Prickly Skink (Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae) use of supplemental coarse woody debris in rainforest restoration sites

Abstract

SummaryCoarse woody debris (CWD) is a critical resource for some rainforest reptiles but is slow to develop in restoration sites. In four restoration plantings in north Queensland, Australia, salvaged log and fence post piles were added to facilitate the return of reptiles, particularly the log‐specialist Prickly Skink (Gnypetoscincus queenslandiae). Between one year and six and a half years after supplemental CWD installation, the reporting rate of Prickly Skink individuals in CWD piles had increased from 6.7 and 0% to 12.5 and 37.5% for log and post piles, respectively. This coincided with substantial increases in the level of decay of CWD piles, particularly logs that had mostly decayed to particulate matter rendering them unsuitable for the Prickly Skink. CWD addition can be a useful tool to accelerate the development of rainforest reptile communities in young restoration sites. However, the persistence of supplementary CWD in a rainforest environment can be modest due to the high rates of CWD decay. As such, we recommend using high‐density salvaged logs where possible and to make allowances for future replenishment of supplementary CWD if the volume of natural CWD in a restoration site remains low.