Saving Australia's rodents: Why one species thrived where another died out

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-07-12 04:00

Australia; WA

Danielle Shaw

Doole Island on the Western Australian coast has been the home of two attempts to revive endangered Australian species. The Djoongari mouse and Golden Bandicoot were both introduced to the feral predator-free island in bids to create new populations, but while the Golden Bandicoot succeeded, the Djoongari only survived for a few years. Australian researchers looked at the two projects to examine what factors lead to successful or unsuccessful translocation programs. They say the impact of threats from native predators, specific habitat needs and natural disasters like storms need to be considered, along with the capacity of a species to handle a change in environment.

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Journal/
conference: PLOS ONE

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Western Australia, Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

Funder: Funding was provided by the Australian Natural Heritage Trusts’ Endangered species program, the Shark Bay mouse Recovery Plan, Perth Zoological gardens, Chevron Australia (through offset funds) and the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (and its predecessors).

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