A new web-based map has been launched by the Australian Koala Foundation that aims to mobilise communities to help save koalas and their habitats.
The map, available at http://koalamap.savethekoala.com/, allows anyone to enter their residential address, to see if they live in or near a crucial koala population.
The map uses data from the Koala Habitat Atlas – which shows known koala habitats in Queensland – and overlays it with locations of koala sightings. Community members are urged to log in and contribute to the map when they see a koala in their area – even if they live outside of Queensland.
The first step in protecting koalas is letting people know if they are living in a koala habitat. This map aims to promote awareness of shrinking koala habitats, as well as allow the community to update the habitat dataset, by pointing out those areas that no longer house koalas, or those areas that were previously thought not to.
The Australian Koala Foundation is a non-profit, non-government organisation dedicated to the conservation and effective management of the wild koala and its habitat.
