This chapter details the planning, logistics and execution of the eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) translocation to Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary (MFWS). The project aimed to restore ecosystem function by reintroducing this extinct mainland marsupial, known for its role as an ecosystem engineer. The translocation involved extensive inter-agency collaboration, ethical oversight and adaptive problem-solving. Key challenges included minimising stress-induced mortality, safeguarding pouch young and ensuring genetic diversity through strategic sourcing across Tasmania. Innovative trapping, sedation and transport protocols were developed, including custom crate designs and sedation trials using diazepam. A phased approach – pilot, trial and main translocation – allowed refinement of methods and risk mitigation. The project successfully relocated 89 individuals without adult mortality or pouch young loss. The chapter highlights the importance of interdisciplinary partnerships, adaptive management and rigorous planning in wildlife reintroductions, offering a model for future conservation translocations.

This chapter presents the reintroduction biology of the eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) at Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary (MFWS), detailing strategies, tactics, and outcomes across establishment, growth and regulation phases. Adaptive management guided translocation planning, health monitoring and post-release assessments. Immediate-release tactics proved more effective than delayed-release, with high survival and reproductive success. Physiological stress, body condition and genetic diversity were tracked, revealing improved health and stable population dynamics. The population reached density dependence within six years, indicating successful regulation. Genetic monitoring confirmed retention of source diversity and highlighted the need for long-term sampling. A trial reintroduction beyond predator-proof fencing tested coexistence with invasive predators, introducing the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ concept for adaptive predator exposure. The chapter proposes ‘coexistence conservation’ as a long-term strategy to restore native species in landscapes where eradication of invasive predators is unfeasible, emphasising evolutionary adaptation and multi-stage trials.

The successful reintroduction of eastern bettongs relies on suitable food being available, particularly truffles (underground fungal fruitbodies). Here, we compared stable isotopes (carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N)) and radiocarbon (∆14C) in hair and scat in bettongs subsequently reintroduced to Mulligan Flat Woodland Sanctuary (MFWS) against marsupial species of different diets to test whether such measurements are useful for dietary assessments. Patterns in bettong scat δ13C reflected seasonal shifts in the consumption of photosynthate derived from C3 plants (dicots and temperate grasses) versus C4 plants (tropical grasses), whereas a winter peak in scat δ15N reflected maximum reliance on truffle consumption. In hair, eastern bettongs resembled preferential fungivores in δ13C and δ15N and differed from carnivores, grazers, herbivores and opportunistic fungivores. Radiocarbon levels were higher in fungivorous potoroos than in wallaby grazers, suggesting similar measurements in eastern bettongs could assess fungal importance in their diet. These isotopic measurements will be useful for assessing the diets of reintroduced bettongs and other fungivorous marsupials in new environments.

This chapter introduces the eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) as the first mammal reintroduced to Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary. Once widespread across southeastern Australia, the species became extinct on the mainland due to predation, habitat loss and persecution. The eastern bettong is a key ecosystem engineer, known for its soil-disturbing foraging behaviour and role in fungal spore dispersal. Its reintroduction was based on historical evidence of its presence in the ACT and its potential to restore ecological processes in box-gum grassy woodlands. This chapter outlines the rationale for selecting the eastern bettong, emphasising its dual value as a conservation target and a functional agent of ecosystem restoration. It also previews the subsequent research on translocation logistics, reintroduction biology and ecosystem impacts. This work reframes species reintroduction not only as a means of species recovery, but also as a tool for restoring ecosystem structure and function, laying the foundation for long-term ecological research and management.