The quokka, while not in complete danger of going extinct, are considered threatened. As the climate continues to change so does the Australian landscape; being herbivores, the quokka rely on many native plants for their diet as well as protection. The quokka were found to prefer malvaceae species as a main source of food, using shrubs as shelter during the hottest points of the day. Due to factors such as wildfires and anthropogenic influence, the location of the natural flora has been changing making it harder for them to access. Invasive species and environmental changes are the primary threats to quokkas. A study found that the mainland populations prefer to live in areas with an average rainfall that exceeded 700 mm but fell below 1000 mm, which becomes increasingly complicated as aridity continues to increase in South west Australia. Increasing temperatures have also been found to play an important role in the distribution of the quokka as the mean annual temperatures have increased exponentially since the 1970s in South West of Western Australia. With climate change limiting the optimal living conditions of the quokka and changing the abundance of their diet, the quokka are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The increasing risk of severe bushfires presents a serious risk to quokkas, as quokka populations have a slow recovery rate after bushfires and take a long time to recolonise intensely burnt landscapes..