Citizen Science

What is it?

Citizen science can be

  • Noticing nature around you
    – things you know, things you want to know about, a species of interest or just something that catches your eye
  • Recording what you see, hear or notice
  • Sharing your observations, typically as notes, photos or recordings,
    using tools or methods that enable your observations to be accessible to others with a similar interest, including researchers and biodiversity databases.

 

It’s fun, educational, and helps to inform conservation efforts and action.

Citizen science apps, tools and projects ...

There are heaps out there! To find one (or more) that suit you, consider:

  • Your preferences and goals – learning, sharing, collaborating, or working independently; do you (or would you) take photos, make a note or record what you’ve noticed; do you take walks; is there a favourite spot or type of nature you’d like to record?
  • Is there an existing app or project – that makes it easy for you to contribute … or one that takes more effort but suits you better?
  • Tool choice – do you have a specific interest or are you looking for a tool that enables you make contributions across different species or even kingdoms (plants, animals, fungi) without needing to switch apps?
  • Experiment or seek recommendations – chat with us and others, and then give those suggestions a try.

Apps and tools

Below are some favourites used in Wodonga.
Click any tile for more information.

FrogID

A national citizen science project helping us learn more about what is happening to Australia’s frogs, from the Australian Museum

iNaturalist Australia

iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you while generating data for science and conservation

TurtleSAT

Report the location of freshwater turtles in waterways and wetlands

Atlas of Living Australia (ALA)

The ALA is the national biodiversity database, aggregating information from across resources and projects

Birdata

BirdLife Australia's app to collaboratively and scientifically collect data to gain insight and protect Australia’s birds


Australian Playpus Conservancy

Report where and when you have seen a platypus or rakali

Albury Wodonga Nature Map

Upload your sightings to NatureMapr from a smartphone or digital camera

eBird Australia

A real-time, online checklist program to report and access information about birds

Sloane's Champions

By using the FrogID app we're adding records of the endangered Sloane's Froglet and all frogs in Wodonga ...
read on

Noticing Nature

Events and activities to build your nature knowledge and skills...
MORE INFO

Community science in Wodonga

At Wodonga Landcare, we also use the term ‘community science’ for these activities.

We encourage noticing nature by:

  • Demonstrating and sharing easy-to-use tools and apps enabling research quality data collection
  • Promotion of learning opportunities and those tools to our members, including at activities and events
  • Encouraging information sharing by organisations and individuals that are collecting species and biodiversity information in Wodonga 
 

Our goal is to connect people with nature and to use these observations, with other information available, to guide our conservation actions and decision-making.