In 2023 the Kangaroo Island Landscape Board (KILB) undertook the first Little Penguin population survey in over 10 years. The KILB Biodiversity unit, funded by the Australian government, completed a comprehensive count of active burrows in 12 known colonies, and found that three colonies are extinct, and all are in decline, except for the Emu Bay colony.
The survey data will inform management decisions for penguin and habitat protection. Actions to protect the penguins include targeted invasive predator and weed control, planting native coastal plants to enhance existing nesting habitats, and redirecting coastal walking trails away from key habitat areas.
