Journal article
Interpreting the decline of a koala population at Marys Mount, Liverpool Plains, north-west New South Wales (2013-2016)
Pacific conservation biology, Vol.31(6), pp.1-13
12/2025
Metrics
1 Record Views
Abstract
Context: The Liverpool Plains of inland NSW carry a priority population of koalas in a State in which the species is listed as Endangered under both New South Wales and Commonwealth legislation.
Aims: Our primary questions were: had the koala population declined between 2013 and 2016? If so, what were the likely causes of the decline? Do our findings reflect koala population trends in the region?
Methods: Our study, conducted in a remnant patch of vegetation at Marys Mount Blue Metal Quarry, used direct counts rather than relying on indirect evidence. A 2013 count was part of an environmental assessment and we repeated the count in 2016.
Key results: The count in 2013 observed 18 koalas in a single night. In 2016, no koalas were sighted within the study area, however, three were observed on adjacent properties.
Conclusions: The most likely explanation for the decline is a combination of threats acting simultaneously. As our study was not designed to distinguish among these, we cannot determine their relative contributions. However, threats including habitat loss due to mining, over-browsing, disease and extreme weather likely had concurrent impacts on koalas. The potential impact of extreme heat and lack of rain is consistent with similar declines observed in the region.
Implications: Our study considered several possible causes for the decline. Future research is needed to determine the specific impacts of each threat on koala populations in this region.
Details
- Title
- Interpreting the decline of a koala population at Marys Mount, Liverpool Plains, north-west New South Wales (2013-2016)
- Creators
- Daniel Lunney - The University of SydneyHolly Cope - The University of SydneyJess Dargan - The University of SydneyJohn Lemon - University of New EnglandMartin PredavecRodney Kavanagh - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Pacific conservation biology, Vol.31(6), pp.1-13
- Publisher
- CSIRO Publishing
- Number of pages
- 13
- Grant note
- The funding for the 2016 study was partly provided by the NSW EPA.
- Identifiers
- 991013372619602368
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article