Citizen Science Show

At just fifteen years old, Spencer Hitchen has become one of Australia’s most recognisable young conservation voices — not through political slogans or social media trends, but through patient observation, powerful photography, and an unwavering commitment to protecting nature.From the Wallum woodlands of Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Spencer has transformed a childhood fascination with glossy black cockatoos into a global conservation movement. Along the way, he has launched World Stand Up For Nature Day, contributed to campaigns influencing environmental protections, produced award-winning wildlife photography, and inspired thousands of young people to reconnect with the natural world.But for Spencer, the journey began with a single bird.Falling in Love with the GlossiesSpencer was only six years old when he first joined a local environment group and met a conservationist known as “Glossy Bob”, who had spent more than two decades observing glossy black cockatoos in the Noosa region.Together, they would visit a local waterhole where the cockatoos gathered each evening.Spencer quickly became captivated by the birds — their calls, their behaviours, and the fragile ecosystem that sustained them.“I just fell in love with them,” Spencer said.More Informationhttps://www.instagram.com/savesunriseglossies/https://www.savesunriseglossies.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/savesunriseglossiesIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scientists map the ocean’s most critical shark and ray habitats in a race against extinctionMarine conservationists around the world are racing to identify the ocean habitats most critical to the survival of sharks and rays before it is too late.At the centre of that effort is the Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA) project, a global initiative led through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shark Specialist Group. The project aims to pinpoint the breeding grounds, feeding hotspots and migration corridors essential to sustaining shark, ray and chimaera populations worldwide.For Dr Rima Jabado, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group, the project represents a major shift in marine conservation thinking.“It’s not just about protecting the species anymore,” Rima said. “It’s about identifying the places in the ocean that are most important for those species to survive.”Joining Rima on the Citizen Science Show podcast was marine scientist Dr Asia Armstrong, whose work in spatial ecology and threatened species conservation has made her a key contributor to the project.Together, the pair described an ambitious global effort built not only on science, but also on the observations of ordinary ocean users.More Informationhttps://sharkrayareas.org/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A pioneering team blends science, technology and community action to protect one of the world’s most threatened animal groups—amid growing pressure from development.In the forests of New South Wales, a quiet crisis is unfolding—one that scientists say is pushing some of Australia’s most unique frog species to the brink. At the centre of the response is a team of researchers working across laboratories, wetlands and digital platforms, united under an initiative known as the Amphibian ICU.Led by Dr Kaya Klop-Toker, Dr Rose Upton and Dr Alex Callen, the Integrated Conservation Unit is taking an ambitious, multi-disciplinary approach to halt amphibian decline—combining ecological restoration, reproductive science and citizen engagement in what they describe as a “One Plan” strategy for species recovery.More Informationhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/312367045929495/https://www.facebook.com/AussieArkhttps://www.wildlifesydney.com.au/Email the Ministerhttps://protectljtf.good.do/protectthelittlejohnstreefrog/email-the-minister/Littlejohn's Tree Frog Photo Credit: Krishna Pavan KomanduriIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Life That Grew Into TreesFor Mark Cashmore, a career in arboriculture was not a lifelong plan but a gradual evolution. After years of varied work—including teaching English overseas—he discovered tree climbing through weekend work. What began as a practical skill quickly revealed itself as an entry point into a complex and deeply engaging field.Arboriculture is far more than cutting and pruning. It encompasses the long-term care, planning and management of trees, particularly in urban environments. From establishing healthy young trees to shaping entire urban forests, the discipline blends physical skill with ecological understanding.“It’s an astonishing industry,” Mark reflects. “Every tree is different, every day is different.”More Informationhttps://proofsafe.com.au/https://www.treetec.net.au/https://naturetrackers.au/projects/where-where-wedgie/To learn more about Hollow Watch Australia - Citizen Science initiativehttps://proofsafe.com.au/pages/nest_boxes_and_hollowsIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A grassroots vision beneath the wavesIn a quiet corner of Sydney’s coastline, a chain links more than just concrete anchors—it connects community, conservation, and curiosity. Beneath the surface of Gordon’s Bay lies one of Australia’s most distinctive citizen-led marine projects: an underwater nature trail built not by institutions, but by passionate divers.For Sam Baxter, the ocean has long been a place of fascination. Originally from the UK, Sam’s move to Australia was driven in part by the promise of clearer, warmer waters. After a career in IT, retirement opened the door to deeper involvement in diving and marine conservation.Alongside him is John Rowe, whose connection to the water stretches back to childhood. From snorkelling in a country-town pool to discovering the writings of early diving pioneers, John’s lifelong passion would eventually anchor one of Sydney’s most enduring marine initiatives.More Informationhttps://www.gordonsbayscubadiving.com/https://www.facebook.com/GordonsBaySCUBADivingClubhttps://www.instagram.com/gordonsbayscuba/https://www.youtube.com/@GordonsBay-GBSDChttps://www.sydneydivewreck.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/SydneyDiveWreckIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A National Push for ParticipationAs April unfolds, Australians are being called to step outside, look closer, and contribute to something far bigger than themselves. Citizen Science Month, a global initiative encouraging public involvement in scientific research, is gaining momentum locally—with an ambitious national goal of 100,000 recorded “acts of science.”For Dr Jessie Oliver, Technical Manager at SciStarter Australia, the mission is both simple and transformative: make science accessible to everyone.