Citizen scientists caring for our coast

Do you have a keen interest in science and want to help our scientists make a difference? For Citizen Science Month in April, we highlighted some of our citizen scientist projects you can get involved with.

Check out the details below:

Right Whale ID Program – This NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services program relies on highly trained volunteers to identify rare Southern Right Whales through drone footage.

This information is then used to estimate whale numbers and identify nursery areas. Unlike Humpback Whales, Southern Right Whales are quite rare off the NSW coast with approximately 300 individuals sighted each year.

The Right Whale ID Program is part of the Species monitoring project. It is a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services project funded via the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy.

Redmap NSW – (or the Range Extension Database and Mapping Project) harnesses the power of citizen science to track changes in the distributions of marine species due to ocean warming.

This involves community members who already observe marine life while fishing, snorkelling or diving submitting photographs of species that appear uncommon to a specific area.

Participating is easy, all you need is a smartphone to log your out of area sightings on the NSW Redmap website. DPI Fisheries are leading this project within the Climate change citizen science project, funded via the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy

Shorebird Nesting Site Mapping – uses community volunteers to monitor and protect shorebirds at risk of extinction on the NSW coast.

By having a bird's-eye view of their habitat and habits, we can make informed decisions to better manage and protect them. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is leading this project through the Education to protect and conserve marine wildlife project.

A huge thank you to the wonderful citizen scientists across the state! We hope you took some time to celebrate your work during April – Citizen Science Month.