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The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one of the most adaptable carnivorans, thriving in cities across the globe. We used GPS-tracking of five suburban foxes across high-density residential suburbs of Perth, Western Australia to quantify (1) their habitat selection and (2) home range area. All five foxes showed statistically significant avoidance of residential locations (p c) averaging 37 ± 20 ha or 95% AKDEc averaging 208 ± 196 ha. One male had a 95 ha core home range and 349 ha 95% AKDEc but the other male covered an area ~ 20 times this: using a 371 ha core home range and 7,368 ha 95% AKDEc. The extensive movement patterns we describe are likely to be common for urban foxes, with half of published home range estimates for urban foxes (principally based on VHF data) excluding data for ‘lost’ individuals or animals that showed ‘excursions’. It is likely that the home range estimates for these urban exploiters have therefore been grossly underestimated to date. Further application of GPS trackers that allow remote download will vastly improve our understanding of habitat preference and exploitation of resources by urban foxes.

Digging animals perform many ecosystem functions, including soil turnover and vectoring fungi, particularly mycorrhizal fungi. However, these animals are also susceptible to the impacts of urbanisation, resulting in altered ecosystem processes. Some digging mammals, such as the omnivorous quenda (Isoodon fusciventer), a medium-sized marsupial bandicoot endemic to southwestern Australia, persist in urban landscapes and may play important roles as fungal vectors. This paper examines the fungal community in quenda scats from natural vegetation remnants within a fragmented urban landscape to ask: are quenda acting as vectors for a functionally diverse fungal community?; what fungal functional types are being vectored?; and does remnant size impact fungal species richness and composition vectored by quenda? We sequenced 53 scat samples collected from remnants and found that quenda disperse a functionally diverse fungal community, with 31% of the molecular operational taxonomic units (OTUs) putatively mycorrhizal. Fungal OTU richness was greatest in scats from smaller remnants due to higher mean relative abundance of saprotrophs, pathogens and yeasts. Fungal OTU richness of ectomycorrhizal fungi, critical for plant growth, were found at a higher abundance in larger remnants. Fungal composition was affected by remnant size, type and condition of vegetation, and soil type. Our results indicate that maintaining digging mammal populations within urban landscapes may assist with dispersal of fungi that facilitate fungal-plant interactions, contributing to ecosystem health. These results are important to understand the complex ecological implications of urbanisation, and how remaining mammals are critical in maintaining ecosystem processes within the urban land-use matrix.

We use data collected as part of a baseline survey in 2012 and a survey 5 months post-intervention in 2014 to assess the short-term outcomes of a water supply intervention in Ribáuè, Mozambique. This intervention included the rehabilitation and expansion of a piped water system, revitalization of water committees, and creation of and capacity building for small-scale private water enterprises. Quantitative results suggest that the intervention led to an immediate significant increase in the use of piped water supply at the expense of unprotected wells and other non-revenue generating forms of unimproved water supply with more than a 2.5-fold increase in the usage of yard taps and water kiosks/standpipes and a two-fold decrease in the use of unprotected wells. Family water consumption also increased by approximately 40 L/d, and the point-of-use treatment of water nearly tripled. Economic opportunities were generated for business and small enterprise owners due to the new water supply infrastructure, and piped water infrastructure had additional positive effects for both public and private sanitation facilities. This article has been made Open Access thanks to the generous support of a global network of libraries as part of the Knowledge Unlatched Select initiative.

Ecosystem engineers are species that have a role in creating and maintaining certain habitat traits that are important for other species. Burrowing species do this by creating subterranean refugia from predation and thermal extremes, but also providing foraging opportunities through soil movement and by increasing local landscape heterogeneity. In this study, we used camera traps to monitor the burrows of greater bilbies (Macrotis lagotis), a vulnerable Australian marsupial, in an area subject to frequent disturbance by fire. We tested the hypothesis that bilby burrows provide refuge for other species and therefore their presence increases biodiversity. In total, 45 taxa – 22 bird, 16 reptile and 7 mammal taxa – were recorded interacting with 127 burrows across 7 sites. Species richness was greater at burrows compared with vegetation away from burrows, while abundance was no different. There was no difference in species assemblage for bilby burrows that were actively maintained by bilbies compared with abandoned burrows, although there was more activity at bilby maintained burrows. A wildfire allowed us to test the ad hoc hypothesis that the use of bilby burrows was greater when vegetation cover was removed by fire. We recorded significant differences in species assemblage interacting with burrows after fire, although overall species richness and abundance did not change. The response of individual species was variable; for example, burrows provide a refuge for smaller species (such as mice and small reptiles), and may therefore protect them from the effects of fire. Where they persist, bilbies provide an important ecosystem engineering service, as their burrows support a broad range of species. Further reduction in the distribution of the bilby is therefore likely to have a flow-on effect on biodiversity, impacting species that use their burrows for refuge.

