Koala Modelling Regions

Brief description

The Koala Habitat Suitability Models were developed across nine koala modelling regions. This was important because the environmental drivers that dictate habitat suitability vary across NSW. For example, koala’s prefer different tree species on the North Coast compared to the Southern Tablelands. By developing regional KHSMs that are independent of one another, users can consistently compare habitat suitability scores at any given location within a region.

This dataset defines the region boundaries or study areas for the models. The regions were defined by an agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis of the turnover patterns of koala food and shelter species, where aggregation units were represented by local government areas (LGAs) on the coast and tablelands, and Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia (IBRA) subregions in western NSW. The nine regions fall into two divisions and so eastern and western division values have been added to the attribute table.

Tree species patterns are likely to best capture changes in habitat choice and food selection at a regional scale, where it is expected that the key drivers of habitat suitability are much the same within a region (where food choices are similar) but may differ between regions (different food choices).

The Koala Habitat Information Base can help prioritise the establishment of new koala reserves and private land conservation agreements, ensure local actions are based on the best available information, and improve the management of threats and disease. It will be an important resource to assist government agencies, local councils and private land holders with koala conservation decisions. The Koala Habitat Information Base is not a regulatory instrument, meaning the data layers do not categorise land for regulatory purposes. It does provide the best available scientific information to support decision makers, rehabilitators, land managers and community members involved in koala conservation.