Boodie
Bettongia lesueur
Australia's Threatened Species Category
Vulnerable
Listed since: 31/08/2023
IUCN's Threatened Species Category
Near Threatened
Listed since: 31/12/2012
Population trend: Increasing
Other names: Burrowing Bettong (Barrow and Boodie Islands)
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
The Boodie, is a small-medium sized macropod from the rat-kangaroo family and now occurs naturally only on Barrow Island, located off the northern coast of Western Australia. The species is nocturnal and omnivorous, foraging mostly at night. It is the only macropod that creates burrows, which are used for shelter and refuge during the day.
Threats
Despite currently existing in areas that are free of predators and where habitat is protected, the species would be extremely susceptible to these threats once again if the areas ceased to be protected or managed. Releases outside of fenced reserves suggest that cat and fox predation is still a major limiting factor to population establishment over wider landscapes. Other threats to the species survival remain ongoing and include climate change, increased drought conditions, altered fire frequencies and severity, disease, low genetic diversity and subpopulation fluctuations.
Quollity Conservation Hub's Vulnerability Score:
37
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.