A large number of visitor injuries and fatalities are recorded in protected areas around the world each year. With the goal of reducing future accidents, it is critical for managing agencies to learn from past events by identifying why and under which circumstances visitor incidents occurred. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of visitor incident data recorded in Western Australian lands and waters managed by public agencies between July 2011 and June 2017. The aim of the study was to explore trends and patterns of incident occurrence, and by so doing, to examine whether current incident reporting practices in Western Australia are adequate to comprehensively understand incident occurrence in different park contexts. Using Karijini National Park and Ningaloo Coast World Heritage Area as case examples, different ways are presented how incident data collected can be utilised in relation to different park contexts. However, our study shows that incident monitoring in Western Australia is characterised by fragmentary recording of information, leading to difficulties in clearly understanding why and under which circumstances incidents occur. For example, whilst visitor risk levels across various times during the year were quantified in Karijini, illustrating that certain months are related to a greater risk of injury per park visit, insufficient data provision on weather conditions and visitor behaviour meant that no clear conclusions could be drawn on the causes of this trend. Similarly, whilst the data pointed towards a specific visitor group at high risk of harm in Ningaloo (i.e. unguided international visitors), a comparison to overall visitor data was not possible, which prevents making inferences about the extent of the potential issue identified. Management implications The study illustrates that more comprehensive incident monitoring practices can help to better understand incident occurrence in protected areas, can improve awareness of the hazard situation relative to situational visitor characteristics, and can further refine visitor risk assessment and management processes. The paper also illustrates the importance of including potential contributing factors such as prevailing environmental conditions as well as visitor behaviour in incident reports for a more meaningful incident data analysis. Whilst this study provides some recommendations on the type of information that should be included in visitor incident reports, more work is needed to further establish a standardised incident reporting and monitoring system applicable to the management of visitor risk of injury in protected areas on a larger scale.

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is one of the most adaptable carnivorans, thriving in cities across the globe. Understanding movement patterns and habitat use by urban foxes will assist with their management to address wildlife conservation and public health concerns. Here we tracked five foxes across the suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. Three females had a core home range (50% kernel density estimate; KDE) averaging 37 ± 20 ha (range 22–60 ha) or a 95% KDE averaging 174 ± 130 ha (range 92–324 ha). One male had a core home range of 95 ha or a 95% KDE covering 352 ha. The other male covered an area of ~ 4 or ~ 6 times this: having a core home range of 371 ha or 95% KDE of 2,062 ha. All five foxes showed statistically significant avoidance of residential locations and significant preference for parkland. Bushland reserves, golf courses, and water reserves were especially preferred locations. Foxes moved quickest (i.e. commuting) when they were in close proximity to roads and slowest (i.e. foraging) when they were further from roads. We compare these findings with a review of the literature for urban fox home ranges. The movement patterns we describe are likely to be common for urban foxes, with half of the published home range estimates for urban foxes (principally based on VHF data) excluding data for ‘lost’ individuals or animals that showed ‘excursions’. It is likely that the home range estimates for these urban exploiters have therefore been grossly underestimated to date. Further application of GPS trackers that allow remote download will vastly improve our understanding of the space use of urban foxes.

Understanding the factors that contribute to a population's habitat use is important for conservation planners and managers to identify reasons behind a population's distribution. Habitat use often differs between sexes, however few studies on sexually monomorphic species document this difference, resulting in misleading ecological interpretations and non-targeted management actions. The aim of this study was to test for sex-specific differences in the seasonal habitat use of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) off Bunbury, Australia. Systematic, boat-based, photographic identification dolphin surveys (n=587) were conducted across seasons over 6years during 2007-2013. Generalised additive models explored relationships between the presence-absence of dolphins and sex, water depth and benthic habitat type. Results highlighted that: (i) habitat use differed seasonally for males and females, (ii) depth had a strong influence on habitat use, which differed between sexes for summer, winter and spring, and (iii) there were no sex differences in habitat use in autumn, which coincides with the peak breeding season. In summer and autumn dolphins were concentrated in shallow, near-shore waters predominantly over reef and sand, and in winter and spring dolphins had a broader distribution over reef and mud/silt with the use of deeper, offshore waters. This pattern is consistent with the seasonally-dependent dolphin abundance that has been documented for this population. Identification of sex differences in habitat use provides management agencies with insights to implement informed actions for the conservation of this coastal dolphin population which is forecast to decline by 50% in the next two decades.

