National Recovery Plan for Lister's Gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri) and the Christmas Island Blind Snake (Typhlops exocoeti)
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Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in National Recovery Plan for Lister's Gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri) and the Christmas Island Blind Snake (Typhlops exocoeti).
Costs
The estimated total cost of the recovery program is $265,000 over five years. Costs are to supplement existing survey, monitoring and threat abatement programs by including species-specific components ($125,000), to conduct annual specialist targeted surveys in first 2 years ($40,000), to cover reviews of quarantine proposals, pest control programs and population information ($10,000) and to initiate (commencing in year 3 if the species are located) an autecological study of either or both species ($90,000). If neither species is located in the first 2 years, this component will be deferred or dispensed with. Note that by supplementing existing programs, cross-benefits will assist in the conservation and recovery of all endemic reptiles and other endemic, near-threatened and threatened taxa on Christmas Island.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total required | $45,000 | $55,000 | $55,000 | $55,000 | $55,000 | $265,000 |
Biodiversity Benefits
The actions set out in this Recovery Plan are intended to (a) acquire, through survey and research, the information needed to identify the current status, principal threats and species-specific recovery actions for these two species, and (b) assess potential threats to the integrity of those Christmas Island habitats and ecosystems in which both species have been known to occur. Both groups of actions, but especially the latter, have the potential to benefit all of the threatened and ‘at risk’ elements of Christmas Island’s native biota, especially if integrated into existing and future enhanced biodiversity monitoring and conservation programs being conducted by PAN.
Management Actions
Without detailed knowledge of the species, specific management actions cannot be prescribed, however, generic actions which may aid the recovery of Lister’s Gecko and the Christmas Island Blind Snake include:
- Increasing community awareness of native threatened species by emphasising their endemic significance and potential roles as indicators of ecosystem health in island-wide recovery processes.
- Integrating, to the maximum extent possible, the actions specified in this Recovery Plan in the Plan of Management for Christmas Island National Park (Environment Australia, 2002). This plan is in force until 2009.
- Establish an island-wide Biodiversity Recovery Team to advise PAN and the Australian Government on actions needed to modify and/or enhance and/or integrate existing biodiversity survey/monitoring programs across Christmas Island.