“An act of science can be contributing to any citizen science project,” Jessie explains. “And the sky’s the limit in terms of what those projects look like.”From logging bird sightings to analysing medical data online, participation can take many forms—united by a shared purpose of advancing knowledge through collective effort.More Informationhttps://www.scistarteraustralia.au/https://www.scistarteraustralia.au/post/citizen-science-month-2026https://www.zooniverse.org/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The tension between humans and the wild extends far beyond landscapes, reaching into culture, psychology, and identity. What begins as a discussion about large carnivores evolves into a broader reflection on how humanity chooses to coexist with nature.Jonny Hanson's interest in large carnivores began in childhood, particularly with big cats. Over time, that fascination expanded into a deeper engagement with conservation and, ultimately, the human systems that shape environmental outcomes. He emphasises that conservation is not solely a biological issue. The challenges facing nature are driven by human behaviour, and therefore, the solutions must also come from within human society.More Information- Jonny Hanson Website: https://jonnyhanson.com/- Coexisting with carnivores TedX Talks: https://youtu.be/2FCUumWaTBo?si=x5KaifdmhJOYUw2n- Young people research update: RU168.pdf- Book chapter preview playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQN5xAQ3b01d40TJNJLjef61y1y2Qx5t4&si=7qmO7UaB8h2w56cNLynx Photo Credit: Julia Moning: https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/people/birdingjuliaIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Enigma of the Great Spider CrabAustralia’s great spider crab is hard to miss. With a leg span reaching up to a metre, these arthropods gather in extraordinary numbers along the seafloor. Each winter, tens of thousands converge in Port Phillip Bay in a phenomenon that has featured in global documentaries. Yet, as Elodie Camprasse discovered, scientific understanding of the species is surprisingly thin. “We know almost nothing,” she explains.What researchers do know is tied to a vulnerable moment in the crab’s life cycle. Like all arthropods, spider crabs must shed their hard shells to grow. During this moulting phase, they are soft and exposed—easy targets for predators. 4The mass gatherings are believed to offer safety in numbers. Beyond that, much remains uncertain: How often do they moult? Where do they come from? Why do they choose specific locations?More Informationhttps://www.inaturalist.org/projects/spider-crab-watchhttps://dro.deakin.edu.au/articles/report/Giant_spider_crab_ecological_assessment_in_Port_Phillip_Bay/23306219?file=41091581If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2008, the scientific community believed there was only one species of manta ray. That assumption quickly shifted when new research identified a second species, and more recently, a third. These are not small or hidden creatures—they are enormous animals, some stretching up to seven meters across—yet for years they remained largely misunderstood.One of the most powerful tools used to study them is deceptively simple. Each manta ray has a unique pattern on its belly, much like a fingerprint. These markings allow researchers to identify individuals from photographs, many of which are submitted by members of the public. A single image can reveal where a manta ray has been seen before, how often it returns, whether it is reproducing, and even provide insights into its lifespan. This form of citizen science has become central to the work.Asia Armstrong has spent years studying manta rays, yet they continue to surprise her in ways that feel both humbling and urgent. Her path into this work was not predetermined. Although she had always been drawn to the ocean, it was a single dive nearly two decades ago that changed everything. Encountering a manta ray for the first time left her captivated, and what struck her even more was how little was known about them. That realization led her back to university and eventually to Project Manta, where she has spent over a decade working to close those knowledge gaps.More Informationhttps://www.unisc.edu.au/project-mantahttps://ladyelliot.com.au/sustainability/project-manta/https://sharkrayareas.org/https://www.iucnredlist.org/https://www.cbd.int/gbf/targetsIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bron Powell has spent years paddling through the winding channels of the Macquarie Marshes, drawn again and again to the raw wildness of the wetlands. The turning point came during the floods between 2020 and 2022, when the Marshes burst into life. What had always been a special place suddenly became extraordinary. Guiding a group of birdwatchers through the flooded landscape, Bron watched birdlife fill every corner of the water. One moment that stayed with her was a great crested grebe gliding past with a chick riding on its back while another chick struggled to keep up behind, pulled along in the parent’s wake because it had grown too big to fit on board. Scenes like that convinced Bron she wanted to bring more people into the Marshes by kayak.More Informationhttps://www.facebook.com/MarshesToursIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt West has spent much of his life wading through the cold mountain streams of northeast Victoria in search of a frog few Australians will ever encounter. The spotted tree frog, Litoria spenceri, is small enough to sit on a thumb, yet its survival has become one of the most complex conservation challenges in the country.The spotted tree frog inhabits granite boulder streams stretching from Lake Eildon in Victoria to Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales, breeding in fast-flowing waterways between 300 and 1,100 metres elevation. Males grow to about 35 millimetres, females to 50. Their colouring ranges from bright green with gold flecks to mottled brown. In stable environments they can live for well over a decade. Stability, however, has become increasingly rare.Photography Credit: Michael Williams. It's a Wildlife.More Informationhttps://wildresearch.com.au/https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/768810-matt-westhttps://www.zoo.org.au/https://australiantroutfoundation.com.au/https://www.nativefish.asn.au/https://taungurung.com.au/https://www.ddac.net.au/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pascal van Erp has spent years descending into waters most people will never see, uncovering a hidden layer of destruction far removed from the image of pristine marine environments. Beneath the surface, he regularly encounters lost fishing gear—nets, lines, and cages that continue to trap and kill marine life long after they have been abandoned. This reality led him to establish Ghost Diving, an organisation that has grown into a global network of seventeen chapters and more than five hundred volunteer divers.The organisation’s expansion has never been forced. Instead, technical diving teams from around the world approach