The statewide koala baseline survey is a standalone snapshot of the occurrence, distribution and relative abundance of koalas in NSW in 2025. The baseline survey covers the plausible range of koalas in NSW and over 1,000 sites were sampled across land tenures using heat-sensing drones and passive acoustic recorders. The survey also provides a baseline population estimate from which to evaluate koala population trends over time. This dataset comprises state-wide occupancy and abundance models derived from acoustic and drone data and environmental covariates as described in the NSW koala baseline technical report, 2025

The statewide koala baseline survey is a standalone snapshot of the occurrence, distribution and relative abundance of koalas in NSW in 2025. The baseline survey covers the plausible range of koalas in NSW and over 1,000 sites were sampled across land tenures using heat-sensing drones and passive acoustic recorders. The survey also provides a baseline population estimate from which to evaluate koala population trends over time. This dataset comprises point data of koala presence and absence derived from raw acoustic data, captured from passive acoustic recorders in koala breeding season.

The koala priority population monitoring program is an important long-term initiative focused on 20 priority koala populations identified in the NSW Koala Strategy. This program will enhance our understanding of long-term trends and changes in koala distributions at both regional and statewide levels. The program began in 2023 and is designed to analyse patterns of koala occupancy and habitat suitability. It uses acoustic recorders to detect koala calls during the spring mating season and will assess environmental variables including soil and vegetation type, land usage and soil composition to understand patterns of occupancy. Koala priority population monitoring areas have been chosen to provide insights into occupancy trends. These areas 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, the program aims to detect meaningful changes in local koala populations.

The asset includes the observational data collected by the Koala Science team, drone surveys between April and July 2024 within the Mid North Coast Assessment Area and adjoining national park estate referred to as the Study Area. This includes the survey site locations, individual koala observations and a summary of survey site detections.

Koala tracking data mapping provided here for use in the GovHack 2019 event

The Community Wildlife Survey is used to determine the presence or absence of koalas and other wildlife across NSW (crowd-sourced data) and the community’s perceptions of change in koala populations and their threats over time (community wisdom). Trends can be identified by comparing wildlife populations in 2006 with later surveys. The survey will improve our understanding of the distribution of koalas and other wildlife in NSW, to indicate how their populations have changed over time, and to investigate what might be causing that change.

The NSW Wildlife Drone Hub supports land managers in New South Wales with training in methods and techniques for using drones in biodiversity survey. Our goal is to encourage scientific rigor in the uptake of drones for biodiversity survey.

The Koala Sentinel Monitoring Program is a multi-year initiative designed to assess koala populations across six key locations in NSW. The program focuses on monitoring disease prevalence, genetic diversity, and ecological factors influencing koala populations. The data collected aims to identify and understand the complex interactions between environmental threats and koala population health, providing insights into long-term population trends. Since its launch, the program has completed one full monitoring cycle (Nov 2023 – Sept 2024) and is currently in its second round, which will conclude in September 2025. Genomics data This metadata statement describes the genomic and individual-level data collected during the first annual sampling period (2023–2024) and links to the publicly available whole genome resequencing (WGR) dataset.

Data collected on location and tree use of Koalas in Kanangra Body National Park

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) species sightings in NSW. Sightings are derived from the BioNet Species Sightings oData Web service, via an ETL process which generates geometries for use in the spatial web services listed below. Records are updated daily. Supporting information: Koala - Threatened Species Profile https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10616