Final report : Mala population viability analysis and conservation planning workshop

The Mala (Lagorchestes hirsutus) is a little known but charismatic wallaby, rescued from imminent extinction in the 1980s when the last 22 animals were secured in predator-proof enclosures. The last mainland wild population perished in a wild fire in 1991. Mala numbers remain critically low, dispersed among six predator-free sites, isolated from each other and located in three different States and Territories. From 3-5 November 2015, the Mala Recovery Team which comprises thirteen people from eight organisations, met to take a national view of Mala management and to identify and agree what it would take to move beyond saving the species from extinction and towards securing its long-term future. The workshop was funded by public donations and was facilitated by the IUCN SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group.