Ghost Diving, motivated to apply their advanced skills to environmental work. This organic growth has led to strong chapters in countries such as Korea, Germany, the United States, and the Netherlands. Other regions, including Australia, remain without a chapter simply because no local team has yet stepped forward.The work itself demands a high level of expertise. Pascal emphasises that removing ghost nets is both complex and dangerous, requiring divers trained in deep diving, decompression, and managing multiple tasks simultaneously. In these operations, diving must become second nature so that the focus can remain entirely on the removal of hazardous debris.More Informationhttps://www.ghostdiving.org/https://www.ghostdiving.org/our-mission/https://www.ghostdiving.org/chapters/global/https://www.ghostdiving.org/chapters/https://www.ghostdiving.org/partners/https://www.ghostdiving.shop/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eight years ago, Jason Iggleden was working as a builder, swinging tools and searching for something that would make him want to jump out of bed each morning. He still works in construction today, but back then he was looking for a shift in direction. Almost on impulse, he bought a drone and decided to create an app. There was no detailed business plan, just a desire to build something meaningful and help people along the way. That decision would end up reshaping his life.He launched what became known as the Drone Shark app. It was expensive to develop and eventually too costly to maintain, and it is no longer available in the App Store. In the early days, Jason flew drones each morning with a couple of his carpenters, trying to capture footage for the app. Progress was slow until someone suggested Instagram. He barely knew what the platform was at the time. Once he began posting there, momentum built quickly. Audiences connected with the footage, his live commentary evolved naturally, and a global community began forming around his aerial view of Bondi.What started as simple ocean filming soon became something more detailed. Jason began noticing individual animals and recurring behaviours. He gave them names—Alex the seal, Homer the hammerhead, Nelly the grey nurse shark with scoliosis, Sunny the sunfish, and Dolly the dolphins. Naming them helped audiences form emotional connections. Instead of seeing an anonymous shark, viewers saw a character. That shift, Jason believes, encourages people to care.More Informationhttps://www.youtube.com/@DroneSharkApphttps://www.facebook.com/dronesharkapp/https://www.instagram.com/stories/dronesharkapp/https://www.mdpi.com/about/journalshttps://sarahhatherley.com/portfolio_page/shark-bait-teaser/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gary Taylor has always felt most at home in the bush. Long before native bees became his focus, he was a child wandering through scrub and creek beds, watching everything that moved. His father shaped that way of seeing. He spoke about trees, spiders and insects as if they were old friends. Nothing was to be squashed or dismissed. Every creature simply wanted to get back to its companions. That quiet respect settled into Gary early and never left.In a patch of bush he calls his bee paradise, Gary noticed a large male Stenotritus with a reddish tuft at the end of its abdomen. Australia’s Stenotritidae are found nowhere else in the world, and with only a small number of known species, the difference stood out. After sharing photographs with Dr Megan Halcroft, he was connected with entomologist Terry Houston. The following season, specimens were collected and subjected to months of detailed measurement and description. The result was confirmation of a new species: Stenotritus taylori. Having an Australian native bee named in his honour remains one of Gary’s proudest achievements.More Informationhttps://ausemade.com.au/blog/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr Nerida Wilson has dedicated much of her career to understanding some of Australia’s most unusual marine life. As manager of Seadragon Search, she has brought together genetics, photography and citizen science to reveal new insights into one of the country’s most iconic underwater species.Although seadragons are displayed in aquariums around the world, they are found only in Australian waters. Nerida’s research even led to the extraordinary discovery of a new species, the ruby seadragon. The first evidence did not come from a diver’s sighting but from an unusual string of DNA letters that failed to align with known species. That anomaly proved to represent an entirely new seadragon.Seadragon Search emerged from genetic fieldwork. While collecting small tissue samples, Nerida and her team photographed each animal to ensure they did not resample the same individual. They realised that every seadragon carries unique markings. Weedy seadragons can be identified by their spot patterns, while leafy seadragons display distinctive bars and stripes. Today, artificial intelligence helps narrow down possible matches, but a human reviewer makes the final confirmation.More Informationhttps://seadragonsearch.org/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Each spring, Bron Powell returns to a vast inland wetland in north-west New South Wales, drawn by reeds taller than a person, restless bird colonies and the quiet pulse of water spreading across flat country. The Macquarie Marshes have become both her workplace and her teacher, a place where kayaking and conservation meet in practical and purposeful ways.Bron first discovered the Marshes nineteen years ago after moving from the Blue Mountains to Dubbo. She had only vaguely heard of them. With almost no public access, she could glimpse little more than reeds from the roadside, yet even that partial view was enough to spark something deeper. She had always considered herself an environmentalist. Once kayaking entered her life, the connection felt inevitable. Through volunteering and later working with National Parks, she began exploring further, building knowledge season by season until guiding others through the wetlands became the natural next step.The site was Ramsar-listed in 1986 for its international importance. In flood years, tens of thousands of Straw-necked Ibis nest shoulder to shoulder in extraordinary colonies. Spoonbills, egrets and herons join them. Migratory birds arrive from as far as Russia and Japan, while nomadic Australian species track water across the continent. Even outside major floods, Magpie Geese and Brolga breed here when conditions allow. It is a system that expands and contracts with rainfall, usually retaining a semi-permanent watery core, though the 2017 to 2019 drought pushed it to the brink.More Informationhttps://www.macquariemarsheskayaktours.com.au/https://www.nature.org.au/https://healthyriversdubbo.com/https://www.flow-mer.org.au/area-pages/macquarie-river-and-marshesIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two