Australian science agency launches next phase of koala monitoring

Australia's national science agency has announced a new phase in its National Koala Monitoring program.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) launched the next stage on Monday, saying it would provide a strong estimate of the national population of the iconic marsupial.

It came eight months after the federal government officially listed the koala as an endangered species in New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory after land clearing, bushfires, droughts and disease drove a rapid decline of its population.

The Australian Koala Foundation has estimated between 32,000 and 58,000 individual koalas were left in the wild.

"The koala is an iconic species for all Australians, and of enormous cultural and spiritual significance to First Nations people," Andrew Hoskins, co-leader of the monitoring program and CSIRO Senior Research Scientist, said in a media release.

"Partnerships are core to the National Koala Monitoring Program. As such, we recognize that the only way we can recover this iconic species is having everyone involved, the broadest community minds possible."

Hoskins and his team have spent the last year designing the program with research, agency, community and Indigenous partners.

The new phase will bring together university, Indigenous and citizen science groups to use state of the art surveying and modeling techniques.

Data on koala sightings will be collected using consistent methods nationally, providing a rigorous snapshot of populations and distribution.

"Good science is key to good conservation. This new National Koala Monitoring Program will help us make better investments and better conservation decisions, so that we can protect the iconic koala for generations to come," Fiona Fraser, Australia's Threatened Species Commissioner, said.