Santos Offset Monitoring

Client:  Santos
Project: Offset Monitoring Program
Timeline: 2022 – 2024

The Project

Austecology was commissioned by a principal consultant to design and implement a series of offset fauna monitoring surveys to fulfil Santos’ obligations under their offset management plan.

With a focus on targeted surveys for threatened species and an overall record of biodiversity, the program was implemented over a period of three years and comprised seven individual survey events.

All seven events were conducted on properties across remote sites within South-west and Southern Queensland. These locations posed a variety of challenges including long duration off-grid operations to facilitate timely outcomes where accommodation was not yet established.

Survey Approach

Our team implemented a variety of survey techniques, including:

  • Harp trapping for threatened microbats (N. corbeni & C. dwyeri).
  • Funnel trapping for threatened Dunmall’s Snake (F. dunmali) and Collared Delma (D. torquata).
  • Elliot box trapping for Spotted-tailed Quoll (D. maculatus)
  • Ultrasonic acoustic recording of microbats to detect Large-eared Pied Bat (C. dwyeri).
  • Thermal drone surveys for Koala (P. cinereus).
  • Ground searches for Dunmall’s snake and Collared Delma.
  • Vehicle spotlighting surveys for Greater Glider (P. Volans) and Koala.
  • Walking spotlighting transects for Greater Glider, Koala, Dunmall’s Snake, and Arcadia Valley Velvet Gecko (O. lineata).

Camera trap set for quoll

Funnel trap line

Results

The survey programs yielded impressive results, highlighting both threatened species detections and overall species diversity. Key results included records of the following:

  • Critically endangered Arcadia Valley Velvet Gecko.
  • Vulnerable Dunmall’s Snake, with the 6th confirmed record in as many years, and the first confirmed record of a juvenile of this species.
  • Endangered Greater Glider at the western extent of its distribution
  • Endangered Koala identified by thermal drone.
  • Endangered Large-eared Pied Bat.
  • Vulnerable South-eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoo (C. lathami lathami) at the westernmost edge of its distribution.
  • Vulnerable Southern Squatter Pigeon (G. scripta scripta).

The survey program also recorded a total of 305 species, comprising 186 birds, 61 reptiles, 40 mammals, and 18 frogs.

Project Success

These results not only delivered the client the data necessary to comply with the obligations within their offset management plan, but the information gained, specifically with respect to Dunmall’s snake, has contributed to an increase in understanding of its ecology through several novel features of its observation within this survey program.

Learn more about Austecology’s approach to Biodiversity Offset design and monitoring below.

Harp trap setup in flyway

Koala identified by thermal drone

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