Publications
Wijingarri (Northern quoll) research highlights importance of fire management
A new research paper published in Austral Ecology examines how wijingarri (northern quolls) (Dasyurus hallucatus) respond to fire in the North Kimberley. The study found the region provides high-quality habitat for northern quolls and suggests that a landscape containing a mix of burnt and longer-unburnt areas is likely to provide the best habitat for the species.
Importantly, while the paper was published in 2026, it analyses research undertaken many years ago, in 2008–2009, before Wunambal Gaambera achieved Native Title recognition. At that time, the State managed the national park and carried out the fire operations associated with the research. Today, this Country is managed by Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation under the Wanjina Wunggurr Uunguu Native Title Determination and through the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area.
Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation is included as an author of this recently published paper in recognition of Wunambal Gaambera people’s interests and responsibilities for Country.
Niche partitioning explains the difference between widespread and restricted distributions, and detection rarity of arboreal mammals from north Kimberley savannas
Ian J. Radford, Ben Corey, Tom Vigilante, Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, Leigh-Ann Woolley, Cara PentonH and Michael Hitchcock
Abstract. Conservation managers often have little information on distribution ranges and ecological characteristics of rare species, thereby hindering effective decision-making. This challenge is evident for arboreal mammals of northern Australia where species vary widely in abundance, are nocturnal and cryptic, and exhibit regionally divergent patterns of rarity and decline. Aims. We compare (1) trapping niche, (2) denning and foraging niche and (3) vegetation habitat preferences to test for links between niche and rarity among arboreal species. Methods. Survey data obtained using a variety of terrestrial and arboreal methods are used to define trapping niche, vegetation habitat preferences and abundance/distribution of arboreal mammal species in Western Australia’s northern Kimberley.
Denning and foraging niche is defined based on available literature. Key results. Based on combined niche observations, we suggest that arboreal denning species with a preference for open forest vegetation are the most prone to rarity, restricted distributions and decline in the Kimberley. Very
restricted extent of suitable open forest vegetation in the Kimberley may locally exacerbate threats to forest specialists. Generalist, terrestrial denning species preferring savanna woodlands/shrub lands and rugged rocky habitats were more abundant and less restricted in their distributions than forest
specialists.
Conclusions. These results highlight the local importance of small areas of open forest for threatened arboreal mammals in the Kimberley. Implications. We suggest that targeted adaptive management interventions to preserve and enhance open forest vegetation and arboreal habitat
including den hollows, through application of low intensity prescribed burning for protection from damaging wildfires, would benefit specialist arboreal species.
Prescribed burning benefits threatened mammals in northern Australia
Ian J. Radford, Leigh-Ann Woolley, Ben Corey, Tom Vigilante, Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, Ed Hatherley, Richard Fairman, Karin Carnes & Antony N. Start
August 2020, Biodiversity and Conservation 29(7)
DOI: 10.1007/s10531-020-02010-9
Despite substantial investment in prescribed burning for biodiversity conservation there has been surprisingly little demonstration of its efficacy in achieving intended conservation aims for fauna. In the case of northern Australia’s threatened mammal fauna, most studies have reported negative responses to fire. We used satellite-derived fire scar imagery and small mammal survey data to compare fire regimes and threatened mammal abundance before and after implementation of broad-scale prescribed burning in north-western Australia. Specifically, we tested: (1) whether prescribed burning was effective in changing fire regimes; (2) whether all mammal species and functional groups responded to prescribed burning; and (3) what regional fire and environmental variables explained changes in mammal status…
Regional Assessment of the Conservation Status of Snubfin Dolphins (Orcaella heinsohni) in the Kimberley Region, Western Australia
Phil J. Bouchet, Deborah Thiele, Sarah A. Marley, Kelly Waples, Frank Weisenberger, Balanggarra Rangers, Bardi Jawi Rangers, Dambimangari Rangers, Nyamba Buru Yawuru Rangers, Nyul Nyul Rangers, Uunguu Rangers and Holly Raudino
Frontiers in Marine Science, 21 January 2021
Access the paper — DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.614852
Implementing conservation measures for data-limited species is a fundamental challenge for wildlife managers and policy-makers, and proves difficult for cryptic marine animals occurring in naturally low numbers across remote seascapes. There is currently scant information on the abundance and habitat preferences of Australian snubfin dolphins (Orcaella heinsohni) throughout much of their geographical range, and especially within the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. Such knowledge gaps curtail rigorous threat assessments on both local and regional scales. To address this and assist future conservation listings, we built the first comprehensive catalog of snubfin dolphin sightings for the Kimberley. We used these data to estimate the species’ extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) along the region’s 7,000 km coastline, following a simple Bootstrap bivariate kernel approach to combine datasets of varying quality and quantify uncertainty. Our catalog consists of 1,597 visual detections of snubfin dolphins made over a period of 17 years (2004–2020) and collated from multiple sources, including online biodiversity repositories, peer-reviewed scientific articles, citizen science programs, as well as dedicated marine wildlife surveys with local Indigenous communities and Ranger groups. Snubfin dolphins were consistently encountered in shallow waters (<21 m depth) close to (<15 km) freshwater inputs, with high detection rates in known hotspots (e.g., Roebuck Bay, Cygnet Bay) as well as in coastal habitats suspected to be suitable (e.g., Prince Regent River and surrounds, King Sound, Doubtful Bay, Napier Broome Bay and the upper Cambridge Gulf). Bootstrap estimates of EOO and AOO were 38,300 (95% CI: 25,451–42,437) km2 and 700 (656–736) km2 respectively, suggesting that snubfin dolphins in the Kimberley are likely Vulnerable under IUCN criteria B2 at a regional scale, in keeping with their global classification. Our study offers insights into the distribution of a vulnerable coastal cetacean species and demonstrates the value of integrating multiple data sources for informing conservation assessments in the face of uncertainty.
Small mammal diversity is higher in infrequently compared with frequently burnt rainforest–savanna mosaics in the north Kimberley, Australia
Stefania Ondei, Lynda D. Prior, Hugh W. McGregor, Angela M. Reid, Chris N. Johnson, Tom Vigilante, Catherine Goonack, Desmond Williams and David M. J. S. Bowman
27 November 2020 — Wildlife Research
Access the paper — DOI: 10.1071/WR20010
Populations of native mammals are declining at an alarming rate in many parts of tropical northern Australia. Fire regimes are considered a contributing factor, but this hypothesis is difficult to test because of the ubiquity of fire. This preliminary study investigated relative abundance and richness of small mammals on a gradient of fire regimes in the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area (north Kimberley, Australia).
Distribution and abundance of large herbivores in a northern Australian tropical savanna: A multi‐scale approach
March 2020 — Austral Ecology
Angela M. Reid, Brett P. Murphy, Tom Vigilante, David M. J. S. Bowman
Australian mammals have exhibited exceptionally high rates of decline since European settlement 230 years ago with much focus on small mammals in northern tropical savannas. In these systems, little scientific attention has been given to the suite of grazing macropods, family Macropodidae, (common wallaroo (Osphranter robustus), antilopine wallaroo…
Access the paper – DOI: 10.1111/aec.12860