Redland City Council has a proud history of working with community groups and individuals on citizen science projects. Help us gather more data about our local area by becoming a citizen scientist!
What is citizen science?
Citizen science is scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by members of the community who may or may not have scientific qualifications.
Advances in technology are making it easy for everyone to make a meaningful contribution to scientific research. It can be as simple as taking a photo and recording some basic information to share with researchers and the community.
Why should you contribute to citizen science?
Citizen science will:
- Build your knowledge of local plants and wildlife.
- Contribute to studies and projects that use your data to make a difference.
- Bring new friends and life-long friendships.
- Encourage you out into nature and help you live a healthier, more active lifestyle.
Our projects and how to get started
Redland City Council is using iNaturalist as well as the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) and their Biocollect portal to collect data about the natural environment on Redlands Coast. Read about and contribute to our current projects.
It's easy to get started!
Download the iNaturalist app on your android phone or iPhone and begin logging local flora and fauna observations. Once your observations are reviewed and verified by an online community of citizen scientists, they become research grade. This data helps to feed larger databases such as ALA, a collaborative, national project that brings biodiversity data together from multiple sources and makes it available and usable online. ALA is supported by the CSIRO.
Remember, the observations you contribute will support important environmental projects and conservation initiatives on Redlands Coast.
Conservation Areas
Do you love to spend your weekends exploring Redlands Coast? Have you ever seen something exciting and wanted to share it with your community? Well now you can log observations of flora and fauna in our Conservation areas using our iNaturalist project. Simply log into your iNaturalist account, search “Conservation Areas on Redlands Coast", select “Join” and start observing.
Community Bushcare on Redlands Coast Project
The Community Bushcare Program has created an iNaturalist project especially for volunteers to use in Bushcare sites across the city. Making iNaturalist observations at Bushcare working bees is a fun way to learn about nature and contribute to citizen science. By doing so we can build a picture of biodiversity in our precious Buscare areas to share with the community.
Environmental Partnerships Program Projects
If you are an Environmental Partnerships participant, we have created a project specifically for you to log sightings on your property and capture this incredibly important data. Fellow participants and our officers will help you with species Identification! For more information and links to the projects specific to your program, head to the Environmental Partnerships page and contact your Officer.
Submit koala sightings
Redlands Coast Koala Watch is your opportunity to help improve the health and wellbeing of our local koala population. It’s a joint partnership between the community, koala researchers and Redland City Council that allows you to contribute to koala conservation.
You can collect information on local koalas by actively looking for them when going about your regular outdoor activities like walking the dog, jogging or picnicking in the park. You then record the information on our survey. Every recording counts even if you don’t see any koalas, it counts.
When you spot a koala, you can also check and see if the koala is ill or injured, and get help for it if needed. We'll give you resources to show you how.
The information you collect is used by researchers and Redland City Council to develop koala conservation actions, reduce the incidence of sick and injured koalas, and improve local koala mapping. Helping us spot and get help for ill or injured koalas quickly, will help us get more koalas back home from hospital, happy and healthy.
For more information or to join, visit Redlands Coast Koala Watch.
Submit coastal raptor nest sightings
The Coastal Raptor Nests Citizen Science Project aims to identify and map raptor nests within the Redlands mainland and islands.
This project focuses on four iconic raptor species, chosen because little is known about their nest locations and behaviours.
- Eastern osprey (Pandion cristatus)
- White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
- Brahminy kite (Haliastur indus)
- Whistling kite (Haliastur sphenurus)
For further information see the Redland City Council's coastal raptor nest project page on Atlas of Living Australia.
Submit veteran tree records
The Veteran and Significant Trees of the Redlands survey aims to identify and map veteran and significant trees in the Redlands Coast mainland and islands. This data will assist in providing options for land and vegetation management, protection and conservation, and community education.
Veteran trees may be trees that have reached a great age compared with others of the same species. Veteran trees are important as they often develop sturdy hollows that provide breeding habitat for a wide range of native species, including possums, koalas, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.
This project is a Citizen Science project in partnership with the Redland City Council, Veteran Tree Group Australia and the Atlas of Living Australia.
For further information and to submit a record, see the Redland City Council's veteran and significant tree project page on Atlas of Living Australia.
Further Information
To help you download and use iNaturalist here are some useful resources.
- Learn how to get started with iNaturalist.
- Watch this video for a step by step guide to using the iNaturalist app.