South Australian residents are being called to action to aid in koala conservation through participation in the 2024 SA Great Koala Count, commencing this Saturday at Belair National Park. This initiative, part of the larger $10 million National Koala Monitoring Program, aims to gather crucial data to safeguard the future of this iconic species.
The week-long event, spearheaded in collaboration with the CSIRO and Flinders University Koala Conservation Hub, invites citizen scientists to utilize the CSIRO’s Koala Spotter app. This technology enables individuals to log sightings of koalas, contributing to a national effort designed to provide a precise count of the koala population throughout differing terrains across both South Australia and broader Australia. The data collected will help inform future conservation efforts.
The initiative highlights a unified approach with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and other state government agencies assisting in the endeavour. Enthusiasts may record their koala sightings in both public and private lands, from the far reaches of the west to the southeastern areas of the state.
Minister for Environment and Water, The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP, spoke about the importance of maintaining a viable koala population in Australia. “No-one wants to imagine an Australia without koalas. The Albanese Government is making sure our kids and grandkids will still be able to see koalas in the wild,” she said. She further highlighted the importance of data collection to facilitate informed decision-making and resource allocation to better support the koala populations.
The Deputy Premier and Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, The Hon Susan Close MP, echoed the significance of koalas as a national symbol and the critical role that the data plays. “The data collected in the SA Great Koala Count will be vital in helping to inform both national and state conservation and management efforts into the future,” she explained.
Appealing to the community spirit and familial participation, Close also highlighted the event as an opportunity for enjoyable educational family outings, particularly enjoying the natural beauty of locations such as Adelaide Hills which are easily accessible from the city.
Louise Miller-Frost, the Federal Member for Boothby, also promoted the initiative, “This will give Australians the opportunity to participate in expanding our knowledge of them in our urban and peri-urban environment and help us save them!” She emphasised the larger goal of enabling the local community to engage with nature while participating in significant conservation work.
Dr Andrew Hoskins, National Koala Monitoring Program lead and CSIRO Senior Research Scientist, discussed the complexities involved in koala surveys and the need for widespread public involvement. “Koala populations are hugely variable, they live across a wide range of places, and surveying for them can be extremely hard. We need as many different eyes as possible to help paint the most accurate picture of koala numbers and distribution across the country,” he stated.
In a call to action, Professor Karen Burke da Silva from Flinders University encouraged all residents to contribute to this significant conservation effort by downloading the Koala Spotter app and participating in the event.
To take part in the count, download Koala Spotter from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for Android devices.
