Citizen Science
The South Australian Government has established a $2 million Citizen Science Fund. This will be used to encourage and support the community to carry out scientific research about environmental conditions.
The citizen science fund has been allocated to the citizen science grants and awards programs. Click here for more information.
What is citizen science?
Citizen science is when people volunteer their time to partner with researchers to increase scientific knowledge.
Citizen scientists collect data, make discoveries and explore nature for projects that help researchers by:
- observing where and when plants, animals or fungi are present
- transcribing information from museum collections to make data accessible digitally
- identifying animals in photos.
Become a citizen scientist
In South Australia, the Department for Environment and Water leads, supports and promotes citizen science projects.
These projects contribute to the knowledge of flora and fauna across the state, as well as capture information about environmental indicators that can point towards changes in habitat conditions and species populations to inform conservation and management actions.
With the help of citizen scientists like you, researchers can better understand South Australian biodiversity and ecosystems.
The Kangaroo Island Fire Recovery – KI Dunnart Surveys, South Australian Department for Environment and Water - West End Feral Cat Cameras and National Parks and Wildlife Service – Cherry Gardens Fauna Monitoring are helping the bushfire recovery efforts by recording how many native and feral species pass through unburnt and recovering patches of native vegetation. These are made possible by DigiVol, a joint collaboration of the Australian Museum and the Atlas of Living Australia (a CSIRO hosted NCRIS facility).
You can also get involved in regional citizen science projects:
- Landscape South Australia Eyre Peninsula
- Landscape South Australia Limestone Coast
- Landscape South Australia Murraylands and Riverland
Here are some other projects that also contribute to our state’s biological data:
Sea lion spotter
Always dreamed about being a Marine Biologist? Welcome to Sea lion Spotter! Register today at sealionspotter.com and your observations will contribute directly towards helping shape recovery actions for Australia’s largest Endangered Australian sea lion colony.
Become part of great community of volunteers from around the globe collectively gain an in-depth understanding of the Australian sea lion biology, their all-important food chain and habitat health. Be the first to know about emerging research technologies and join special data blitz campaigns. Become a registered Sea lion Spotter citizen scientist and help count Australian sea lion pups. Get a glimpse into the private life of these inspiring marine mammals and their remote homes.
To learn more about Australian sea lions, download the brochure 'The Australian Sea Lion: Respecting colonies for survival'.