hundred years ago, South Australia’s coastline was edged not just by sandy beaches and rocky headlands, but by vast shellfish reefs stretching for thousands of kilometres. In South Australia alone, native oyster beds extended roughly 1,500 kilometres. Nationally, they spanned an estimated 8,000 kilometres—almost twice the length of the Great Barrier Reef. Today, less than one percent of those ecosystems remain intact.Manny Katz is working to bring them back.Manny serves as Director of EYRE Lab, an environmental charity focused on restoration ecology, and he runs a dive shop in Whyalla. Through tourism, diving, and the Reef Ramble podcast, he connects communities with marine science. At the centre of his work is a commitment to rebuilding reefs that once filtered the sea, sheltered marine life, and stabilised coastlines.More Informationhttps://www.eyrelab.org/https://www.facebook.com/eyrelabIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a review and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The green parrot is endemic to Norfolk Island, found nowhere else on Earth. It is a medium sized member of the Cyanoramphus group, with vivid green plumage and a red patch across its forehead. Two years ago, surveys estimated around eight hundred birds. That number dropped to six hundred the following year and now sits at roughly two hundred. Even more alarming, recent years have seen no successful nesting.One species particularly close to Abi’s heart is the Norfolk Island Green Parrot. She lived on Norfolk Island about a decade ago while serving as Natural Resource Manager in the national park. The island sits in the South Pacific between Australia and New Zealand and is home to around fifteen hundred residents deeply connected to their environment.Abi Smith has spent twenty five years working to protect Australia’s most threatened wildlife, and she remains steadfast in her belief that extinction is not inevitable. As founder and CEO of the Threatened Species Conservancy, her focus is clear: turn science into action and ensure no species is left behind.More Informationhttps://www.tsconservancy.org/https://proofsafe.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/ThreatenedSpeciesConservancyhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/threatened-species-conservancy-inc/https://www.instagram.com/threatenedspeciesconservancy/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Day began his career by moving from boat to boat, taking on dive work wherever he could, long before he envisioned specialising in sea urchins. Working as a diver skipper eventually led him to James Cook University in Townsville, where he completed his undergraduate degree and assisted researchers on the Great Barrier Reef. Early involvement in Crown of Thorns Starfish control programs prompted a question that would shape his scientific thinking: what distinguishes managing a native species from attempting to eradicate it? That distinction continues to inform his research on sea urchins today.Much of Jeremy’s recent work has focused on understanding what these urchins actually consume. For years, they have been portrayed primarily as kelp-destroying herbivores. By combining gut content analysis with stable isotope techniques using carbon, nitrogen and sulphur, he and his colleagues have examined both short-term and longer-term feeding patterns. Their findings show that Longspined Sea Urchins are true omnivores. They consume brown macroalgae when available, but also feed on invertebrates such as mussels and sponges, along with particulate organic matter drifting through the water column. Even in barrens, where macroalgae is scarce, they continue to feed and reproduce.More Informationhttps://www.instagram.com/urchin_ramsey/https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/https://www.redmap.org.au/https://reeflifesurvey.com/https://www.urgdiveclub.org.au/https://www.sarahdives.com/https://spotashark.com/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saving birds was never supposed to be Mick Roderick’s career, but somewhere between university ecology fieldwork and friendly arguments over bird field guides, birdwatching stopped being a pastime and became an identity. Mick did not grow up as a birder. His family were bushwalkers, and birds were simply part of the landscape. It wasn’t until studying ecology at university that he began paying closer attention, and before long birding shifted from a social activity into something much deeper. Over time it became both his profession and his obsession, an unusual pairing that has worked remarkably well.Mick now works as the Regent Honeyeater Recovery Coordinator at BirdLife Australia, an organisation that has been protecting Australian birds for more than 125 years. Based in the Hunter region of New South Wales, he is also deeply involved with the Hunter Bird Observers Club, where long-term citizen science has played a crucial role in understanding population trends. For nearly three decades, volunteers have conducted monthly shorebird surveys in the Hunter Estuary, creating a dataset of immense value. Those records reveal an uncomfortable truth: migratory shorebirds, including the eastern curlew, continue to decline despite decades of monitoring and effort.More Informationhttps://birdlife.org.au/https://www.hboc.org.au/https://www.twitchathon.com.au/https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/Image Attribution Mick Roderick (Robert Virtue) ABCIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adrian Sherriff has spent much of his life bringing people closer to Australian wildlife, not simply to admire animals, but to understand the systems that keep them alive. Animals Anonymous began as a straightforward idea: taking native animals into schools and community spaces to spark curiosity and connection. Over time, that idea grew into a broader mission encompassing education, inclusion, conservation, and a sense of belonging.Animals Anonymous now operates across several areas. The organisation delivers wildlife education programs, teaches animal handling to university students, and hosts private wildlife encounters at its property in Mylor in the Adelaide Hills. It also runs an NDIS program supporting people with disabilities, helping them develop confidence, social skills, and purpose through working with animals. Watching people find connection and belonging through shared care and curiosity has become one of the most meaningful outcomes of Adrian’s work.More Informationhttps://open.spotify.com/show/3hcErP3avhLkKVIK2LAIAd?si=75189ffee06847c6https://aussiewildlifeshow.podbean.com/https://www.reptilecreative.