Survival of vertebrate fauna in remnant vegetation patches and
colonisation of revegetation areas in the La Trobe Valley, Victoria
Peter Homan

Abstract
Expansion of open-cut coal mines in the La Trobe Valley, Victoria, will lead to the loss of native vegetation and vertebrate habitat. Corporations operating these mines have entered into agreements to manage offset areas for conservation values. Surveys of vertebrate fauna in seven offset areas and revegetation sites were carried out between February 2005 and May 2008. One hundred and twenty-eight species were recorded, comprising 21 mammals, 11 reptiles, eight amphibians and 88 birds. Several threatened species were recorded including Swamp Skink Egernia coventryi, Powerful Owl Ninox strenua, Australasian Shoveler Anas rhynchotis, Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis, Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta, Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia, and White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster. Several species had colonised revegetation areas and others were detected in degraded sites and isolated remnant patches. The ability of these species to survive in fragmented and disturbed habitats is discussed. The results of these surveys have implications for land managers planning conservation works or habitat enhancement programs especially in degraded sites.
Keywords: fragmentation, revegetation, colonisation, threatened species, degraded habitat
The Victorian Naturalist 126, (4) 2009, 135-150

Contribution

The Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis in Adelaide, South Australia:
its introduction and eradication
David E Peacock

Abstract
In addition to its known former presence in Melbourne and Ballarat, in Victoria, the presence of the Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis in Adelaide, South Australia from 1917 to about 1922 is detailed. Founder animals were likely sourced from the Melbourne population, with the Adelaide Grey Squirrel population subsequently arising from escapes from the zoological gardens, or animals privately sourced from Toorak, Victoria. Relatively prompt action by Government to control the Squirrels saw a bounty offered and the apparent main population controlled by Adelaide City Council staff. The Squirrels, restricted to urban plantings of northern hemisphere trees, were subsequently eradicated and were last recorded in 1922. It is unknown what contribution either control method contributed to the eventual eradication of this introduced species. The successful eradication of the Grey Squirrel from Adelaide provides an additional international vertebrate pest eradication record to further our understanding of achieving success in this difficult but valuable pest management goal.
Keywords: Grey Squirrel, trapping, urban, bounty, pest control
The Victorian Naturalist 126 (4) 2009, 150-155