- Published:
- Friday 27 November 2015
The inaugural Great Victorian Koala Count has been strongly supported by Victorians, who contributed valuable information about the distribution of one of the state’s favourite marsupials.
Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Lisa Neville today shared the results of the koala count, with 291 registered participants submitting a total of 416 records from around the State.
Of the records, 313 were of koala sightings (some included multiple koalas), along with 103 reports of ‘non sightings’.
The map of the sightings can be viewed at www.delwp.vic.gov.au/koala-count under the All Sightings section.
The Koala Count drew participants from all over Victoria, from Portland all the way to Lakes Entrance and Albury.
This information will contribute to a better understanding of Koala distribution and habitat across Victoria.
The records are now being verified, analysed and uploaded into the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.
A more detailed breakdown of the results of the count, including number of koalas counted and a map of their distribution, will be made available soon on the website.
Victoria has a thriving koala population, unlike Queensland and New South Wales, where koala populations are listed as vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
The conditions in Victoria including low rates of disease, absence of predators and a high fertility rate, mean Victorian koala populations have grown rapidly in some habitats.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, Lisa Neville
“I’d like to thank everyone who took part. Your efforts have made the first Great Victorian Koala Count a great success.”
“This data will help us to better understand the koala population, and in particular, their distribution across Victoria.”
“The citizen science data captured from the Great Victorian Koala Count will be used to inform conservation, protection and management actions for our koalas.”