Project start date: 05/02/2024
Project end date: 05/08/2027
NESP funding: $60,000 (GST-exclusive)
The kowari is a small, carnivorous marsupial found only in the remote stony deserts of north-east South Australia and south-west Queensland. In 2023, the conservation status of the kowari was upgraded from Vulnerable to Endangered. Recent research suggests there is a 20% risk that kowari could become extinct within the next 20 years, and scientists estimate that as few as 1200 kowari are left in the wild.
Kowari (Dasyuroides byrnei) live on stony gibber plains that have little shrub or ground cover. Photo: Nathan Beerkens.
The causes of decline in kowari populations are not well understood. This project will assess the threats considered to pose the greatest risk to the species: poor dispersal of kowari into new areas or into areas where they have become locally extinct; the influence of predators such as dingoes, foxes and feral cats on dispersal and survival; and the impact of intensive pastoral activity on kowari distribution and abundance. The genetic health of kowari populations is also unknown.
This research will provide land managers and conservation practitioners with scientific evidence to support or adapt their management practices to promote the recovery of kowari populations.
Key research areas
To investigate the threats considered to be causing the decline of the kowari, the research will:
- investigate the survival and dispersal of juvenile kowari using capture-mark-recapture techniques at Arid Recovery and Clifton Hills Station
- quantify differences in how kowari use dune system and stony plains habitat in areas with varying levels of predator activity (pastoral stations) and in the absence of predators (Arid Recovery)
- assess how the installation of new water points on pastoral leases has affected vegetation cover and sand-mound condition over time
- measure the genetic health and population structure of kowari in South Australia and Queensland.
Pathway to impact
This research will significantly contribute to the conservation of kowari by:
- quantifying how interacting factors (juvenile dispersal, predation and predator avoidance, and pastoral management) are either preventing the expansion of kowari populations or are causing their decline
- developing evidence-based guidelines for land managers and conservation practitioners to inform conservation management of the kowari.
