The koala priority population monitoring program started in 2023. It focuses on 20 priority koala populations, across New South Wales, identified in the NSW Koala Strategy.
The 20 priority populations overlap with recognised regions of significance for koalas and represent the known geographic range of koalas in New South Wales.
By focusing on stronghold populations, this program will enhance our understanding of long-term occupancy trends and changes in koala distributions at both regional and statewide levels.
The program uses passive acoustic recorders to detect koala calls during the spring mating season. It will assess environmental variables known to influence koala populations, including soil and vegetation type, land usage and soil composition to understand what drives patterns of koala occupancy in space and time.
