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Little is known of the area of occupancy, extent of occurrence, abundance, density or habitat use of the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) in the north of Western Australia. To seek broad collaborative agreement on a research agenda, the Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife hosted a workshop where research priorities were identified through a facilitated process. Five key areas for future research effort were identified: (1) refine survey methods, (2) improve understanding of habitat use, (3) improve understanding of the genetic structure of (meta)populations, (4) improve understanding of the threat posed by introduced predators and herbivores, and (5) improve understanding of how fire regimes affect bilby conservation. A conceptual model describing the main landscape components thought to be influencing distribution is used to reconcile existing knowledge, link research priorities for the bilby in the north of Western Australia, and guide the development of an integrated program of research. The broad nature of the priorities reflects the limited knowledge of bilbies in the north of the state; however, this research program provides an opportunity to increase knowledge to enact both species- and ecosystem-focused approaches to conservation, and potentially contributes towards the implementation of more dynamic conservation approaches for mobile species.

Significant biodiversity offset funds have been allocated towards conservation research on threatened species as part of the environmental approvals process for resource development in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. One of these species is the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia Pilbara form), which is entirely reliant on roosting in a limited number of caves and disused mines, many of which exist in the mineral-bearing strata that are the focus of mining activity. A research agenda for the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat was developed during a workshop attended by scientists, environmental consultants and mining industry representatives. Five research priorities were identified: (1) collate existing data contained within unpublished environmental surveys; (2) clarify and better characterise the number and distribution of day roosts; (3) better understand habitat requirements, particularly foraging habitat, and the movement of bats between roosts; (4) provide more robust estimates of total population and colony size, and improve understanding of social behaviour; and (5) investigate appropriate buffers in a range of mining contexts and protocols for artificial roost construction. Meta-analysis of current data, confirmation of potential day roosts, and long-term monitoring of activity patterns would rapidly increase our knowledge of the Pilbara leaf-nosed bat to enable effective conservation actions.

The Pilbara population of the northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus) has been seldom studied, and the impacts of threats such as altered fire regimes, total grazing pressure, predation and mining and infrastructure development are not well understood. While the Pilbara was once thought likely to provide refuge for northern quolls from the poisonous cane toad (Rhinella marina), recent modelling suggests that cane toads will invade the region. The environmental approvals process for mining development in the Pilbara has generated considerable offset funds that are to be directed towards research on the northern quoll. In an effort to identify future research priorities for this species in the Pilbara through a collaborative process, the Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife hosted a workshop attended by scientists, environmental consultants, mining proponents and state and federal regulators. Participants at the workshop identified five key areas for future research effort: (1) develop appropriate and standardised survey and monitoring methods; (2) define areas of critical habitat and better understand how disturbance affects habitat quality; (3) improve our understanding of population dynamics; (4) better understand the key threats to the northern quoll and the interactions between these threats in the Pilbara; and (5) determine whether the northern quoll will colonise restored areas or artificial habitat. We provide the expected timelines and current allocation of resources to these research priorities over the next 10 years. We reflect on the lessons learnt from the workshop process and consider ways to improve the outcomes of such collaborative exercises.

The desert mouse (Pseudomys desertor) is one of the most common and widespread native rodent species across arid and semiarid Australia. The species occurs in a variety of habitats and like many arid-zone rodents, its distribution and abundance is known to fluctuate with environmental conditions. Following the capture of a suspected specimen of P. desertor outside the current known range of the species, we used molecular-based methods to confirm the specimen’s identification as P. desertor. This note presents a record of the species north of Dalwallinu, Western Australia, which represents a significant range extension for the species of 324 km from the nearest confirmed record.