This project is investigating why native species persist in some refuge areas of South Australia but not others, and the role of habitat condition and especially feral predators in restricting their populations. The kowari and fawn hopping mouse are threatened and other species such as the plains mouse and crest-tailed mulgara are restricted in range. All species of northern South Australia are also at risk of fox and cat predation, less so where predator activity is suppressed by dingoes, particularly on vast stony plains where cover is inadequate for prolonged cat and fox occupation. When the impacts of predators are understood, rebuilding ecological function may be possible through translocation of threatened species.