Citizen Science Portal
| Citizen science is a scientific research approach that involves public participation in data collection and analysis to expand scientific knowledge and tackle real-world problems. Participation can involve simple actions like taking photos of wildlife using apps, analyzing images, or collecting water samples, making science accessible to anyone with an inquiring mind. Citizen science is important because it expands research capabilities, generating vast datasets at scales previously impossible whilst enabling discoveries in biodiversity, pollution, and other fields. There are many citizen scientist projects you or your Landcare group may be interested in taking part in, this page is designed to outline what projects are available to public participation and how you can get involved. |
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FeralScanFeralScan is a free community program, comprising a website and smartphone app, for monitoring and mapping pest animal activity in Australia, allowing users to record sightings, damage, and control efforts for species like rabbits, foxes, and feral pigs. The data collected helps landholders, communities, and authorities to coordinate pest management, identify problem areas, track control outcomes, and raise awareness of new pest threats, fostering collaboration for more effective pest control across Australia. The below video hows an online webinar, with guest speaker Emma Sawyers - Technical Officer at Feral Scan, shows how to use the FeralScan app or website to record pest animal sightings. |
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iNaturalistiNaturalist is a global online platform, accessible via a website and mobile apps, that serves as a social network for people to record, share, and identify observations of plants and animals. Users document observations through photos and sound recordings, get assistance with identifications from a community of naturalists and scientists, and contribute their data to a large database that helps advance biodiversity science and conservation. |
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WaterWatchWaterwatch is a national citizen science program, involving landholders, community groups and schools, and aims to engage communities in monitoring and protecting the health of local waterways. Small waterways make up three-quarters of the total waterway network within any given catchment and they are of great interest to local communities. NSW Waterwatch participants can take an active role in monitoring the health of their local catchments by conducting monthly water quality testing and optional seasonal surveys of aquatic macroinvertebrates, to understand and monitor the health of their rivers, and provide quality assured data, which is uploaded to the NSW Waterwatch online database. With the data they collect, communities can influence the management of their local waterways and take direct action. |
