This is a state-wide model of the potential of a given location to support koalas. Two versions of the model exist, a continuous model with habitat suitability values ranging from 0-1 (this product), and a classified version in which the continuous values have been grouped into classes representing very high quality habitat, through to very low quality and non-habitat. Note the original floating point raster has been converted to integer values between 0 to10,000.
The Koala Habitat Suitability Model (KHSM) is one of the core products in the Koala Habitat Information Base (KHIB). It provides the current, best available state-wide prediction of potential koala habitat across NSW, encompassing the distribution of preferred trees and koala sightings.
The KHIB is a public resource intended to assist government agencies, local councils and private land holders with koala conservation decisions.
The Koala Habitat Suitability Models v1.1 are built off a predictive (MaxEnt) model, iteratively developed following a series of expert reviews. The KHSM was developed as a set of six regional models across eastern and central NSW that are referred to as Koala Modelling Regions (KMRs). These regional models capture variations in habitat quality at a regional scale that are driven largely by changes in the distribution of available food tree species. An additional MaxEnt model was developed to predict the westerly extent that koalas have the potential to occupy over the Darling Riverine Plains, Far West and Riverina KMRs.
Each of the models provide an indication of where animals have the potential to reside rather than where they do reside. Thus the term “habitat” refers to areas that koalas have the potential to occupy, but may not actually live.
The suitability scores from all seven models have been mosaicked together into a single state-wide product. This is available for download as a zipped 5m tif image readable in any spatial software package. An ArcGIS mxd is also supplied for suggested symbology.
All Koala Habitat Information Base datasets are available for download at the links below under 'Dataset relationship'.
For further information on the data layers and their development, please see the Koala Habitat Information Base Technical Guide.