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/AussieWildlifeShow/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Lindenmayer’s scientific life began in his mid-teens, shaped by birdwatching trips with his father and groups of volunteers who seemed able to hear and identify birds long before they were visible. Learning bird calls became like learning another language, one that opened his eyes to how landscapes function and how life is distributed across them. That connection to the environment has never left him, and decades later he still finds inspiration simply by spending time in the bush, where something new reveals itself every time careful attention is paid.The idea that nature is always resilient is, in his view, only partly true. Ecosystems can recover if given the chance, but resilience breaks down when multiple stressors occur too frequently and too intensely. Long-term data are essential for understanding these patterns, particularly in a country as variable as Australia. Maintaining those studies has required relentless effort, constant fundraising, and support from dedicated collaborators and volunteers, but without them there would be little understanding of what is really happening to biodiversity.Some of the hardest truths in conservation involve recognising the scale of human impact. Humans and their livestock now dominate global mammal biomass, leaving only a small fraction for wild species. Confronting that reality is uncomfortable, but it is necessary if damage is to be repaired and further loss prevented. At the same time, David emphasises that there are genuine reasons for hope. Successful feral animal eradication on places such as Macquarie Island shows how quickly ecosystems can recover when pressures are removed.Restoration projects have also demonstrated powerful outcomes. Renovating poorly managed farm dams can transform them from sources of greenhouse gases into carbon sinks, while improving water quality, boosting biodiversity, and increasing farm productivity. These results show that well-designed, science-based investments can benefit nature, climate, and people at the same time.Working alongside First Nations elders has deepened his understanding of land management, particularly fire. Indigenous knowledge and Western science offer different but complementary perspectives, and when brought together respectfully they reveal insights that neither system can achieve alone. Cultural burning, in particular, is highly localised, purposeful, and fundamentally different from broad-scale hazard reduction burning, a distinction that is often misunderstood.More Informationhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/david-lindenmayer-34b165223/https://researchportalplus.anu.edu.au/en/persons/david-lindenmayer/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tuckers Nob State Forest is prime koala habitat but sits outside the proposed Great Koala National Park because it is zoned as plantation. Under New South Wales regulations, plantation zoning allows clearfell logging, meaning entire areas can be logged without safeguards for wildlife. Although koalas live in these forests, they are effectively rendered invisible by planning frameworks that assume plantations are not suitable habitat. Without protecting core koala habitat, Tim Cadman argues, there is no future for koalas either in the region or more broadly.Tim works with Meredith Stanton and a team of around thirty citizen scientists, Tim has been mapping important habitat trees and documenting koala presence using drones, night vision equipment, and on-ground surveys. The aim of this community-driven science is to demonstrate that plantation forests are functioning ecosystems. Meredith reflected on her own experience living in Clouds Creek State Forest, once known for a high koala population that has steadily declined over decades of repeated logging. Long before the 2019 bushfires, she noticed fewer sightings, the absence of breeding females, and the disappearance of familiar seasonal calls.More Informationhttps://www.facebook.com/timothymarkcadmanIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The name The Real Sea Mob reflects their belief in honesty, community, and connection. They aim to present science clearly, without exaggeration or despair, and to show both the challenges and the opportunities facing marine and coastal environments. Maintaining optimism, they said, comes from spending time in nature, working with engaged communities, and supporting each other through shared purpose.After moving to Australia three years ago, Lucia’s first local citizen science project involved mangrove monitoring with Positive Change for Marine Life in northern New South Wales. That work connected her with Jock Mackenzie, now her manager at Earthwatch Australia where she is the Program Manager for wetlands, coastal, and marine environments in Queensland. Based in Townsville, she now works closely with communities, Traditional Owners, and Indigenous rangers across large sections of the Queensland coast.Owen’s pathway into citizen science began during his undergraduate studies, when he travelled to Indonesia to conduct coral reef surveys under academic guidance. His interest in coastal ecosystems continued into his master’s research, which focused on mangroves and their role in buffering heat and supporting marine life. That research brought him to Mexico, where he and Lucia met while working on a citizen science project in Akumal. Lucia managed a dive centre and led scientific dives, while Owen carried out mangrove research, and their shared enthusiasm for coastal ecosystems grew from there.More Informationhttps://www.instagram.com/therealseamob/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ghost nets have become one of the most confronting environmental issues facing northern Australia, and hearing directly from those working on the ground makes it impossible to ignore the scale of the problem. Speaking with Kristen Sierke, the Ghost Net and Marine Debris Coordinator with the Northern Land Council, highlighted how deeply this issue is woven into both marine conservation and Indigenous ranger work across the Northern Territory.Kristen’s path into this work began with a long-standing connection to the ocean, from studying marine biology in South Australia to working in tourism on the Great Barrier Reef, and later as a ranger and in biosecurity roles in the Northern Territory.That progression led her to work closely with Indigenous rangers, and eventually into a role dedicated entirely to tackling ghost nets and marine debris in Southeast Arnhem Land.Ghost nets are abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear that continue to trap wildlife long after they are no longer under human control. Designed to catch fish, they do exactly that without discrimination, drifting for years or even decades.An aerial survey in the Gulf of Carpentaria alone identified more than 2,500 ghost nets on beaches, with estimates suggesting that across northern Australia there is roughly one ghost net for every kilometre of coastline.More Informationhttps://www.facebook.com/kristen.sierke/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heidi first recognised