Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grants Program - Automated Koala Detection Surveys in South-East Queensland

The Landcare Led Bushfire Recovery Grants Program, which is supported by the Australian Government’s Bushfire Recovery Program for Wildlife and their Habitat, provided funding for the establishment of a drone monitoring network for wildlife enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). The drone monitoring network is led by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in conjunction with major partners Noosa & District Landcare and Watergum Community Inc. The project will develop the capacity of existing Landcare and other community groups to conduct drone surveys for wildlife detection, and create an AI powered hub for remote, rapid analysis of the wildlife monitoring data that is collected.A key activity of the project was to conduct an initial set of drone surveys at three sites in south-east Queensland, as agreed between the project partners, two in the Noosa region and one on the Gold Coast. Surveys were conducted in September and October 2021. Thermal video footage was captured in all three surveys for the purpose of koala detection. The two surveys in the Noosa region also collected light-detection-and-ranging (LiDAR) data for the purpose of vegetation modelling. This report summarises the results of these initial surveys and provides a reliable baseline for the ongoing monitoring of koalas in these important habitat areas. A total of 14 koalas were detected across the three sites, with detections in individual survey areas ranging from two at Schuster Park on the Gold Coast to nine at Kin Kin Creek in the Noosa region.