Monitoring cameras set up in a remote corner of an Australian national park have captured something that hasn't been seen since the 1990s, a long-footed potoroo.
Video shows the critically endangered marsupial moving through Kosciuszko for the first time. The only other place in NSW they've been recorded is north of Bondi State Forest, a wilderness that's been heavily denuded near the Victoria border.
It comes after another rare species, the Leadbeater's possum, was spotted on a Kosciuszko trail camera, a species that had never been seen alive in NSW.
The ordinarily shy, nocturnal, long-footed potoroo was spotted on cameras set up for invasive cat monitoring. They, along with feral horses, foxes, deer and pigs, have been degrading the rugged alpine landscape, making it difficult for native species to survive.
Related: 'Locally extinct' animals to roam again behind national park's 25km predator-free fence
Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the discovery of the long-footed potoroo "highlights the importance" of invasive species control inside the national park.
"This important discovery of the long-footed potoroo is a promising sign for the long-term survival of this critically endangered species," she said.
Her department (DCCEEW) will now consider how to best protect the long-footed potoroo and the Leadbeater's possum, inside the national park, which could include changes to feral species and fire management.
Local member Steve Whan called the discovery "thrilling" and some of the "most exciting conservation news" to come out of NSW.
"It's becoming clear there is much we are still learning about the plants and animals that live in NSW, and it's with a sense of pride that some of these discoveries are being made in our backyard," he said.
The long-footed potoroo is listed as vulnerable to extinction on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species. It estimates numbers at around 10,000, although some estimates suggest there could be as many as 50,000.
But the IUCN warns the population is decreasing, and the small 1.6kg animals are threatened primarily by changing fire regimes and foxes.
In Victoria, where most long-footed potoroos live, the species is listed as endangered.