Habitats modified for tourism affect the movement patterns of an endemic marsupial, the Rottnest Island quokka (Setonix brachyurus)

Abstract

The quokka (Setonix brachyurus), an iconic marsupial endemic to Western Australia, is listed as vulnerable. It is found at its greatest abundance on Rottnest Island, where little is known about its home range and movement patterns. We estimated the home ranges of 22 male and 23 female quokkas within each season in four habitat types on Rottnest Island: coastal dune, grass/heath, woodland and settlement areas developed for tourism. We also tested for factors affecting home range and space use. The mean seasonal home-range size of quokkas was 1.91 ± 0.23 ha, and there was no effect of sex or weight, habitat type or wet or dry periods on the size of the home ranges. Home-range overlap during both night and day was significantly lower in the settlement (25.9%), compared with costal dunes (78.5%), woodlands (70.3%) and grass/heath (66.6%). This was due to feeding and resting sites being spatially separated, with quokkas resting outside of the settled areas during the day and travelling back to these areas to feed at night. This research demonstrates how tourism development can impact on the behaviour and movement patterns of local species and will inform future management of the quokka on Rottnest Island.