The Pink-tailed Worm-lizard (Aprasia parapulchella) was declared a vulnerable species on 27 March 2008. Under section 101 of the Nature Conservation Act 2014, the Conservator of Flora and Fauna is responsible for preparing a draft Action Plan for listed species. This is the first action plan prepared for this species.

About the action plan

The overall conservation objective of this plan is to maintain, in the long-term, viable, wild populations of Pink-tailed Worm-lizards as a component of the indigenous biological resources of the ACT and as a contribution to regional and national conservation of the species.

This includes the need to maintain natural evolutionary processes. Specific objectives of the action plan are to:

• protect sites in the ACT where large and medium-sized populations occur
• protect all sites that comprise important linking habitat in defined landscape corridors
• manage habitat to conserve populations
• enhance the long-term viability of populations through management of buffer zones that surround occupied habitat and through rehabilitation of habitat in corridor areas that will increase connectivity between populations.

It sets out a framework to:

• protect all large populations and all populations that occur in important corridor areas. Protect other populations from unintended impacts (unintended impacts are those not already considered through an environmental assessment or other statutory process)
• conserve the species and its habitat through appropriate management
• increase habitat area and connect populations within important corridor areas
• improved understanding of the species’ ecology, habitat requirements and threats
• promote greater awareness of, and strengthen stakeholder and community engagement in, the conservation of the species.

The key actions in the plan are:

• apply formal measures to ensure all large populations and all populations that occur in important corridor areas, are protected
• protect other populations from unintended impacts
• monitor abundance of key representative populations, together with the effects of management actions
• implement management actions to conserve the species and its habitat, including an appropriate grazing/fire/slashing regime for managing herbage biomass (recognising current imperfect knowledge)
• rehabilitate habitat in suitable areas adjacent to occupied habitat to increase habitat area or habitat connectivity
• undertake or facilitate research on habitat requirements, techniques to manage habitat, and aspects of the species’ ecology directly relevant to its conservation
• undertake or facilitate stakeholder and community engagement and awareness

What's happening now?

Public comments on the Draft Action Plan - Pink-tailed Worm-lizard closed on 6 December 2016.

All comments were considered when finalising the action plan.