Cultural ecosystem services have received increasing attention in land/marine use planning but remain poorly known, expressed, and utilised in planning processes. Progress in marine spatial planning requires better information regarding the full range of values and benefits received from ecosystem services, including cultural ecosystem values. This paper reports on an online Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) study that collected spatially explicit information on cultural ecosystem values in the remote Kimberley coastal region in northwestern Australia. The coastal zone – 20 km landwards and seawards – was found to be highly valued with values disproportionally located 0–2 km onshore. The number of value markers placed was related to tenure, access (i.e., density of tracks), population density, and geomorphology. Methodologically, Public Participation GIS describes the location and extent of values providing for the exploration of relationships between values and other planning features such as tenure and coastal access. Inclusion of such information in marine spatial planning and policy formulation can contribute to more thoughtful and inclusive decisions regarding the future of coastal zones. The use of internet-based Public Participation GIS is particularly useful for long, remote coastlines with widely dispersed stakeholder interests where other methods such as interviews and workshops are not feasible.

Cities can provide important habitat for wildlife conservation. Many species do not make much use of anthropogenic resources, but instead are largely reliant on natural habitat remaining within a matrix of urban development, and are engulfed by encroaching housing development. Understanding which factors influence their presence and activities will allow us to manage these habitat remnants for biodiversity conservation. To this aim, we carried out a field survey recording evidence of quenda (Isoodon obesulus fusciventer) foraging digs over 106 reserves managed by the City of Mandurah, the fastest growing regional city in Australia. We identified vegetation extent and condition as primary factors correlated with the presence of quenda digging activity. In addition, the extent of canopy cover and amount of woody debris are important habitat variables to quenda, while there was a negative correlation with access to the reserves by domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Although we included a range of urbanisation measures in the analyses (including the amount of roads nearby to each reserve, the distance to roads and the distance to buildings), none were correlated with quenda digging activity. This study indicates that quenda can persist in the urban landscape despite human activities, but highlights the importance of protected bushland reserves for their conservation.

Planning and management for marine and coastal areas is often contentious, with competing interests claiming their preferences are in the ‘public interest’. Defining the public interest for marine and coastal areas remains a wicked problem, however, resistant to resolution. A focus on more tangible ‘public values’ offers an alternative for policy and planning in specific contexts. However, ambiguity surrounds who or what constitutes the ‘public’, with stakeholder engagement often used as a proxy in marine and coastal research. In this study, the outcomes of participatory processes involving the public from diverse backgrounds and geographical locales were explored. A public participation GIS (PPGIS) survey was undertaken in the remote Kimberley region of Australia to identify the spatial values and management preferences for marine and coastal areas. Similarities and differences between the volunteer public (n = 372) and online panel respondents (n = 206); and for the volunteer public only, differences between residents (n = 118) and non-residents (n = 254) were assessed. Online panelists evidenced lesser quality mapping data and did not provide a reliable means of accessing ‘public’ values. Residents were more likely to map general recreational and recreational fishing values while non-locals were more likely to map biological/conservation and wilderness values. Overall, residents and non-residents were more alike than dissimilar in their mapping of values and management preferences, suggesting that the need to preference local views may be overstated, although there may be differences in policy priorities. Future research should focus on the breadth and representativeness of stakeholder interests to access the views of wider society and hence public values, rather than current approaches where local interests are often the primary focus of participatory stakeholder engagement.

Linear clearings, such as roads and tracks, are an obvious anthropogenic feature in many remote environments, even where infrastructure is sparse. Predator species have been shown to prefer moving down linear clearings, and therefore, clearings could increase predation risk for other species. We investigated whether tracks cleared for seismic surveys are preferentially used by predators and herbivores in a landscape inhabited by bilbies (Macrotis lagotis), a vulnerable species of conservation concern. We used a paired camera trap array to investigate the use of cleared seismic lines at four time points after clearing (1 month, 3 months, 7 months, 48 months) by six mammal species. Bilbies, cattle (Bos indicus/B. taurus), dingoes (Canis familiaris), feral cats (Felis catus) and agile wallabies (Macropus agilis) preferred to use seismic lines compared with adjacent undisturbed vegetation for almost all surveys, while spectacled hare wallabies (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) avoided them. Bilbies and agile wallabies showed similar temporal activity patterns on and off seismic lines but feral cats, dingoes and cattle used seismic lines at different times of day to control areas. We also investigated microhabitat selection by spool tracking individual bilbies. Bilbies selected a route through vegetation that was more open than surrounding vegetation. While spatial and temporal funnelling of bilbies and their predators (especially cats) may increase the frequency of encounter between the two, it is important to note that bilbies were active at significantly different times to predators both on and off seismic lines. The identified selection for seismic lines, and changes in spatial and temporal overlap between species, can be used to develop effective management strategies, to minimize potential impacts on native species.

