September is Save the Koala Month – a timely reminder of the importance of protecting one of Australia’s most iconic (and endangered) species.  Across their range, koalas face challenges from habitat loss, disease, and climate change.  It’s the perfect time to share how Ecosure is contributing to innovative solutions for koala conservation, like using thermal drones to spot them from the sky! 

As a team, we’re committed to finding smarter, more effective ways to conserve wildlife and threatened species. Our ecologists have added thermal drones to their toolkit to help spot koalas, especially in places where they’re hard to see from the ground. These surveys are done at night, when the temperature difference between koalas and their surroundings makes them easier to detect. Using high-tech cameras and sensors attached to drones, our team can locate koalas even in dense vegetation or difficult terrain! 

What We’ve Found So Far 

In recent surveys across 15 sites in SEQ (covering over 700 hectares), we detected 89 adult koalas at 14 of the 15 locations. We even spotted 13 more koalas outside the planned survey areas—plus two mums carrying joeys! We completed surveys over only 5 nights demonstrating how efficient and effective thermal drones are at detecting koalas. 

One of the most surprising discoveries? 11 koalas were found in non-remnant vegetation—areas that are usually considered low-quality habitat and often overlooked in traditional on ground assessments. This shows how important it is to look beyond the usual places when planning conservation and development. And with that knowledge, we can make better decisions to protect them. 

But thermal drones are just one part of our story. Ecosure also works with government, developers and communities to balance conservation outcomes with real-world challenges by undertaking: 

• Threatened species assessments, using best-practice monitoring techniques to evaluate habitat health and inform recovery programs. 

• Revegetation and habitat restoration, designed to support endangered ecological communities and species of national environmental significance, including koalas. 

By integrating ecological expertise with innovative technology, Ecosure continues to deliver impactful conservation outcomes across Queensland and beyond. 

Want to learn more about Save the Koala Month? Click here to get involved.  

Published 25/08/25