The numbat has been moved from Endangered to Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, a major win for one of Australia’s most distinctive marsupials.

The termite-eating marsupial, with its striped back and pointed snout, has benefited from decades of predator control, habitat protection and reintroduction programmes across Western Australia and beyond. Feral cats and foxes were the main drivers of its decline.

The downlisting reflects sustained population growth in protected areas and successful translocations that have established new populations. Conservationists credit fenced reserves, baiting programmes and community support for the turnaround.

The numbat is one of only two marsupials active by day, and it survives almost entirely on termites, eating up to 20,000 a day with its long, sticky tongue.

Wildlife groups welcomed the reclassification while warning that the species still depends on continued management. Feral predator control and habitat protection must continue for the recovery to hold, they said.