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https://theconversation.com/how-retirees-beachcombers-and-communities-help-scientists-track-everything-from-threatened-species-to-algal-blooms-268199>
"How healthy are Australia’s ecosystems? To answer that, scientists need data.
But Australia is huge – and the number of professional scientists is limited.
That’s where citizen science can help.
Every winter, thousands of grey nomads take to the roads and head north.
Families return to familiar campgrounds for school holidays. Bushwalkers move
through forests and along coastlines. School students catch invertebrates in
rivers to learn about waterway health.
Each of these groups – and many more – can collect data vital to conservation
efforts. When a citizen scientist uploads a photo of a flower, frog or animal
to a central repository such as iNaturalist and eBird, anyone can see it and
the location, date and time it was observed.
Citizen science – public participation and collaboration in scientific research
– is coming of age. Increasingly, professional scientists are partnering with
citizen scientists – and making requests.
Australia faces rapid biodiversity loss, shifting species distributions and
widespread ecological change. To respond, scientists and authorities need
long-term, standardised monitoring. Professional scientists cannot achieve this
alone. No wonder former Chief Scientist Ian Chubb called for grey nomads and
others to lend a hand."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
