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Affected interests

The Golden Bandicoot and Golden-backed Tree-rat occur on a range of tenures. In WA the Department of Conservation and Land Management is responsible for fire, ferals and weeds on Conservation Land which would include Prince Regent Nature Reserve, Barrow and Middle Islands, and Unallocated Crown Land (via funding from Department of Land Administration). The Defence Department is responsible for managing Yampi Sound Training Area. Aboriginal Reserves are mostly Crown Lands vested in the Aboriginal Lands Trust for benefit, use and enjoyment of Aboriginal People.

All land in the Kimberley where the species occur is under the Dameimangari Native Title Claim made by the Worrora people of the north Kimberley. In the NT, the extant range of the golden bandicoot is an island within the Arnhem Land Aboriginal Trust. The Northern Land Council has legislative responsibility for identifying traditional ownership and advising on land use and management issues.

A multiple species recovery group would include Aboriginal traditional owner groups or their representative organisations and the Defence Department. Planned recovery actions include employment of local Aboriginal people, particularly in undertaking regular “cat-watch” patrols over islands.

Consultation with indigenous people

Recovery actions under this plan include the development and implementation of cooperative management arrangements between the relevant agencies, land managers and landowners. The multiple species recovery group would include representatives of traditional owners from areas where the species occurs. These representatives attending recovery group meetings would be consulted directly during the recovery process.

Benefits to other species or communities

Recovery actions detailed in this document are likely to benefit a range of other critical weight range mammals. Species include Northern Quoll Dasyurus hallucatus, Scaly-tailed Possum Wyulda squamicaudata, Rock Ringtail Possum Petropseudes dahli, Kimberley Rock Rat Zyzomys woodwardi and Pale Field Rat Rattus tunneyi. Declining granivorous birds such as Partridge Pigeon Geophaps smithii and Black Grasswren Amytornis housei are also likely to benefit via implementation of more suitable fire regimes (Franklin 1999; Fraser et al. 2003).

Social and economic impact

The Recovery Plan aims to contribute positively to people and local communities within the distribution of the Golden Bandicoot and Golden-backed Tree-rat by providing part-time employment to traditional owners via “cat-watch” patrols. The implementation of the plan is unlikely to cause any adverse social or economic impacts.