Luning Wang
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Nathan Fox
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Sustainable Future Hub / SNRE
Program: CG
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Authors:
Abstract
The devastating 2019 Australian hill fires caused significant harm to the already dwindling koala population. The fires, which destroyed large areas of koala habitats, led to a considerable reduction in their numbers, posing a serious threat to the future of this iconic Australian species. This work aims to examine the environmental factors that have affected the koala population in Australia from the time of the fires until 2021. It will analyze the extent of damage caused by the fires and the impact of ongoing environmental factors on their recovery. Through this analysis, we hope to gain a better understanding of the current state of the koala population in Australia and the steps needed to ensure their survival. In this work, we use Species Distribution Models (SDMs) as a method to analyze the habitat suitability of koalas after the 2019 Australian hill fires. SDMs are mathematical models that use environmental variables such as temperature, precipitation, and land cover to predict the probability of occurrence of a species in a given area. By using SDMs, we can estimate the current and future habitat suitability of koalas and identify potential areas for habitat restoration and conservation.
