Open Data

The Koala Likelihood Map (KLM) predicts the likelihood of finding a koala relative to other arboreal mammals across a 10-km grid covering NSW. It is built using existing arboreal mammal records from the past 20 years (currently 1999 to 2019) and represents the likelihood of koalas as the proportion of all records within a grid cell that are koalas. The records of other arboreal mammals provide a measure of survey effort independent of koalas and allow identification of areas where other arboreal mammals have been recorded, but not koalas. The map also includes a measure of the confidence in the koala likelihood estimate. This enables deficiencies in the data to be highlighted, and recommendations to be made for areas requiring further survey. The KLM is a useful tool that can be used to inform a range of koala conservation and management issues, however it is not static and should be updated regularly as new data become available.

The KLM was first developed in 2014 for use in private native forestry regulation, on behalf of the NSW Environment Protection Authority. An updated and refined version of the map (NSW Koala Baseline Likelihood Map 2016) was produced in 2016 and has been used to inform provisions for koala protection under the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals and is planned to inform the future review of the Private Native Forestry Code of Practice.

This latest version of the KLM (v2.0 August 2019) includes new data from BioNet and Spot Assessment Technique (SAT) survey databases, as well as SAT data from a targeted state-wide field survey program.

The KLM v2.0 (August 2019) is delivered under the NSW Koala Strategy's Koala Habitat Information Base. This comprises several layers of spatial information, including: Koala Habitat Suitability Model (KHSM) – the probability of finding koala habitat at any location; Koala Tree Suitability Index (KTSI) – the probability of finding a tree species that koalas are known to use for food or shelter; Koala Likelihood Map (KLM) including a confidence layer – predicts the likelihood of finding a koala at a location; Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) – identifies key koala populations and management areas with potential for long-term viability as well as priority threats to key koala populations; Native vegetation of NSW – this is a high-resolution map of native tree cover and water bodies; and all koala sightings recorded in NSW Bionet.

All Koala Habitat Information Base (KHIB) datasets are available for download below under 'Dataset Relationship'.