ABSTRACT
The field of wildlife management and conservation arose in Northern Hemisphere countries with relatively stable climates. To conserve wildlife in Australia, where droughts and floods are common, we need a different paradigm. Likewise, conserving “cold-blooded” reptiles requires different ways of thinking than have been developed for management of “warm-blooded” mammals and birds. This new approach is illustrated by studies on the Broad-Headed Snake, an endangered species restricted to coastal New South Wales and heavily dependent upon sun-warmed rock crevices for shelter. To conserve Broad-Headed Snakes, researchers developed artificial crevices, and increased sunlight penetration to the forest floor by trimming overhanging trees. Other species related to Broad-Headed Snakes, like Stephens’ Banded Snakes, rely upon very old hollow-bearing trees, and thus are threatened by timber extraction by forestry operations.
