Post-translocation monitoring reveals variable source population trajectories following harvest of mallee emu-wrens Stipiturus mallee

Context Conservation translocations are an increasingly important tool in threatened species recovery programs. To maximise the conservation benefit of these interventions, it is important to ensure sustainability of harvests from wild populations. Aims We revisit sites from which wild mallee emu-wrens (Stipiturus mallee) – an Endangered passerine with fragmented range – were removed for translocation in 2018. Methods We report on the relative probability of mallee emu-wren occurrence prior to harvest, and 1 year, 3 years and 5 years post-removal at harvest and control sites in Murray Sunset National Park and Nowingi State Forest in Victoria, Australia. Key results Relative probability of mallee emu-wren occurrence was significantly lower at 1 year and 3 years post-translocation, compared with pre-translocation, but this was consistent at both harvest and control sites. Relative probability of mallee emu-wren occurrence recovered in Nowingi State Forest 5 years post-translocation but did not recover in Murray Sunset National Park during the same time period. Conclusions Declines in occurrence across all sites coincided with a period of drought, while recovery at Nowingi State Forest followed above-average rainfall in 2022–2023. Implications We demonstrate that mallee emu-wren populations have capacity to recover from the harvest of ~20 birds/200 ha within 5 years. Recovery potential is likely influenced by local habitat quality, population density and recent climatic conditions.