Publications

Part F: Duration and costs

• Resource Allocation
• Duration and Costs

Resource Allocation

The most critical conservation problems facing the Christmas Island Pipistrelle are from unidentified threatening process(es) resulting in decline and range contraction, and from habitat loss. Actions taken to remedy these problems are likely to have positive benefits on a range of endemic rainforest fauna and flora species. Some of the actions outlined in this Plan are identified in the Christmas Island National Park Plan of Management (Commonwealth of Australia 2002), the strategic nature conservation document for the island, as broader actions necessary for the maintenance of fauna biodiversity on the island. Similarly, in this Plan some of the actions recommended correspond with those identified in other recovery (e.g. Abbott's Booby and Christmas Island Hawk-Owl) and action plans (e.g. Garnett & Crowley 2000). Consequently, opportunities exist for sharing resources and a co-ordinated strategy to implement Recovery Plans for all threatened Christmas Island fauna requires investigation.

Action 8 is supporting the ongoing management for the control of the Yellow Crazy Ant supercolonies as outlined in draft Yellow Crazy Ant Action Plan and the Christmas Island National Park Management Plan. Therefore, this action requires no additional funding from the Christmas Island Pipistrelle Recovery Plan. However, it is essential that adequate funding be provided for this work from other sources, with the current Plan used to assist in the procurement of the necessary funding.

A number of Actions are ongoing (e.g. Action 10) and may be considered as core duties of Parks Australia North.

The majority of funding outlined in the Duration and Costs section is aimed at identifying the threatening processes resulting in the decline and range contraction of the Christmas Island Pipistrelle. Research into this bat and reasons for its decline and westward range contraction have been identified as of high priority in the Christmas Island National Park Management Plan (Commonwealth of Australia 2002). This research, particularly that proposed for the Common Wolf Snake, may also identify threatening processes that are responsible for the decline and range contraction of the Blue-tailed Skink Cryptoblepharus egeriae, Forest Skink Emoia nativitatis and Christmas Island Gecko Lepidactylus listeri.

A large number of actions identified in this Recovery Plan are aimed at identifying currently unknown threatening processes. Many of these actions can be investigated simultaneously in the same field sampling periods, thereby representing a considerable saving in costs. Actions that can be conducted concurrently are denoted by the symbols A, B and C in the Duration and Costs Section. These funding estimates have incorporated Parks Australia North providing vehicles and accommodation to the researchers while on the island.

Effective management of the Christmas Island Pipistrelle will be ongoing and encompass both management practices covered as core Parks Australia North duties, and specialist actions that will only be identified following the outcome of actions identified in this Recovery Plan. Costs associated with the management of currently unidentified threatening processes have not been included in this Plan, and can only be determined once the threatening processes have been identified.

Duration and Costs

Actions that can be conducted concurrently are denoted by the symbols A (dry season sampling), B (wet season sampling) and C (Wolf Snake investigation), with the costing for A and B provided at the end of the table.