the scale of marine debris while working as a diving instructor, a career that placed her in the water almost daily and offered close encounters with marine wildlife.Over time she began noticing increasing amounts of rubbish appearing in some of the world’s most treasured dive sites.Later, while exploring the southwest coast of Western Australia, she saw debris washing onto remote beaches and began questioning its origins and how the flow could be stopped.These observations planted the seeds of what would become Tangaroa Blue and the Australian Marine Debris Initiative.People can get involved in many ways: participating in beach clean-ups, establishing monitoring sites, supporting data analysis, contributing to awareness campaigns or using the AMDI Data Collection App.The value of sustained volunteer data cannot be overstated; it would be impossible to fund an equivalent program using paid staff alone.More Information https://tangaroablue.org/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tonight on the show we gather the team and revisit some of the Citizen Science Show highlights for 2025. If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During one calm day in March 2025, Samantha noticed something unusual: thick, persistent sea foam spread across the water near West Island. It was far more extensive than anything seen before, and instinctively it seemed wrong. With guidance from Faith and Peri Coleman, Samantha learned how to use the equipment, how to prepare samples, and how to identify phytoplankton. What stood out most was the absence of historical baseline data. There was no clear record of what “normal” looked like for these coastal waters. The only option was to document what was present now and to keep watching.From that need, Samantha created an open Facebook group, Phytoplankton of South Australia, making all findings public and transparent.More informationhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/1315762396637652https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?project_id=249644Photo CreditLynlee JohnsonIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia has roughly 25 to 30 freshwater turtle species, depending on the day’s taxonomy debates, and Ricky Spencer's work centres on these inland species found in almost every river, dam and creek.Among the most fragile is the Bellinger River turtle, which came close to disappearing ten years ago when a virus reduced a population of more than four thousand to just sixteen survivors.Those rescued turtles continue to breed under human care, yet the road to recovery is long.Meanwhile, species that are still widespread are also declining.Long-neck turtles, familiar to many Australians, have dropped by around ninety per cent over three decades despite their apparent abundance.More Informationhttps://www.turtlesat.org.au/turtlesat/https://1millionturtles.com/Photo CreditDr Donald McKnightIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alicia McArdle’s work in conservation has been shaped by community from the beginning.Early in her career, not long after university, she was employed by Save Our Waterways in Brisbane, helping coordinate a project to restore an entire creek system. Local residents carried deep knowledge of their waterways, and working alongside them showed her how powerful citizen-driven stewardship can be.That experience stayed with her, just as her first sight of the Great Barrier Reef at age twelve on Green Island did.The colours, marine life and the fleeting shock of spotting a moray eel set her on a path toward marine biology.More Informationhttps://citizensgbr.org/If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clare Buswell’s career weaves together political science, cultural history, and speleology in a way that makes perfect sense once she begins to explain it.Her early academic work on colonial gender dynamics in Kenya led her to examine cultural interpretations, dreamings and social relationships—perspectives that later helped her understand the significance of Australia’s karst landscapes and the First Nations stories etched into them.For Clare, the subterranean world reflects the same human and environmental connections found above ground, only preserved in stone, charcoal and silence.More Informationhttps://caves.org.au/If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Thumbnail Photo Credits:Mr Neville SkinerClare BuswellContact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the Australian Museum, citizen science has grown from a niche concept into a vibrant, community-driven force.Managing the Centre for Citizen Science, Paul Flemons oversees three major programs that have transformed how the public engages with scientific research.Frog ID is perhaps the most familiar, inviting thousands to record and monitor frogs across Australia.DigiVol allows volunteers to digitize invaluable collections from institutions worldwide, including natural history, cultural artifacts, and council libraries, from the comfort of their homes.Australasian Fishes collects data on fish distributions, helping to track environmental changes and shifts in ocean temperatures.More Informationhttps://australian.museum/get-involved/citizen-science/volunteer-with-us/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kelly Sheldrick has been working with communities across Perth to uncover the hidden world of the region’s tiny microbats—animals so small and quiet that most people never realise they are part of the local landscape.Through her projects with the Conservation Council of Western Australia, volunteers use active acoustic detectors along transects in City of Wanneroo bushland, watching echolocation calls appear on screens while listening to slowed-down chirps.This real-time sensory experience often transforms how participants think about bats, shifting them from distant concepts to lively nocturnal neighbours.More Informationhttps://www.ccwa.org.au/bat_monitoring_programhttps://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I met Jock Mackenzie at the CitSciOz25 conference in Melbourne, where he spoke about Mangrove Watch and his role as Senior Program Manager for wetlands, coastal and marine environments at Earthwatch Australia.He founded Mangrove Watch in 2008 in response to declining mangrove and saltmarsh health, and he explained how these tidal-zone trees protect fisheries, store carbon, filter water and shield the reef, all while remaining extremely vulnerable to climate change.Australia hosts about forty-six mangrove species, more than half the global total, and citizen scientists continue to make surprising discoveries, including the critically endangered Bruguiera hainesii found in Cairns—one of only about two hundred individuals in the country.Later I spoke with Shannon Bredeson from CAFNEC, who explained how the local action plan model emerged in 2022 after communities asked for ways to act on the problems they were documenting.Workshops