Using repeat citizen science surveys of koalas to assess their population trend in the north-west of New South Wales: scale matters

Martin Predavec; Daniel Lunney; Ian Shannon; John Lemon; Indrie Sonawane; Mathew Crowther

doi:10.1071/AM16059

Back

Using repeat citizen science surveys of koalas to assess their population trend in the north-west of New South Wales: scale matters

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Using repeat citizen science surveys of koalas to assess their population trend in the north-west of New South Wales: scale matters

Martin Predavec, Daniel Lunney, Ian Shannon, John Lemon, Indrie Sonawane and Mathew Crowther

Australian mammalogy, Vol.40(1), pp.47-57

2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/AM16059

Files and links (1)

url

PublishedView

Published (Version of Record)

Abstract

community wisdom

population cycles

population decline

Phascolarctos cinereus

refuges

Scale matters when assessing population trends. Whereas traditional field-based ecological surveys are generally restricted to small temporal and spatial scales, community (citizen science) surveys allow wider consideration of population trends. We used repeat community surveys (completed in 2006 and 2015) to assess population change in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) across an area of 36 900 km(2) in the north-west of New South Wales. In both community surveys we asked respondents to record the location of their koala sightings as well as those of eight other common species. We further asked respondents about their perceptions of population change. Through three different measures (likelihood of koala occurrence, number of koalas observed per respondent, and the perception of population change), we found that koala numbers were declining across the region during the study period. The timing and broad and consistent geographic spread of the decline suggests that broad-scale environmental factors, such as weather, are important drivers of this change. This information will allow managers to place conservation efforts into an appropriate spatial context. While such information sourced from the community can provide critical information on threatened species, including the koala, this study highlights the limits of such information.

Details

Title: Using repeat citizen science surveys of koalas to assess their population trend in the north-west of New South Wales: scale matters
Authors/Creators: Martin Predavec - Science Division, Office of Environment and Heritage NSW, PO Box 1967, Hurstville, NSW 2220, Australia.
Daniel Lunney - The University of Sydney
Ian Shannon - Science Division, Office of Environment and Heritage NSW, PO Box 1967, Hurstville, NSW 2220, Australia.
John Lemon - Reef Ecologic
Indrie Sonawane - Science Division, Office of Environment and Heritage NSW, PO Box 1967, Hurstville, NSW 2220, Australia.
Mathew Crowther - The University of Sydney
Publication Details: Australian mammalogy, Vol.40(1), pp.47-57
Publisher: Csiro Publishing
Number of pages: 11
Identifiers: 991005578570907891
Copyright: © Australian Mammal Society 2018
Murdoch Affiliation: Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

Source: InCites

Metrics

14 Record Views

17 Times Cited - Web of Science

InCites Highlights

These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output

Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Citation topics: 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology; 3.40 Forestry; 3.40.195 Biodiversity Conservation
Web Of Science research areas: Zoology
ESI research areas: Plant & Animal Science