Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01095:body:0:p22
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L01095
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 56959–59895

Western Australian Wheatbelt. Malleefowl distribution was associated with landscapes that had lower rainfall, greater amounts of mallee and shrubland that occur as large remnants, and lighter soil surface textures. At a finer scale, Malleefowl occurrence was associated with mallee/shrubland and thicket vegetation with woodland representing poor habitat for the species. Parsons also examined the occupancy of small remnants in the wheatbelt and found that remnants occupied by Malleefowl typically possessed a greater amount of litter, greater cover of tall shrubs, greater abundance of food shrubs and a greater soil gravel content than those that were not occupied.

The areas of habitat critical to the survival of the Malleefowl are unable to be spatially delineated.

Malleefowl habitat, Patchewollock, Vic ©Michael Gooch, NMRG.

3.4.7 Malleefowl habitat and fire
Mallee habitats are the stronghold for Malleefowl and are considered amongst the most susceptible to uncontrollable broad-scale fire of Malleefowl habitat types (Gardner 1957; Noble 1984). Despite active suppression efforts, mallee fires can cover extremely large areas. For example, well over one million hectares of mallee was burnt in NSW during the 1974/5 fire season (Noble et al. 1980; Noble 1984). Large fires of tens or even hundreds of thousands of hectares occur at approximately 20-year cycles in mallee in south-eastern Australia (Cheal et al. 1979; Leigh & Noble 1981; Day 1982), usually following widespread and effective rainfall which produces a high abundance of ephemeral fuels. Such fuel conditions may make even habitats with a low potential for carrying a fire highly flammable.

The effects of fire on Malleefowl populations are twofold. Firstly, large fires may be catastrophic for Malleefowl as the birds are poor fliers and do not appear to disperse widely as fires approach (Benshemesh 1990, 1992a). Thus, large fires probably kill most birds in their path. Fragmentation of the landscape further exacerbates the catastrophic effect of wildfire on Malleefowl populations. Fires that burn entire habitat patches may cause the local extinction of Malleefowl where surrounding areas no longer provide safe haven or a source of recolonisation.

Secondly, fire in the mallee typically kills and removes all parts of vegetation above the surface and thus fire has a major influence on the structure and floristic composition of habitats occupied by Malleefowl. The effects of fire on Malleefowl populations appear to be severe and long-lasting. After extensive fires, Malleefowl may not breed for up to 17 years (Tarr 1965; Cowley et al. 1969), possibly due to a shortage of litter material for nesting or greater exposure to predators (Priddel & Wheeler 1997). In general, malleefowl often take 15-20 years to breed again at sites completely burnt by fire but may persist if even small patches remain unburnt.  Breeding in areas burnt within 10