Fauna surveys designed around your site and its species.
Fauna surveys often shape the development and approvals process in Western Australia. The presence of a threatened species, such as a Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo roost, a Greater Bilby population or a colony of Baudin's Cockatoos, can change the approvals pathway for a project, triggering EPBC Act referrals, EPA assessment requirements and conditions that reshape project design. A fauna survey identifies what is present, where it is and what the regulatory implications are. That depends on the right methods, timing and equipment, and on ecologists who know the species and the region.
Trace Ecology conducts fauna surveys and wildlife assessments for developers, miners, exploration companies, infrastructure builders, local governments and private landowners across WA and the NT. Our qualified zoologists and fauna ecologists work across mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and bats, using current survey guidance and reporting to the requirements of the EPA, DWER, DBCA and the EPBC Act.
Our fauna survey services cover the main assessment types. General fauna surveys provide a baseline of fauna communities and habitat condition across a project area, establishing which species are present, which habitats they use and what the potential impacts of proposed works may be. Detailed fauna surveys provide a quantitative assessment of fauna populations and habitat suitability, using survey designs suited to the bioregion and the faunal groups present.
Targeted species surveys are conducted where the potential presence of a specific threatened or priority species needs to be confirmed or ruled out. Our targeted surveys cover all three threatened black cockatoo species in WA (Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo, Baudin's Cockatoo and the Forest Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo), including nest hollow surveys, roost assessments and breeding habitat assessments prepared to EPBC Act and DBCA requirements. We also conduct targeted Greater Bilby surveys across the Pilbara, Goldfields and arid regions of WA, and targeted surveys for other EPBC Act listed species including threatened bats, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
Our survey methods include Elliott and cage trapping, track stations, pitfall arrays, spotlighting, acoustic bat monitoring using AnaBat and other passive acoustic recorders, infrared camera trapping, eDNA sampling, targeted diurnal and nocturnal bird surveys, reptile refuge searches and marine turtle monitoring where relevant. We manage fauna during vegetation clearing, providing fauna spotter-catchers, relocation services and clearing supervision to protect wildlife and meet project approval conditions.
Trace Ecology is a division of Trace Enterprises, which brings heritage, environmental and planning specialists together under one roof.
Specialist survey pages: Greater Bilby surveys, Malleefowl surveys, Arid Bronze Azure Butterfly surveys and black cockatoo habitat assessments. Read more about WA’s threatened black cockatoos and malleefowl, WA’s cryptic mound builder.
Frequently asked questions
When is a targeted fauna survey needed?
When the potential presence of a specific threatened or priority species needs to be confirmed or ruled out before project decisions are made, for example black cockatoo habitat in the south-west or the Greater Bilby in the Pilbara and arid zone. A targeted survey uses methods and timing designed around that species.
Can black cockatoos affect a development in Perth?
Yes. Perth sits within the range of three threatened black cockatoos, and their foraging, breeding and roosting habitat is protected under the EPBC Act. Where a proposal is likely to have a significant impact on that habitat, a Commonwealth referral may be needed. A habitat assessment early in the project shows whether that applies.
What methods does a fauna survey use?
Methods are chosen for the site and the species likely to be present, and can include trapping, camera traps, acoustic bat recorders, spotlighting, track and scat searches, bird surveys and eDNA sampling.
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Every heritage, environmental and planning project starts with the right conversation.
Tell us what you are planning and where. We'll tell you what assessments and approvals it needs, who should be involved and what happens next.