This paper examines environmental characteristics of a remote coastline adjacent to an extensive fringing coral reef in a World Heritage Area impacted by tourism and extensive use of off-road vehicles. Hyperspectral remote sensing imagery combined with field validation were used to map and characterise the 300-km coast including shore type, land cover and vehicle track footprint. Adjacent to Ningaloo Marine Park, only sparse coastal vegetation cover was present. However, there exists an extensive (1256 km) vehicle track network with the highest densities near accommodation nodes and sandy beaches (over 65% of tracks). Areas managed for conservation had fewer tracks and the lowest track density (0.3 km/km2) compared to pastoral stations (∼1.9 km/km2). The cumulative lengths of tracks were highest on pastoral stations used for livestock grazing, coastal access and camping (945 km out of the total of 1256 km of tracks). The fragility of the arid landscape and this assessment of off-road vehicle impact obtained through detailed mapping of tracks indicate the need for management measures to mitigate the damage and cope with the increasing numbers of visitors.

Coastal tourism continues to experience sustained growth on a global scale, leading to concerns regarding socio-cultural, economic and environmental impacts. To-date, the explicit integration of to...

Planning for coastal and marine environments is often characterized by conflict over current and proposed uses. Marine spatial planning has been proposed as a way forward, however, social data are often missing impeding decision-making. Participatory mapping, a technique useful for providing social data and predict conflict potential, is being used in an increasing number of terrestrial applications to inform planning, but has been little used in the marine realm. This study collected social data for an extensive coastline in northwestern Australia via 167 in-depth face-to-face interviews including participant mapping of place values. From the transcribed interviews and digitized maps, we inductively identified 17 values, with biodiversity, the physical landscape, and Aboriginal culture being most valued. To spatially identify conflict potential, values were classified in matrices as consumptive or non-consumptive with the former assumed to be less compatible with other values. Pairwise comparisons of value compatibilities informed a spatial GIS determination of conflict potential. The results were overlaid with the boundaries of nine marine protected areas in the region to illustrate the application of this method for marine spatial planning. The three near shore marine protected areas had at least one third of their area exhibiting conflict potential. Participatory mapping accompanied by conflict potential mapping provides important insights for spatial planning in these often-highly contested marine environments.

Participatory mapping in social research is characterized by methodological pluralism, with two common methods being qualitative mapping using stakeholder interviews and quantitative methods that engage larger public samples through digital, internet mapping. To date, there has been no systematic evaluation of the extent to which mixed methods in participatory mapping yield valid results when applied to the same research setting and research questions. A mixed methods research design (combined exploratory sequential and convergent parallel) was implemented in a large research project to identify marine and coastal values in the Kimberley region of Australia. Qualitative interviews (n = 167) were completed with stakeholders to identify place-based values using polygon mapping methods and internet-based public participation GIS (PPGIS) methods (n = 578). We defined and operationalized the concepts of concurrent, commensurate, and convergent validity to assess mixed methods research outcomes. We found that qualitative and quantitative methods resulted in moderate to high concurrent validity when assessing the importance of place values in the study area. Convergent validity (spatial) was highly variable by place value, with stronger convergent validity found with mapped aesthetic, recreational fishing, tourism, biodiversity, and Aboriginal culture values, and weakest with existence, therapeutic, and commercial fishing values. Convergent validity was influenced by weak commensurate validity through the use of different geometric features (polygons versus points) for mapping values across a large study area. The utility of mixed methods for planning decision support in a convergent parallel design depends on demonstrating convergence in construct meaning, spatial location, and consistency in values in the sampling populations.