brought together scientific findings and community knowledge, and participants voted on which threats to address first. Some projects are simple to launch, such as the Mulgrave catchment’s education program linking students with the mangroves that surround them.Others are more complex, like the Hinchinbrook plan using drone surveys and coastal engineers to design erosion control structures along the Cardwell foreshore. Initial seed funding of about seven thousand dollars helped early projects take off, and additional support comes through the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.More Informationhttps://earthwatch.org.au/research/mangrovewatch-community-eventshttps://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At CitSciOz25, Frank Grutzner reflected on how far echidna research has progressed and how crucial community involvement has become to that progress.As a genetics professor at the University of Adelaide, Frank focuses on the DNA of Australia’s native species.When he arrived in the country 25 years ago, he quickly became fascinated by the platypus and echidna.Their biology is unlike that of any other mammals, yet studying them in the field is notoriously difficult.Frank often jokes that he could spend an entire day searching without success, only to find an echidna digging up his backyard when he returned home.More Informationhttps://www.adelaide.edu.au/environment/research/diversifying-citizen-science-and-public-engagment/echidna-csihttps://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Speaking with Elizabeth Irvine at CitSciOz25 revealed just how much energy is driving the next chapter of citizen science in Australia.Even midway through the conference the enthusiasm was palpable, and hearing her perspective on Earthwatch Australia’s programs showed why so many people feel inspired.As Head of Programs, she sees firsthand how community engagement shapes the organisation’s work and how citizen scientists help tackle major environmental challenges.More Informationhttps://earthwatch.org.au/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At CitSciOz25, I found myself immersed in the world of bogong moths with Dr Eleanor Drinkwater, whose enthusiasm for these small, unassuming insects is contagious.She explained how these moths, despite their size, undertake one of the longest insect migrations on the planet.They emerge in northern New South Wales and travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres to the Snowy Mountains, where they crowd into caves and aestivate through the hottest months before returning as temperatures fall.More Informationhttps://www.bogong.org/https://www.eleanordrinkwater.com/https://invertebratesaustralia.org/https://mothtracker.swifft.net.au/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Presenting at CitSciOz25 gave me the chance to share a project that has reshaped how I think about science, trust and the way people connect with their local environment.The Great Australian Wildlife Search began as a collaboration between the Murray–Darling Basin Authority, the Odonata Foundation and EnviroDNA, but it quickly grew into something far bigger once communities stepped in.Our aim was simple: gather a broad biodiversity snapshot across the vast Murray–Darling Basin using environmental DNA and the enthusiasm of people who know their waterways best.More Informationhttps://www.mdba.gov.au/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Stempel is the president of the Australian Speleological Federation,. He leads a community of nearly a thousand volunteers exploring and protecting Australia’s vast underground landscapes.Formed in 1956 in Adelaide, the federation—soon to be rebranded as Caves Australia—unites 26 clubs across the nation. Every caver contributes to a growing digital archive, preserving decades of handwritten expedition reports that map the unseen beneath our feet.Andrew became president in January 2025. Originally from the United States, he moved to Australia in 2014, discovered caving in 2018, and has since spent more than 4,000 hours underground.With a background in molecular cell biology, he left the laboratory for outdoor education and now merges both worlds through citizen science. This month, he begins a PhD studying ancient DNA from the strange creatures of Australia’s caves.More Informationhttps://caves.org.au/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, mycologist Dr Tom May devotes his work to exploring the vast and often unseen world of fungi. His focus is taxonomy—identifying, classifying, and cataloguing the remarkable diversity of fungal species across Australia.Within the Gardens’ Fungarium, Tom oversees a collection of more than 100,000 preserved specimens, one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.Each sample is carefully documented, its data shared with the Atlas of Living Australia, ensuring that this vital record contributes to the nation’s broader understanding of biodiversity.More Informationhttps://fungimap.org.au/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the CitSciOz25 conference in Melbourne, Kara-Mae Coulter-Atkins spoke about her work with the Healthy Waters Partnership for the Dry Tropics, an organisation that connects government, industry, research institutions, and citizen scientists to protect waterways around Townsville and the Great Barrier Reef.Kara-Mae describes her role as a data end user—someone who turns raw data collected by others into meaningful tools for decision-making.Each year, her small team analyses more than thirty thousand data points to produce a catchment-wide report card, combining indicators such as coral, seagrass, and fish health with water quality results to present a single, comprehensive picture of the region’s ecosystems.More Informationhttps://www.drytropicshealthywaters.org/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the CitSciOz25 conference in Melbourne, one presenter stood out not just for his enthusiasm but for his age. Twelve-year-old David Mabb, the youngest speaker at the Australian Citizen Science Association event, has already spent half his life immersed in the world of BioBlitzing. His fascination with nature began when his mother, Michelle, took him along to one of her own citizen science events, and it has grown ever since.More Informationhttps://mrccc.org.au/find-a-frog-in-february-2025/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the CitSciOz25 conference, Dr Jack Nunn presented a discussion paper created in collaboration with the Australian Citizen Science Association and the Australian Academy of Science’s Theo Murphy Institute. Using participatory methods, the team explored the challenges within citizen science and identified ways to improve it.Over fifty contributors provided more than sixteen thousand words of input, which were analysed using STARDIT—Standardised Data on Initiatives—an open platform hosted by Wikimedia Australia.The tool