The school theme this year is Species Survival – More than just sustainability, which aims to highlight the importance of science and innovation in ensuring the survival and thriving of different species in an ever-changing world.
In a major case of mass mobilisation, schools, teachers, students and families across the country are being encouraged to actively take part in koala conservation – in what is called the Great Koala Count.
A superb example of the importance of citizen science, CSIRO is calling on Australians to record koala sightings in the Koala Spotter app, to help build the most accurate national population count to date.
CSIRO leads and coordinates the National Koala Monitoring Program (NKMP), a $10 million project funded by the Federal Government’s Saving Koalas Fund.
The collaborative initiative aims to build and deliver a robust estimate of koala numbers, which will aid ongoing recovery and management efforts.
Quantitative biologist Dr Andrew Hoskins says because of the nature of koalas’ habitat, a range of technologies and methods are needed to count koalas accurately.
“…scientists have been using thermal drones to spot koalas from above, deploying acoustic recorders in the field and detection dogs, conducting scat analysis, while also carrying out systematic visual surveys and data integration from previous and historic sources,” Hoskins says.
Hoskins, who’s job largely involves developing the best analytical techniques that can help us answer ecological questions, and then deploy those in ways that make them useful for the people that need them, says we need as many eyes on this as possible.
“In the case of koalas, there is a really strong need to understand where populations are right across the country, how many animals there are in those populations, and then how those populations are changing through time,” he tells EducationHQ.
“And that’s really what we’re trying to tackle with the NKMP.
“It’s about bringing together citizen scientists using the best available technologies and techniques, and then bringing those together, using the best analytics to come up with the most robust estimates we can.”
The latest koala national population estimate according to NKMP is between 224,000 and 524,000. The next estimate is due in March 2025.
Of real concern is the fact that koala populations within New South Wales, ACT and Queensland are endangered.
“So we have really good evidence to show that those populations have been heavily impacted over recent years and declined to a point where they’re classified as endangered, whereas populations in Victoria and South Australia aren’t currently listed and aren’t under conservation concern.”
Hoskins says teachers, students and other citizen scientists are critical for gathering the information in as many places as we possibly can.
CSIRO biologist, Dr Andrew Hoskins says a range of technologies and methods are needed to count koalas accurately and they can be difficult to spot from the ground, as they are most active at night and often rest high in trees during the day.
“So there’s only so many places we can send our scientists out to go and do solid, systematic surveys,” he says.
“But if we leverage the power of all those pairs of eyes of the rest of the Australian community to start to collect data and information for us, then we know we can get a much richer source and richer understanding of koalas right around their range.”
The Koala Spotter app has played a key part in the NKMP’s population count, with 730 records contributed by citizen scientists to date.
“Most of the data we’ve gotten from the app so far has come from families and children,” Hoskins says.
Fortuitously, there are a number of ways that schools can get on board in the Great Koala Count.
“The first one is pulling out your phone, going to the Apple Store or the Google Play Store, and downloading the Koala Spotter app, and then if you see a koala, you can record that sighting,” Hoskins says.
“If you want to provide us with a bit more information, you can answer a number of questions about the koala or the habitat that it was found in, which will help us immensely in better understanding koala populations."
As part of National Science Week, CSIRO is hosting a webinar and curriculum-aligned activities for school students to learn about koala populations and how to use CSIRO’s Koala Spotter app.
Aimed at Year 4 to 6 students, Hoskins says it’s really about engaging with the kids that are starting to get excited about conservation and science and supporting them to help collect information so they can have a really tangible impact on koala conservation.
The app has been around for a little under a year now and is “super easy” to use.
“At the bare minimum, all you have to do is open the app and click one button to record a koala signing,” Hoskins says.
"The other thing you can do, of course, is then answer a number of questions that will help us provide extra information."
A feature within the app that’s not enabled everywhere, is the result of work done by researchers from the University of Sunshine Coast, who have been deploying Bluetooth ear tags on koalas.
“These are in places around Brisbane as well as in South Australia, where if you’re in that area and your app detects a koala with one of those ear tags, you’ll be able to get information back about the koala, so you can learn about the animals in your region.
“You’ll get its name, age, you’ll understand why people caught it, why it ended up in care, and those sorts of things,” Hoskins says.
And for any last tips for Steve Irwin wannabes – be they teachers or kids – Hoskins says please “look but don’t touch”.
“They’re generally going to be sitting up quite high, so you won’t be able to get too close, but if they are quite low, leave them alone.
“They look cute and they look cuddly, but I guarantee you, they’re not particularly cute and cuddly if you grab them.”
To record sightings, download Koala Spotter from the App Store (Apple) or the Google Play Store (Android).
You can register for The Great Koala Count webinar (suited to Year 4 to 6 students), here.
For information and sign-up details for a host of National Science Week activities and events, click here.
