Translocation to fence ‘safe-havens’ is a conservation tool widely used in Australia to re-establish locally extinct species. Alternatively, effective management of in-situ extant populations can negate the need for costly translocations. We compared two methods of conservation for the ampurta (Dasycercus cristicauda), a carnivorous marsupial which suffered dramatic range retraction following the introduction of feral cats (Felis catus) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes). The species is listed as vulnerable nationally and extinct in New South Wales (NSW) which made it a candidate for translocation to the Wild Deserts ‘safe-haven’ in NSW where 19 animals were released in 2020. Concurrently, the species had undertaken a 70-fold range expansion within South Australia (SA) in the 20 years following the release of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus which reduced rabbit numbers and subsequently introduced predator numbers. We used track-plots, trapping and genetic analyses to assess the presence of ampurta in SA and NSW from 2020 – 2022. Ampurta increased their extent of occurrence by a further 48,563km2, and naturally colonised areas of NSW both inside and outside the fenced ‘safe-haven’. They were also present in areas where they were not translocated, including on pastoral properties 60km from the SA/NSW border. Analyses show that while some of these sites had been colonised by translocated animals and their descendants, others were naturally recolonised. Our results suggest that investment in tools for broad landscape recovery may provide an alternative to translocations for some species, or may be able to support an initial translocation to achieve landscape scale recolonisation.