feasibility for detecting populations as part of future monitoring.

The project:

• developed a targeted species ‘assay’ for the Giant Burrowing Frog
• validated the assay
• tested the sampling approach under different stream flow conditions.

The project is in its final stage, with the last round of sampling undertaken. A report with findings is being finalised and will be used to inform updates to the SMP.

Project B8: Using eDNA to detect frog species

The Giant Barred Frog (Mixophyes iteratus) and the Stuttering frog (Mixopyhes balbus) are listed as focal fauna species under the Coastal IFOA species occupancy monitoring plan. The Stuttering Frog has recently been split into two species by the scientific community, with a new classification to differentiate the Southern Stuttering Frog (Mixophyes australis).

The Coastal IFOA agency technical working group including the EPA, FCNSW, DPI and DCCEEW agreed to further explore eDNA as a detection and monitoring tool given the similarity of the three species and the potential limitations of acoustic sensors to distinguish calls. eDNA is gaining momentum as a scientific technique to detect aquatic fauna including amphibians with streams and riparian environments.

The program has engaged EnviroDNA to run a pilot project trialling the use of eDNA sampling as a detection method. The aim is to assess feasibility for detecting populations as part of future long-term monitoring. The project will develop targeted species assays for each species and validate with samples from the field. The project will also provide insights into the similarity of each species and whether the technique will be able to accurately discern between each species.

Project B9: Historical trends in greater glider populations on state forests

Forestry Corporation NSW has collected extensive field data on Greater Gliders in NSW tablelands and coastal areas, including historical baseline data and large post-fire datasets after the 2019/2020 megafires.

The program has engaged Assoc. Prof. Craig Nitschke from the University of Melbourne, along with colleagues Dr. Rachel Trouvé and Dr. Ben Wagner to analyse over 25 years of Greater Glider data. Their analysis will investigate population trends and the influence of environmental factors and management including harvesting.

Researchers will deliver a report in October 2024.

Project B10: Milky Silkpod and Rusty Plum species management plan

The Species Management Plan Review Group worked collaboratively to recommend changes to the Rusty Plum and Milky Silkpod species management plan. The Commission engaged Dr. Doug Binnns to review the plans and inform the group. The group identified potential improvements including steps to strengthen monitoring and data analysis to ensure scientifically robust results. These improvements were endorsed by the FMIP Steering Committee.

On behalf of the Steering Committee, the Commission advised the EPA the plans could be improved by:

• Developing species distribution models for the Rusty Plum and Milky Silkpod across tenures to determine the current extent of reservation to protect the species’ habitat.
• Targeting field validation to confirm key areas and populations across their extent.
• Determining if sufficient areas of the species’ habitat occur in protected areas, and evaluate if existing conditions are adequate. This should use the most current knowledge gained from the monitoring to date on impacts from harvesting and fire. This will help protect the long-term viability of the species and determine if supplementary measures and/or monitoring is still necessary.

The Commission also recommended updating the objectives of the species management plan to support these changes. Dr Binns review was provided to the EPA and FCNSW.

The EPA have accepted the recommendations. The EPA will work with Forestry Corporation of NSW and the group to ensure the management plan is updated accordingly.

• Milky Silkpod - Species management plan
• Rusty Plum - Species management plan
• Rusty Plum - Species management plan: Dr Binns review (September 2021)
• Milky Silkpod - Species management plan: Dr Binns review (September 2021)