allows users to document who did what, which methods and funding were used, and what outcomes were achieved. By gathering this information across many projects, researchers can begin to identify effective practices and move towards truly evidence-informed approaches.More Informationhttps://scienceforall.world/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the Citizen Science Conference in Melbourne, Gregory Andrews spoke with both urgency and hope. A Dharawal man from southwest Sydney, Gregory describes his deep connection to Country, believing that every Australian shares a similar bond when they live respectfully with the land. His totem, the lyrebird, guides his life’s work. Like the lyrebird that speaks many languages, Gregory has spent his career building bridges between cultures, communities, and the natural world.More Informationhttps://www.lyrebirddreaming.com/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After more than two decades in the university sector, Fiona Sutton Wilson realised that middle management no longer fulfilled her desire to make a tangible difference. Surrounded by policy and research, she felt drawn toward work that would more directly benefit the environment. A turning point came during a week-long bush retreat with a group of women, where the quiet of nature reawakened her childhood love of the natural world—memories of exploring with her botanist father and discovering native orchids resurfaced, reigniting her environmental passion.More Informationhttps://earthwatch.org.au/https://www.climatewatch.org.au/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the Australian Museum, Nadiah Roslan coordinates FrogID, a citizen science project that has transformed the understanding of frog conservation since its launch in 2017. Supported by Inspiring Australia and IBM, FrogID began with a simple idea—use smartphones to listen to frogs and turn their calls into valuable scientific data. Each frog species has a unique sound, making acoustic monitoring an effective, non-invasive way to study biodiversity across Australia. By pointing a phone toward a calling frog, anyone can contribute meaningful information to science.More Informationhttps://www.frogid.net.au/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Megan Halcroft never imagined that her fascination with bees would begin while studying horticultural science after years of working as a nurse. What started with a unit on apiculture evolved into a lifelong commitment to understanding and protecting Australia’s native bees.Megan started Australian Pollinator Week which was launched in 2015 with 26 events, gaining recognition from the Environmental Trust.Pollinator Week has become far more than a scientific outreach program. Across the country, communities host creative and educational events, from workshops to art installations inspired by pollinators. One project built chandeliers from clay leaves in tribute to leaf cutter bees, while another turned bamboo into musical wind-chime sculptures. These activities highlight how art and science can work together to connect people to nature.More Informationhttps://www.beesbusiness.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/groups/beeawareofyournativebeeshttps://www.australianpollinatorweek.org.au/count/Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Antarctica, Lucia Morillo has witnessed another form of exploitation: the industrial harvesting of krill. Once thought to be limitless, krill are now targeted for luxury products such as omega-3 supplements and additives for salmon farms. While the fishery is technically legal, its regulation under the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) is deeply flawed. With 27 member nations required to reach unanimous agreement on quotas, even a single objection—often from powerful countries like Russia or China—can stall or dismantle vital protections.Krill are far more than prey. They act as a biological carbon pump, consuming microscopic algae that absorb carbon dioxide and carrying that carbon into the deep ocean when they die. In doing so, they help regulate the planet’s climate. Yet humans continue to harvest them for nonessential products. Lucia and her colleagues argue that this practice is both wasteful and unnecessary, as plant-based sources of omega-3s already exist.More Informationhttps://www.seashepherdglobal.org/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Debbie Breen and Alexis Ting are volunteers with Hunter Wildlife Rescue, dedicating their time, homes, finances, and emotional strength to animals in crisis. Their work reveals a reality far removed from the romantic image often associated with wildlife care.Hunter Wildlife Rescue was founded more than 36 years ago by Audrey Koosman and originally focused on the lower and upper Hunter Valley. Over time, its reach has expanded significantly, now covering Newcastle, the Upper Hunter, and areas approaching the Central Coast. This expansion reflects not growth in resources, but a sharp rise in animals needing help due to land clearing, development, and road networks. The organisation works independently but collaborates closely with groups such as WIRES and ARC, coordinating rescues and sharing resources when regions are overwhelmed.Hunter Wildlife Rescue responds to calls around the clock for a wide range of species, including birds, gliders, flying foxes, reptiles, turtles, possums, wombats, kangaroos, and koalas. Most animals are cared for in volunteers’ homes, where carers wake every few hours to feed, clean, medicate, and monitor vulnerable animals. Alexis explained that while bonds inevitably form, the goal is always release back into the wild, not keeping animals as pets.Moments of success make the hardship worthwhile. Alexis described releasing a brushtail possum after months of care and later receiving confirmation that it was surviving in the wild. Those moments help carers endure exhaustion, injury, and emotional strain. Cat and dog attacks, habitat destruction, and vehicle strikes remain the most significant threats, particularly for koalas.If you see an injured animal in the Hunter NSW region of Australia, please call the Animal Rescue Line on 0418 628 483.More Informationhttps://www.hunterwildlife.org.au/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Faith Coleman is an estuarine ecologist who specialises in aquatic microbia, water chemistry and sediment dynamics.She is currently involved in studying and collecting data in relation to the Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) off the South Australian coastline.You can see images of Karenia and the research on the Facebook page; Phytoplankton of South Australia.More informationhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/faith-coleman/https://www.facebook.com/groups/1315762396637652Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: [email protected] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.