Author	Phillips S, Wallis K, Lane A 18
Year	2021
Population	Koala population from six fire grounds in the coastal hinterland of NSW between Forster and Ballina, where pre‐fire occupancy data was known, and which was affected by the 2019‐20 bushfires.
Intervention studied	Comparing intragenerational changes in the use of habitat by koalas, before and after fire.
Outcome studied	To gain insight into the direct impact of bushfire on resident koala populations.
Design and sample size	Pre‐fire koala occupancy data collected between 2013 and 2019 from a previous study was used to identify 123 surveyable sites across six fire grounds, 49 of which had koala occupancy previously recorded. A survey of koala occupation was undertaken after the 2019‐20 bushfires on these sites (post‐fire occupancy) between March and May 2020.
	Occupancy of habitat was determined by identifying koala faecal pellets around Preferred Koala Food Tree (PKFT) species at each site, using Rapid‐SAT sampling. Burnt faecal pellets indicated pre‐fire occupation while unburnt pellets indicated post‐fire occupation.
	Data on fire severity was also collected by examining how severely the tree canopy was affected, using Google Earth Engine Burnt Area Map to compare changes in colour pre and post fire. Habitat was then classified as fully burnt, partially burnt or unburnt.
	Statistical analysis using log‐likelihood ratios was then used to compare pre and post fire occupancy levels at each fire ground. The proportion of pre‐fire occupied sites was calculated using pre‐fire data in the survey area from a previous study. The proportion of post‐fire occupied sites was calculated in the same survey area, and these proportions were compared to see the change in habitat use.
	The relationship between fire severity and koala activity was also analysed using log odds.
Main findings	Post‐fire habitat use by koalas was reduced across all six fire grounds (123 sites) with one fire ground recording no post‐fire occupancy. The reduction in occupancy ranged from 44% to 100% with a median reduction of 71% from the original pre‐fire occupancy rate.
	Out of the 49 sites known to have been previously occupied by koalas, 18 were recorded as having post‐fire occupancy, showing a significant reduction in site use to 50% of unburnt sites, 44% of partially burnt sites and 14% of fully burnt sites.
Limitations	Not all sites in each fire ground could be surveyed due to safety concerns and logistical issues. Of the 227 sites in the six fire grounds, 123 were surveyed.
	The detection of koalas relied on the prior knowledge of their preferred food tree and the Rapid‐SAT sampling technique. While this has been a previously validated research method it has been questioned whether this non‐random technique could introduce some bias and affect the results. 19
	Faecal pellet searches were restricted to a one meter radius around the tree and this could mean that some results were missed if they were not directly under trees or located a bit further away. 19