Rapid population expansion of Boodie (Burrowing Bettong, Bettongia lesueur) creates potential for resource competition with Mala (Rufous Hare-wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus)
Document Type
Report
Publication Title
Ecological Management & Restoration
Volume
22
Issue
S1
First Page
54
Last Page
57
Publisher
Wiley
School
Centre for Ecosystem Management / School of Science
RAS ID
39861
Funders
Gorgon Barrow Island
Abstract
Translocations to closed systems such as fenced reserves are commonly used for conservation of threatened fauna species worldwide; however, resources are limited in these areas, and natural processes that regulate populations in response to resource availability are unable to occur. This can result in overabundance followed by overuse of resources, potentially resulting in extreme declines or local extinctions. Resource exhaustion can negatively impact other fauna in the closed environment that exploit similar resources, through inter-specific competition. This paper discusses the reintroduction of Boodie (Bettongia lesueur) and Mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus) to a fenced reserve on the Matuwa Indigenous Protected Area, Western Australia, and raises the concern of potential competition between the two threatened species.
DOI
10.1111/emr.12471
Access Rights
free_to_read
Comments
Treloar, S., Lohr, C., Hopkins, A. J. M., & Davis, R. A. (2021). Rapid population expansion of Boodie (Burrowing Bettong, Bettongia lesueur) creates potential for resource competition with Mala (Rufous Hare‐wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus). Ecological Management & Restoration, 22(S1), 54-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/emr.12471