Translocations have become an increasingly popular tool in threatened macropod conservation in Australia. Although previous evaluations of Australian macropod translocations have been published, the number of contemporary translocation programmes awaiting analysis, and new data regarding historic translocations, required a new assessment of macropod translocation programmes. We aimed to assess trends in the way macropod translocations were conducted during the period 1969–2006, determine the number of successful translocations and identify factors common to successful translocations. Data regarding macropod translocations were obtained from a wide variety of sources, including peer‐reviewed journals, ‘grey’ literature and popular interest publications. Questionnaires were also sent to translocation managers to acquire detailed information. Specific aspects of macropod translocation methodology were analysed, and classification tree analysis was conducted to identify methodological and environmental factors common to successful translocations. We identified 109 macropod translocations for which sufficient data could be collected to permit analysis. Using the presence of a population on 1 January 2007 as a simple criterion, 61% of translocations were successful. Of these translocations, 66% were also considered successful by Short et al.'s criteria (population persisted for five years and is deemed likely to continue to persist); the remainder could not be assessed due to lack of data or insufficient elapsed time since release. Classification tree analysis suggested methodological and environmental factors common to successful translocations; the overriding factor determining success was the absence of cats and foxes at the release site. Although Australian macropod translocation proponents are faced with myriad methodological options when designing a translocation protocol, the primary consideration should be whether or not cats or foxes are present at the release site. Managers should be aware that there may be no safe population level of such predators for some translocation candidate species. Ignoring this fact will inevitably lead to a repeat of past translocation failures.

Lack of information regarding the ecology of threatened species may compromise conservation efforts. Mala, a small macropod that historically inhabited a vast area of arid Australia, became extinct in the wild in 1991. Although dietary studies were completed before their disappearance from the Tanami Desert, no such work was conducted in the southern Northern Territory before mala became extinct in this part of its former range. The reintroduction of mala to Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park provided an opportunity for dietary analysis of faecal pellets. Results show that mala foraged a wide variety of plant species, although grasses and supplementary food comprised the bulk of the diet. Neither the average percentage of Poaceae, Triodia in particular, nor supplementary food found in pellet samples was correlated with rainfall. Niche breadth analysis showed a narrow dietary range for both the Tanami and Uluru studies. Mala at both locations selected similar types of plants, plant parts, and several of the same species. Results suggest that food species Aristida holathera and Eragrostis eriopoda should be monitored to assist in determining the carrying capacity of the Uluru enclosure. A botanically diverse reintroduction site supporting Eragrostis, Aristida and Triodia appears to be most suitable for mala.

Little is known about the distribution and ecology of the cryptic and unique marsupial mole. In this paper we report on the habitat preferences and surfacing behaviour of marsupial moles on the basis of surface sign surveys conducted in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Ayers Rock Resort over a 12-month period by Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park staff and traditional owners. A key aim of the study was to assess the potential viability of using surface sign as a rapid, non-intrusive alternative to traditional survey methods. We found that surfacing occurred widely across the study area, but that it was highly variable both across survey sites and over time. Significant relationships existed between surface sign counts and environmental variables, including fire age, timing of significant rainfall events, presence of infrastructure and the cumulative rainfall received in the preceding three months. We concluded that the use of marsupial mole surface sign is likely to be a useful method for monitoring the distribution, abundance and habitat requirements of this cryptic species.