Barrow Island Wallaroo
Osphranter robustus isabellinus
Australia's Threatened Species Category
Vulnerable
Listed since: 15/08/2017
IUCN's Threatened Species Category
Least Concern
Listed since: 15/06/2015
Population trend: Stable
Other names: Barrow Island Euro
Priority Species? No
The Australian government's Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032 selected over 100 priority species derive from consultation with threatened species experts and the wider community. While all species are important, focusing on a limited number of species can help target effort and resources so that outcomes can be achieved, measured and shared.
Description
Barrow Island Euro is a stocky, dark-backed wallaroo and is known only from Barrow Island, off the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. The Barrow Island Euro is found along coastal fringes where the low cliffs provide shade and was found to favour areas that had been recently burnt. It is likely to eat mainly grasses, herbs and forbs.
Threats
The main identified threats to the Barrow Island Euro include road fatalities, fire, habitat degradation associated with development of petroleum infrastructure on Barrow Island, inbreeding depression, accidental feral animal release and stochastic events leading to the extinction of small isolated population.
Quollity Conservation Hub's Vulnerability Score:
34
To help compare the relative vulnerability of different species, we have developed a scoring system based on biological and ecological characteristics that influence a species' ability to survive and recover from environmental change and natural disasters.
The framework is adapted from assessment methods used by conservation experts following the Black Summer bushfires to help identify species most in need of conservation action, research, and recovery funding.
Each species is assessed using a range of factors, including its conservation status, lifespan, reproductive rate, habitat and dietary requirements, ability to disperse or recover after fire, and the number and severity of threats it faces.
In general, the higher a species' score, the greater its overall vulnerability and risk of decline or extinction.
Like all conservation assessments, this scoring system is limited by the information currently available. Many threatened species remain poorly studied and receive limited research funding, meaning some assessments rely on the best available scientific knowledge or information from closely related species. As new research becomes available, scores may be updated to reflect our improved understanding.