Understanding and protecting the great desert skink

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

Thanks to our supporters, the vital work of ongoing tracking and monitoring activities to protect the great desert skink (tjakuṟa) in Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park continues…

Tjakuṟa, the Great Desert Skink (Liopholis kintorei), is a threatened species found within Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. But how do you help an endangered species thrive if you don’t know where they are? 

This was the problem facing rangers in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. 

The elusive Tjakuṟa builds and maintains interconnected tunnels often under mature spinifex grasses, in which they can live for up to seven years with multiple generations participating in the construction and maintenance of burrows. 

‘If we don’t take action to recover the Tjakuṟa then it could become extinct … that means it’s lost from the culture for Aboriginal people … but also lost from the rich diversity that makes up the desert region.’ – Threated Species Commissioner Dr Fiona Fraser 20 over 10 years.

Over the past few decades, the culturally significant Tjakuṟa has vanished from many of the sites they used to inhabit. Unmanaged wildfire and feral cats are largely to blame.

David Thuo, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO in Canberra, is driving the project ‘Molecules in the sand: eDNA, and the biology of the Tjakuṟa, the Great Desert Skink’. The project aims to retrieve DNA from scats and soil to study the skinks’ biology and genetics. 

The initiative includes Mulyamiji March, which will track the population of Great Desert Skinks across central Australia.

The first survey took place in 2023-24 and involved local Aṉangu women.

Over time, the project should help answer some critical ecological and biological questions about the Tjakuṟa, including how many individuals occupy a burrow, how occupancy changes over time, how long Tjakuṟa live and how far they travel. This terrestrial eDNA project may also prove to be a technique which can be applied to other threatened species who survive in Australia’s arid zones.

The National Parks Conservation Trust supported the creation of the Aṉangu Women’s Tjakuṟa team through the Muṯitijulu Community.

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Public Statement from The National Parks Conservation Trust

To our Donors, Supporters and Partners,

After 6 years of supporting transformational projects in and around Australia’s six Commonwealth national parks, 60 marine parks and the Australian National Botanic Gardens, The National Parks Conservation Trust we will be ceasing operations on June 30, 2025.

This was not an easy decision. It comes after a thorough review of our mission, impact and sustainability in today’s philanthropic landscape. We are deeply proud of what we have achieved together.

We want to express our deepest gratitude for your donations and your thoughtful participation, which has made our work possible.

While The National Parks Conservation Trust will no longer operate as an organisation, our mission continues through the people and communities we’ve worked with across the Commonwealth national parks and marine parks.

As we wind down, we are committed to a responsible closure: we are ensuring all remaining funds and assets are distributed in line with our Deed and charitable purpose. Rest assured all current projects underway will be seen through to completion by Parks Australia. Honoring these commitments is a key priority for us during this period.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Together, we’ve made a difference to the conservation of Commonwealth national parks and marine parks.

If you have any enquiries, please contact [email protected].

With deep appreciation,
Chair, Rhondda Dickson and all the Trustees

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices, and names of deceased people.