National Parks Association of NSW Great Koala Count

Welcome to the Great Koala Count!

The Great Koala Count is an exciting large-scale Citizen Science survey being run by National Parks Association, in partnership with the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative. The Great Koala Count is running from the 7th to the 17th of November and everyone is invited to join! The aim of the Count is to create a comprehensive picture of Koala numbers and locations across the landscape by engaging the community directly in a once-a-year survey. With sufficient support, it is hoped the Count will be replicated each year to show trends in Koala populations, movement and habitat use over time.

A free GPS enabled smartphone app 'BioTag' which links to the Atlas of Living Australia has been developed specifically for the Count. BioTag will enable participants to easily record the location of each Koala they see, along with a series of observational questions about the Koala and its habitat. This will result in the generation of scientifically robust data and will serve to complement existing Koala records. The survey breaks new ground by allowing anyone to record and share their own ecological data, as well as to view the data collected by others. People who do not own a Smartphone can upload their sightings directly to the Koala Count data portal.

The Count includes two surveys, one for Koala sightings and one to record other common species sighted during your Koala search. Knowing that no Koala sightings have been made in a survey area is as important as surveys that locate Koalas, as it helps to build a more complete picture of Koala distribution. We would like you to record as many of the common species as you see so we know where you were looking.

How will counting Koalas help?
By participating in the Great Koala Count, you will help build a more detailed picture of Koalas and their habitat use, providing a valuable resource for planning future Koala conservation projects and helping to make a difference to this unique Australian animal. The more people that get involved, the more valuable data we will generate and therefore the more successful the survey will be.

Long-term aims
The long-term aim is to repeat the Count annually so that changes in populations and the effectiveness of conservation efforts, along with the impact of events such as drought and fire, can be monitored over time. The analysis of this monitoring can be used to inform decisions about future conservation effort.

How to get involved
Getting involved is quick and easy and anyone can join. To participate, simply register as an NPA Citizen Scientist here. Once you have registered, you can download BioTag, our Citizen Scientists Smartphone App which is available from Google Play and iTunes. Once you have downloaded BioTag you are free to practice with it anytime up until the start of the Count, after which you are ready to start recording your Koala sightings. We will delete all records entered before the Count so don't worry about making a mistake or entering test data. At the end of the Count participants will each receive a report of the Great Koala Count survey findings.

To share your stories and experiences about the Count, and to be kept up to date with what is happening, join our new Koala Count Facebook page www.facebook.com.au/KoalaCount.

欢迎加入伟大考拉计数活动！

伟大考拉计数是一项由国家公园协会携手大东部山脉倡议组织发起的激动人心的大规模公众科学调查。该计数活动将于11月7日至17日举行，欢迎社会各界人士踊跃参与！本次计数的目的是通过直接让公众参与一年一度的调查，全面描绘考拉在景观中的数量和分布情况。在得到充分支持的情况下，我们希望每年都能复制此活动，以展示考拉种群、迁徙和栖息地利用趋势的变化。

为此，我们专门开发了免费GPS智能手机应用程序‘BioTag’，该程序与澳大利亚生活图谱相连。‘BioTag’将使参与者能够轻松记录所见的每只考拉的位置，以及一系列关于考拉及其栖息地的观察性问题。这将生成科学严谨的数据，并有助于补充现有的考拉记录。该调查通过允许任何人记录和分享自己的生态数据，以及查看他人收集的数据，开辟了新的领域。对于没有智能手机的人，可以直接将他们的观测结果上传至考拉计数数据门户。

计数活动包括两项调查，一项是记录考拉观测情况，另一项是记录在考拉搜索过程中看到的其他常见物种。在调查区域内未发现考拉观测结果的重要性不亚于发现考拉的调查，因为它有助于构建一个更完整的考拉分布图。我们希望您记录尽可能多的常见物种，以便我们知道您观察的位置。

参与计数考拉有何益处？通过参与伟大考拉计数，您将有助于构建考拉及其栖息地利用的更详细图景，为未来考拉保护项目的规划提供宝贵资源，并有助于为这种独特的澳大利亚动物做出贡献。参与人数越多，生成数据的价值就越大，因此调查的成功率也会越高。

长期目标

长期目标是每年重复计数，以便监测种群变化、保护措施的有效性，以及干旱和火灾等事件的影响，随着时间的推移进行分析。该监测分析可用于指导未来保护工作的决策。

如何参与

参与简单快捷，任何人都可以加入。要参与，请在此注册为NPA公众科学家。注册后，您可以下载‘BioTag’，这是我们专为公众科学家提供的智能手机应用程序，可在Google Play和iTunes上获取。下载‘BioTag’后，您可以在计数开始前随时练习使用。计数开始后，您就可以开始记录您的考拉观测结果。我们将在计数结束后删除所有输入的记录，因此请勿担心犯错或输入测试数据。计数结束后，每位参与者将收到一份关于伟大考拉计数调查结果的报告。

为了分享您关于计数的经历和故事，并保持对活动最新进展的了解，请加入我们的新考拉计数Facebook页面www.facebook.com.au/KoalaCount。