The northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii) is an iconic marsupial endemic to Australia, recognised globally for its status as the largest, herbivorous burrowing mammal. Owing to historical challenges, including anthropogenic conflict and environmental threats, the species was pushed to near extinction and was officially classified as Critically Endangered in 1996. Establishing an effective conservation plan is complicated by ongoing and novel threats as well as by aspects of the species' ecology that remain unstudied due to its neophobic and nocturnal behaviour. To identify areas where additional research is needed, we conducted a comprehensive search of the literature published on the northern hairy-nosed wombat from 1980 to 2019 to identify where knowledge gaps exist and to suggest where future efforts may be focussed. We found that the breeding ecology, in particular, of the northern hairy-nosed wombat is largely unstudied but could be vital in conservation efforts. Further, there is a need to establish additional populations, and several threats - including disease, invasive species, and climate change - may require ongoing management action to ensure the species' longevity.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	Epidemiology
Research Division:	Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:	Veterinary sciences
Research Field:	Veterinary parasitology
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:	Control of pests, diseases and exotic species in terrestrial environments
UTAS Author:	Martin, AM (Mrs Anne-Marie Martin)
UTAS Author:	Carver, S (Associate Professor Scott Carver)
ID Code:	149662
Year Published:	2021
Funding Support:	Australian Research Council (LP180101251)
Deposited By:	Zoology
Deposited On:	2022-04-05
Last Modified:	2022-05-05
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