Gilbert's Potoroo
EPBC Status: Critically endangered
SPRAT Species Profile: Potorous gilbertii — Gilbert's Potoroo
Found in: Western Australia
Threatened Species Strategy Scorecards:
Gilbert’s Potoroo Year 3 scorecard 2018 (PDF - 441.24 KB)
Gilbert’s Potoroo Year 3 scorecard 2018 (DOCX - 559.09 KB)
Year 3 Scorecard Summary (2018)
Gilbert’s Potoroo is the rarest marsupial in the world, with around 100 individuals. It was once locally abundant around the WA south-west coast, however declined rapidly from the mid-1800s, shrinking to only one small population at Mt Gardner, in Two Peoples Bay.
The WA Government has led recovery efforts, first by establishing two insurance populations at Bald Island from 2005, and in a fenced enclosure in Waychinicup National Park from 2009. This timely intervention prevented disaster in 2015, when an intense wildfire burnt most of the Gilbert’s Potoroo’s habitat at Mt Gardner. Seven surviving Potoroos were translocated for safety, and intensive control of foxes and feral cats was undertaken around the Mt Gardner site to reduce predation risk for remaining Potoroos. Another population was established on Middle Island in 2017, with support from the Australian Government.
Although the original wild population at Mt Gardner has declined severely as a result of the 2015 fire, the populations that had earlier been established elsewhere and the new translocations to Middle Island have improved the overall population trajectory for Gilbert’s Potoroo. However, with such low numbers the future of this species is precarious and will require ongoing careful management.
Further information
- Threatened species strategy
- 20 birds by 2020
- 20 mammals by 2020
- 30 plants by 2020
- Three year review of progress on priority bird and mammal species
Please note that this scorecard is due for review in Year 5 of the Threatened Species Strategy (2020). If you would like to contribute information on this species please provide your contact details to ThreatenedSpeciesCommissioner@awe.gov.au
Photo credit: © Dick Walker and Gilbert’s Potoroo Action Group