Rapid population expansion of Boodie (Burrowing Bettong, Bettongia lesueur) creates potential for resource competition with Mala (Rufous Hare‐wallaby, Lagorchestes hirsutus)

Abstract

SummaryTranslocations 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.