Marine protected area (MPA) research continues to be dominated by biophysical interests. However, understanding social data, including people's values and preferences, is critical to both effective planning and management and long-term MPA success. Having these social data in a spatial form is essential, given that MPA planning and management increasingly uses marine spatial planning (MSP) approaches to carefully locate and mediate among potentially competing uses in both space and time. An online Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) survey was used to collect spatially explicit information on stakeholder values and management preferences for Australia's remote Kimberley region. The Kimberley coast and marine environment is characterised by a multiplicity of values and preferences. Key values included biological conservation, aesthetics, recreational fishing, Aboriginal culture and heritage, and nature based tourism. Management preferences were dominated by the desire to increase conservation/protection, exclude oil/gas development and commercial fishing, and to increase Aboriginal management. The diversity of values and preferences present suggests potential for conflict over management and permitted uses. Significant associations between value and preference distribution and the Kimberley's five marine protected areas were analysed. Accessibility and respondent familiarity appear linked to value attribution. More accessible MPAs were significantly associated with recreation values while more remote MPAs were characterised by a conservation ethos and general aversion to development. Our research demonstrates that PPGIS enables documentation of spatially explicit social data across large scales, highlighting potential synergies and conflicts in values and permitted uses, in a manner that can readily integrate with ecologically based marine spatial planning processes.

The remote Kimberley region in Western Australia presents a unique nature-based tourism destination. One of the world’s last wildernesses, the Kimberley is one of the least-impacted marine environments in the world. Tourism in the region is growing rapidly, driven by stunning natural landscapes, unparalleled nature-based experiences and a vibrant indigenous culture. Despite this, there has been virtually no research into how stakeholders value the Kimberley and spatially explicit investigations are lacking. State marine protected area planning, currently in a formative stage in the region, requires such spatially explicit social data to complement existing biophysical information. This paper reports on findings from a Public Participation GIS survey with 206 stakeholders undertaken in 2015 as part of a broader research project into socio-cultural values and management preferences for the Kimberley coast. Stakeholders’ spatially linked values were collected via an internet-based mapping survey for the purpose of supporting future planning and management in the region. Stakeholders mapped over 4,100 value locations, with values relating to scenery/aesthetics, recreational fishing, Aboriginal culture and nature-based tourism being most prominent. Analysis identified a clear spatial clustering of values across the region with a number of value ‘hotspots’ evident. Tourism planners and managers can analyse these hotspots to identify areas of potential congruence and conflict, thus assisting in retaining the qualities of the region that support ongoing tourism. By generating spatially explicit information on stakeholder values and areas of importance, this research makes an important contribution to tourism planning and management in the Kimberley.

Conservation management typically focuses on protecting wildlife habitat that is linked to important behaviours such as resting, breeding or caring for young. However, development of conservation strategies of social species would benefit from inclusion of social dynamics, particularly for species where social relationships influence fitness measures such as survival and reproduction. We combined the study of dolphin sociality, distribution and calving to identify important behavioural and ecological patterns to inform management. Over 3 consecutive years, 231 boat-based photo-identification surveys were conducted to individually identify adult female bottlenose dolphins over a 120 km2 area in Bunbury, Western Australia. The density distribution of female dolphins was highest in the inner waters during December–February (austral summer) and March (early autumn), which also coincided in time with the majority of calving. The temporal stability of social bonds between adult females was measured (using lagged association rates) and remained stable over multiple years. A cyclic model best described female–female associations with an annual peak occurring each austral summer (Dec–Jan–Feb). These results informed the implementation of a legislative no-go area and vessel speed restriction areas. In addition to conventional management approaches of protecting important habitat and breeding periods, our measure of dolphin sociality provides a new metric to consider in conservation efforts. We encourage studies on socially complex species to incorporate social dynamics when evaluating possible impacts of anthropogenic activities.

Stakeholders are presumed to represent different interests for marine and coastal areas with the potential to influence marine protected area planning and management. We implemented a public participation GIS (PPGIS) system in the remote Kimberley region of Australia to identify the spatial values and preferences for marine and coastal areas. We assessed similarities and differences in PPGIS participants (N = 578) using three operational definitions for "stakeholder" based on: (1) self-identified group, (2) self-identified future interests in the region, and (3) participant value orientation that reflects a preferred trade-off between environmental and economic outcomes. We found moderate levels of association between alternative stakeholder classifications that were logically related to general and place-specific participatory mapping behavior in the study region. We then analyzed how stakeholder classifications influence specific management preferences for proposed marine protected areas (MPAs) in the study region. Conservation-related values and preferences dominated the mapped results in all proposed marine reserves, the likely result of volunteer sampling bias by conservation stakeholder interests participating in the study. However, we suggest these results may also reflect the highly politicized process of marine conservation planning in the Kimberley where conservation efforts have recently emerged and galvanized to oppose a major offshore gas development and associated land-based infrastructure. Consistent with other participatory mapping studies, our results indicate that the chosen operational definition for stakeholder group such as group identity versus interests can influence participatory mapping outcomes, with implications for MPA designation and management. Future research is needed to better understand the strengths and limitations of participatory mapping that is framed in stakeholder perspectives, especially when sampling relies heavily on volunteer recruitment and participation methods that appear predisposed to participatory bias. In parallel, practical efforts to ensure that social research efforts such as this are included in MPA planning must remain of the highest priority for scientists and managers alike.

