Burnett Koala Program - Citizen Science
2021 – 2022
Investment: $29,600
Funding body: Queensland Government; Department of Environment and Science
Project purpose: A citizen scientist-based project aimed at raising awareness regarding the significance of regional koala populations and habitat health, in addition to contributing to understanding koala distribution, presence, activity and habitat health in the Burnett catchment region.
Key achievements:
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- 124 koala sightings recorded
- 5 key priority action areas identified
- Field and observation guide and planting fact sheets produced
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The Burnett Koala Program was a citizen scientist-based project aimed at raising awareness regarding the significance of regional koala populations and habitat health, in addition to contributing to understanding koala distribution, presence, activity and habitat health in the Burnett catchment region.
The data gathered by citizen scientists will inform the protection and enhancement of crucial koala habitats, population diversity and recovery efforts in addition to scaffolding on previous state data collection efforts in other regions and value adding to the ground truthing of current population estimates for the Inland Burnett Region.
BCCA designed a field guide and tree planting guide to support citizen scientists in building their knowledge and awareness regarding regional koala populations and the importance of habitat health, in addition to assisting in the identification and recording of koala presence, activity and habitat health of the Burnett.
We ran a regionwide koala tracking operation through photo competitions during the breeding seasons. A total of 124 sightings were recorded by community. The sightings were contributing data to the Atlas of Living Australia – Burnett Koala Program | Project | BioCollect
Schools were invited to register for the program and enter the competition. This activity was designed to engage children in conservation, ecology and living sustainably with our environment. A ‘Fun Facts’ koala resource and colouring competition was designed and distributed to all Primary Schools across the Burnett catchment.
With more accurate population data – local government, communities and individual land managers can more effectively plan and manage habitat corridors, connectivity and re-vegetation efforts, that are significant contributors to the protection and recovery of this and other species facing similar challenges.
At the conclusion of the projects activities a Burnett Koala Program Report for 2021-2022 was produced. This report outlined the projects findings and highlighted 5 x regionally specific ‘Priority Action Areas’ that strategically aligned with Queensland Government’s ‘South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy 2020-2025’ and the Queensland Koala Expert Panel’s Report.
The final report for our Burnett Koala Program can be found at: Burnett Koala Program – Report 21-22
Program News
