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Rapid population expansion of Boodie (Burrowing Bettong, Bettongia lesueur ) creates potential for resource competition with Mala (Rufous Hare‐wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus )
Author(s) -
Treloar Shan,
Lohr Cheryl,
Hopkins Anna J. M.,
Davis Robert A.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
ecological management and restoration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.472
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1442-8903
pISSN - 1442-7001
DOI - 10.1111/emr.12471
Subject(s) - threatened species , competition (biology) , ecology , biology , resource (disambiguation) , population , habitat , computer network , demography , sociology , computer science
Summary 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.