North Coast residents are being invited to play a role in helping to protect their local koalas by taking part in a national survey of the unique marsupial from 7–22 November. The annual Koala Count, run by the National Parks Association of NSW (NPA), employs a free, GPS-enabled smartphone app, NatureMapr, to record sightings. “Koalas on our north coast, like in many parts of NSW, are struggling due to increasing pressure from habitat loss and fragmentation,” says Dr Helen Smith, NPA’s Koala Count Coordinator. “We developed the Koala Count to enable anyone who wants to help koalas to join other people across Australia in collecting valuable data that will be used to protect our iconic marsupial.” “Despite koalas being such a well-known and loved species, we don’t know with absolute certainty how many there are. Our annual survey helps to identify where koalas are, what is happening to their numbers and how populations are doing year on year. With this knowledge in hand, we can take steps to help them,“ says Dr Smith. “You don’t need any special skills or expertise to take part in the Koala Count. Anyone with access to the internet or a smartphone can join. Count every day, or on just a single day ­– even one survey provides valuable data.” Participants are encouraged to record both the presence and absence of koalas in their local area. As with previous counts, all of the records collected will be added to the publicly accessible Atlas of Living Australia, where they are then readily available for anyone who needs them. Data from previous counts has been used to help inform koala management strategies and to plan conservation projects. To take part, people can register online at http://koalacount.org.au or via the NatureMapr app, which is available for both Apple and Android users. People who do not own a smartphone can enter their sightings directly onto the website.