THE pookila (pseudomys novaehollandiae, also known as the New Holland mouse), is a tiny mouse native to heathlands, woodlands and vegetated sand dunes of south-eastern Australia.
The Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) staff recently completed a post-planned-burn survey of the pookila population at Loch Sport as part of a monitoring program conducted in partnership with Zoos Victoria.
In autumn this year, a planned burn was conducted within a 68-hectare section of the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, with the main aim to reduce bushfire risk for the township of Loch Sport.
There was also a research objective of the planned burn; to sensitively apply fire in pookila habitat. The species is listed as endangered in Victoria (FFG Act 1988).
Fewer than 3000 pookila mice are thought to be left in the wild in Victoria because of land clearing, inappropriate fire regimes and introduced predators including foxes and cats.
DELWP fire ecologist, Luke Smith, said this made looking after the remaining populations, such as that at Loch Sport, important.
“The species contributes to healthy ecosystems through soil turnover and seed and fungus dispersal. Minimising impacts to the pookila was a consideration of the planned burn from the beginning of planning through to the burn delivery,” he said. “We conducted the planned burn in blocks and during multiple days to allow a slow and controlled ignition. Some areas were left unburnt as refuges for the pookila”.
If the results of the post burn survey conducted recently are anything to go by, the planned burn was a success from the perspective of both species’ persistence and bushfire-risk reduction.
“The burn managed to reduce the overall fuel hazard from a measure level of ‘high’ to ‘low, moderate’ and the camera results were fantastic; we detected the pookila at the same nine sites where the species was detected before the burn,” Mr Smith said.
“This means that, at least immediately post the burn, the species was persisting across the burn area. We will survey again in autumn 2023 and see if the results are the same,” he said.
The pookila is a tiny mouse native to south-eastern Australia.
Photos: DELWP and Zoos Victoria.
