Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2006L03939:body:0:p3
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2006L03939
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 7004–9848

readily adapt to disturbed habitats and secondary growth that includes at least some mature trees;
    * least abundant on the terraces sampled on the north-eastern, eastern and southern sides of the island;
    * apparently absent from all mined areas even when covered by dense shrubby vegetation; and
    * an arboreal species found active on tree trunks at night (from near ground level to the canopy of even large rainforest trees) or sheltering during the day under the bark of living or dead trees (Gibson-Hill, 1947, records them only from under the bark of dead trees, both standing and fallen). All recorded eggs were located under bark on standing tree trunks, within human reach.

At the time of the 1979 study, there is little doubt that the primary forest on the plateau would have been regarded as the island habitat most critical to survival of Lister's Gecko. Until fuller knowledge of the current population size and ecological requirements is available, this habitat should be regarded as potential habitat critical to survival. The general characteristics of this habitat, including a description of its floristics and structure are provided by Gillison (1976) and are illustrated in Cogger et al. (1983) and Clarke (1995).

Christmas Island Blind Snake: The few records with information on locality or habitat suggest that this species occurs primarily where the deeper soils and primary rainforests occur on the island's central plateau. Most of this area is now located within the boundaries of Christmas Island National Park, managed for conservation by Parks Australia North (PAN), and is therefore secure as far as land tenure. However, this original primary habitat is currently being subject to immense environmental stress due to recent droughts and the explosive increases in populations of the Yellow Crazy Ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) and its mutualist scale insects - Tachardina aurantiaca and introduced Coccus celatus (vide O'Dowd et al. 2003). Until knowledge of the population size and ecological requirements of the blind snake is available and understood, all forested parts of the island should be regarded as potential habitat critical for this species.

Given the absence of any records of either species for nearly 20 years, despite periodic intensive searches, and given the profound habitat changes that have occurred directly or indirectly during this period, it is not possible at this time to map habitat critical to the survival of these species. Rather, habitats in which the species were last recorded should be treated as surrogates for habitat critical to survival. Given the absence of recent sightings of either species, any habitat in which one or other species is found in future should be regarded as habitat critical to the species' survival and the discovered population treated as an