Banded Hare Wallaby

Lagostrophus fasciatus is a small macropod distinguished by the dark, alternating bands across its lower back, from which its common name derives. It is the only surviving member of its genus, representing an evolutionary lineage distinct from other kangaroos and wallabies, and is often considered a living link to ancestral macropod forms. It is nocturnal and largely solitary, sheltering by day in dense vegetation and emerging at night to graze and browse on grasses, forbs, and shrubs.

Through this feeding activity it contributes to seed dispersal and vegetation turnover within its habitat.

The species is now restricted to Bernier and Dorre Islands off the coast of Western Australia, with additional populations established through translocation to fenced mainland reserves and other predator-free islands. It occupies arid and semi-arid shrubland and coastal scrub habitats.

Historically widespread across mainland Australia, the species declined sharply following European settlement. Ongoing threats include altered fire regimes, both wildfire and inappropriate fire suppression that degrade shrubland structure, predation and habitat disturbance from invasive species, and pressure from native species whose population dynamics have shifted in modified landscapes.

Conservation efforts have focused on maintaining strict biosecurity on the remaining island populations, controlling introduced predators, and establishing new populations within fenced, predator-free reserves and offshore islands to spread extinction risk across multiple sites. Fire management planning has also been implemented on inhabited islands.

The population trend is currently increasing, reflecting the success of translocation and predator-exclusion programs. However, the species remains classified as Vulnerable, with its long-term persistence still dependent on continued management of introduced predators and fire regimes across its limited range.