The installation of deep drains is an engineering approach to remediate land salinised by the influence of shallow groundwater. It is a costly treatment and its economic viability is, in part, dependent on the lateral extent to which the drain increases biological productivity by lowering water tables and soil salinity (referred to as the drains' zone of benefit). Such zones may be determined by assessing the biological productivity response of adjacent vegetation over time. We tested a multi-temporal satellite remote sensing method to analyse temporal and spatial changes in vegetation condition surrounding deep drainage sites at five locations in the Western Australian wheatbelt affected by dryland salinity-Morawa, Pithara, Beacon, Narembeen and Dumbleyung. Vegetation condition as a surrogate for biological productivity was assessed by Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) during the peak growing season. Analysis was at the site scale within a 1000 m buffer zone from the drains. There was clear evidence of NDVI increasing with elevation, slope and distance from the drain. After accounting for elevation, slope and distance from the drain, there was a significant increase in NDVI across the five locations after installation of deep drains. Changes in NDVI after drainage were broadly consistent with measured changes at each site in groundwater levels after installation of the deep drains. However, this study assessed the lateral extent of benefit for biological productivity and gave a measure of the area of benefit along the entire length of the drain. The method demonstrated the utility of spring NDVI images for rapid and relatively simple assessment of the change in site condition after implementation of drainage, but approaches for further improvement of the procedure were identified.

The incidental capture of wildlife in fishing gear presents a global conservation challenge. As a baseline to inform assessments of the impact of bycatch on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) interacting with an Australian trawl fishery, we conducted an aerial survey to estimate dolphin abundance across the fishery. Concurrently, we carried out boat-based dolphin photo-identification to assess short-term fidelity to foraging around trawlers, and used photographic and genetic data to infer longer-term fidelity to the fishery. We estimated abundance at ≈ 2,300 dolphins (95% CI = 1,247–4,214) over the ≈ 25,880-km2 fishery. Mark-recapture estimates yielded 226 (SE = 38.5) dolphins associating with one trawler and some individuals photographed up to seven times over 12 capture periods. Moreover, photographic and genetic re-sampling over three years confirmed that some individuals show long-term fidelity to trawler-associated foraging. Our study presents the first abundance estimate for any Australian pelagic dolphin community and documents individuals associating with trawlers over days, months and years. Without trend data or correction factors for dolphin availability, the impact of bycatch on this dolphin population’s conservation status remains unknown. These results should be taken into account by management agencies assessing the impact of fisheries-related mortality on this protected species.

A salvage translocation of western brush wallabies (Notamacropus irma (Jourdan, 1837)) was a condition of approval to build a new runway at Jandakot Airport, Western Australia. Since little is known about this endemic Western Australian species, the translocation presented a valuable opportunity to gain information on the species after release into Harry Waring Marsupial Reserve, a 260-ha reserve where these animals had been recorded previously. We aimed to gain information on the biology and ecology of the species and follow the movement of individuals tracked with Global Positioning System (GPS) collars over six months to determine their short-term survival, home-range establishment, overlap in home range between individuals, and habitat utilisation in the reserve. Weekly mean home-range estimates did not differ between males (10.0±9.7 (s.d.) ha, 95% KDE, n=6) and females (12.1±6.1 (s.d.) ha, 95% KDE, n=5) (P=0.473). Some males had 67–70% overlap in home ranges with some females, but substantial distances maintained between individuals (from 123±110m to 292±303m) confirmed the solitary nature of the species. Western brush wallabies preferred Banksia spp. woodlands, possibly due to the availability of canopy cover, and some specific understorey associations, such as Hibbertia hypericoides, that form part of their diet. Our study highlighted the importance of understanding the home-range establishment and vegetation preferences of translocated animals that will inform the planning of future translocations.