Many terrestrial orchid populations in southern Australia are threatened by the noxious environmental weed Asparagus asparagoides. This paper describes a safe method of applying herbicides to control this weed in populations of the threatened terrestrial orchid Pterostylis arenicola. The technique of weed wiping is particularly suitable for use in areas of high conservation concern.

The endangered Blue Mountains water skink is restricted to highland peat swamps in eastern Australia. We show that Eulamprus leuraensis were found at sites with higher soil moisture, more burrows and live vegetation and a denser understorey. We developed a quick field detection method to assess the likely presence of the species, and mapped its known and predicted habitat using GIS.

This paper describes diets and dietary overlap in four apex predators in Hawai‘i: pueo, barn owl, cat and mongoose, based on analysis of the contents of owl pellets and cat and mongoose scats, which were collected from eight different areas on five of the Main Hawaiian Islands.

Koa (Acacia koa) reforestation areas (KRAs) on Hawaii Island are structurally similar to nearby intact forests in some cases, though species composition differs. Koa reforestation areas may provide a conservation benefit by re-establishing forest structure on degraded pasture. Some KRAs harbour understorey species as well.

We investigated denning home range and movement patterns of 10 cuscus using radio-telemetry in and around a 21-ha forested tambu area over a 28-day period. Home-range size was highly variable and log-normally distributed (mean = 2.9 ha). We conclude that similar sized tambu areas are too small to be self-sustaining.

Eastern grey kangaroo populations have declined in many areas of the South East Queensland bioregion of Australia, a region that has undergone high rates of urbanisation. Further declines can be anticipated and processes of urbanisation, including higher human population growth rates and smaller areas of natural habitat retained, were predictors of kangaroo decline.

Mulga birds allocated foraging resources similarly to other bird communities, with species differing in foraging behaviours and substrates. Foraging behaviour and species assemblages were sensitive to rainfall and associated changes in the abundance and type of prey available, with nomadic species departing as rainfall decreased.

Although mulga is floristically and structurally diverse, the composition of the avifauna is consistent. In years of high rainfall, nine foraging guilds were shared between mulga sites in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. However, guilds differed between locations in species assemblages, with species allocated to different guilds during years of low rainfall.

This research note documents an observation of a wild western grey kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) feeding on a dead silver gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae). We consider why the kangaroo may be feeding on the dead gull and possible implications for conservation programs relying on poison meat baits to control introduced species.