'Ecosystem engineers' returned to desert decades after local extinction (opens original article in a new tab)

Burrowing bettongs, once extinct in Sturt National Park, have been released into the wild after two years of breeding in pest-free enclosures. The project aims to restore their ecological role as 'ecosystem engineers' and combat Australia's high mammal extinction rate.

• Burrowing bettongs released into wild after decades of local extinction
• Bettongs are ecosystem engineers that turn over soil and nutrients
• Project aims to counteract Australia's high mammal extinction rate