Citizen Science

Overview

Citizen Science is hands-on volunteer research where everyday people volunteer their time to partner with researchers to increase scientific knowledge and collect data about their natural environment. Citizen science is a great way to actively participate and get involved in local community projects.

BirdLife Capricornia

BirdLife Capricornia has members from the Capricorn Coast, Rockhampton and Gladstone, and out to Longreach and Winton in the far west.

Their focus is on local bird-related activities, such as field trips throughout the area, conservation actions to protect birds, education activities to inform local communities and joint projects with other local conservation groups to reach a wider audience. They also encourage family involvement, with junior activities and family-friendly day trips.

lorikeet sitting in a tree

Get involved | BirdLife Australia

 

Coral Watch

Coral Watch integrates global coral health monitoring with education and public outreach creating reef awareness using simple and engaging tools. This provides people with accessible information about coral reefs and climate change, and hands-on experience collecting scientific data on coral bleaching using the Coral Health Chart. The chart is an easy-to-use tool to quantify changes in coral colour associated with coral bleaching on the reef. It is so simple, anyone can get involved.

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Get involved | Coral Watch

Invasive Species Council

The Invasive Species Council is an Australian environmental organisation that works to protect native plants, animals, and ecosystems from harmful pests, weeds, and diseases.

Invasive species are driving more than 80 per cent of Australia’s most vulnerable native plants and animals towards extinction.

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How to help | Invasive Species Council

iNaturalist

iNaturalist is a non-profit social network for citizen scientists to record and share observations of plants and animals, which helps identify organisms and generates research-quality data for biodiversity science and conservation.

Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. We share your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe.

Black and white butterfly sitting on flowering grass

Record your observations | iNaturalist

Echidna Watch

Have you seen an echidna lately? Wildlife Queensland’s Echidna Watch program is gathering information on the distribution and abundance of echidnas.

They can share this information with Wildnet, the wildlife data repository for the EPA, and other organisations, to help plan for better outcomes for echidnas.

echidna walking in bush ground

Get involved | Echidna Watch

Eye on the Reef 

Play an active role in monitoring the environment. Through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s (GBRMPA) Eye on the Reef monitoring program. Anyone out on the water can collect information on Reef health, the marine life and incidents.

aerial view of the Great Barrier Reef

Sightings | Eye on the Reef 

 

Feral Scan

Feral Scan is a free, community-driven platform, available as a website and mobile app, which allows the community to report sightings of pest animals, record damage, and log control activities in the region.

feral pig

Record tool | Feral Scan

 

Fitzroy Water Watch

Water watch is a network of citizen scientists monitoring waterways in the Fitzroy Basin.

By helping us collect data across the Fitzroy Basin you’re helping build knowledge in the scientific world and out in the community and protect ecosystems.

hand catching fallen river water

 

Record here | Fitzroy Water Watch 

 

FrogID Australia

FrogID Australia has over 250 known species of frog, almost all of which are found nowhere else in the world. Some species are flourishing, like the Striped Marsh Frog. But others have declined dramatically since the 1980s, and at least four have become extinct. Frogs play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

By recording frog calls with the free FrogID app, you provide a unique, time-stamped, and geo-referenced audio recording that allows scientists to understand and conserve Australia's unique frog species.

green frog on bed of green grass

How to use |  FrogID 

 

Soils for Science 

Soils for Science is an Australian-first citizen science program dedicated to finding new antibiotics needed in the fight against the scourge of drug-resistant infections, better known as superbugs.

Help find the next antibiotic and request a soil kit! 

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Soil Kit | Soils for Science

 

Team Turtle CQ 

Fitzroy Basin Association is the host of Team Turtle CQ. The citizen science program relies upon local volunteers to record data on marine turtle nesting activity. Team Turtle CQ actively records nesting turtle tracks, nest attempts, successful nests and threats to successful nesting, including evidence of predators and human influence.

loggerhead turtle swimming in aqua water

Report a Sighting | Team Turtle CQ

 

Weed Spotters Network 

Weed Spotters Network Queensland is a citizen science program that aims to detect new and emerging weed threats before they become established in Queensland.

The program is particularly focussed on sightings of species assessed as being of high risk to Queensland and listed as Prohibited or Restricted (Category 2,3,4,5) under Queensland’s Biosecurity Act 2014.

weed growing out of footpath

Join & Learn | Weed Spotters Network