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Greater Bilby, Macrotis lagotis
A matter of national environmental significance
Listed as Vulnerable under EPBC Act in 2000
Controlling Provision:
 Threatened Species and Ecological Communities
Significant Impacts:
 if a person is proposing to take an action that will have, or is likely
to have a significant impact, the action must be referred for a
decision on whether assessment and approval is required under
the EPBC Act.
 The Greater Bilby is a key consideration in EPBC project
assessments (Part 7 – 9) and strategic assessments (Part 10) in
the Pilbara Bioregion.
www.environment.gov.au
www.environment.gov.au
Documents supporting decision making
National Recovery Plan
National Recovery Plan for the Greater Bilby - adopted in 2006
Threat Abatement Plans
 Predation by the European Red Fox
 Feral Cats
 Competition and Land Degradation by Feral Rabbits
Key Policy Statements and Guidelines
 Significant Impact Guidelines 1.1
 Survey guidelines for Australia's threatened mammals. EPBC
Act survey guidelines 6.5
 EPBC Act Environmental Offsets Policy, October 2012
www.environment.gov.au
Review of recovery plan
 Recovery Plan review completed
 Considerable on-going effort and resources needed to
complete priorities
 Emphasis on centrally-coordinated database to maintain
records of abundance and population trends
www.environment.gov.au
Arid Species Workshop – Alice Springs 2012
 Issues:
 Resourcing recovery actions, data coordination and recovery plan

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review and revision.
The need for a centralised database
A national recovery team.
Arid Zone recovery coordinator.
Develop outline for revised recovery plan (Peter Copley – SA).
 Opportunities
 Bilby high priority species
 widely distributed and multi-jurisdictional
 emblematic of many threats facing the arid zone (predators,

exotic competitors, inappropriate fire regimes, vehicle mortality
and fragmentation),
relatively well-studied and monitored in parts of species range.
www.environment.gov.au
WA workshop outcomes
 Understand the Greater Bilby across its range and any
differences in the Pilbara.
 Ongoing collaboration and agreement about a research plan for
the species consistent with a revised recovery plan.
 Have a strategy to guide offset requirements from EPBC CA
decisions so that duplication and gaps are avoided.
www.environment.gov.au