Habitat Selection by the Swamp Wallaby, Wallabia-Bicolor, the Red-Necked Wallaby, Macropus-Rufogriseus, and the Common Wombat, Vombatus-Ursinus, in Logged, Burnt Forest Near Bega, New-South-Wales

Abstract

This study examined the habitat selected by the swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor, the red-necked wallaby, Macropus rufogriseus, and the common wombat, Vombatus ursinus. The habitats were unlogged forest and three age classes of logged forest at 16 weeks and 72 weeks after a fire in November 1980 in Mumbulla State Forest on the south coast ofNew South Wales. Habitat selection was determined from decay-corrected dung counts. The dung count for each species varied with the topography and age class of the forest, demonstrating that logging and fire had a marked effect on the habitat selected. The ridges logged during the woodchip-sawlog operation in 1979 and 1980 had little dung, indicating low use as feeding areas. Since these habitats were the most exposed, the conclusion drawn was that they were rarely used by the herbivores. However, ridges logged 10-15 years earlier supported all species because they provided both food and refuge shelter. Recommendations for management of forests subject to logging and fire include the retention of unlogged gully forest and spreading operations through both space and time to minimise population fluctuations.