People in front of the glass facade of a building

Become a citizen scientist

From spotting wildlife to joining the hunt for bees, butterflies and bugs — there are plenty of citizen-science projects across Australia calling for your curiosity and passion.

Share sightings of wildlife 

Ollie observes nature on Wadawurrung Country, small child with phone and wattles
Ollie observes nature on Wadawurrung Country, Great Southern Bioblitz. / Source: iNaturalist, 2019 / Photo: Peter Crowcroft

Connect with nature and community to help support biodiversity science. With the iNaturalist platform, you can share your sightings with a global community of citizen scientists — and learn to identify local species while contributing data for conservation. Keep tabs on the birds, bugs, mammals, fungi plants and more, right in your own neighbourhood.


Raise awareness of native pollinators

Leafcutter bee on a pink flower
Leafcutter bee. / Source: Australian Pollinator Count / Photo: Erica Siegel

Join an annual census of Australia’s pollinators by observing flowers and sharing what you see. Your sightings help raise awareness and support the survival of native bees and other pollinators.


Count waterbugs for water health 

Person in a river collecting and counting waterbugs
Source: The National Waterbug Blitz / Source: The National Waterbug Blitz / Photo: The National Waterbug Blitz

Join the Waterbug Blitz and discover how your local rivers, creeks, wetlands, ponds and farm dams are tracking. Find out which are thriving and which need a little TLC.


Record biodiversity sightings 

Feather-tailed Glider hanging onto a flower
Feather-tailed Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) is the world’s smallest gliding mammal, around the size of a small mouse. It is found in the treetops of forests from northern Queensland down to Victoria. / Source: CC BY-NC / Photo: D James Bennett, CC BY-NC

Submit species observations via a citizen science app of your choice and contribute to the Atlas of Living Australia, the national biodiversity data infrastructure. Your observations help researchers make better decisions for nature and for all of us.


Spot a platypus

Platypus in the water
Source: EnviroDNA/PlatypusSPOT / Photo: EnviroDNA/PlatypusSPOT

Seen a platypus lately? Share your sighting with platypusSPOT, a community-powered database tracking where these iconic creatures are turning up. Add photos and comments, explore local sighting areas and connect with fellow platypusSPOTters.


Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre

Laverton Sand Spit and Cheetham Wetlands, aerial photograph
Laverton Sand Spit and Cheetham Wetlands. / Source: Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre, 2025 / Photo: Lawrence Chan

Help protect Hobsons Bay’s wetlands and support vital ecosystems, including local wildlife and threatened birds. Join as a member and take part in guided walks and citizen science projects that celebrate and protect these unique wetlands in Melbourne’s west.


Learn about and heal waterways

Industrial landscape meets the river
Ecological healing along the Yarra River’s unprotected, ex-industrial lower reaches. / Source: Abbotsford Riverbankers, 2025 / Photo: Gary Dickson

Help local ecosystems heal and create safe havens for native wildlife along river areas. Abbotsford Riverbankers are uncovering the hidden blights along the Yarra River’s ex-industrial edges. Join immersive events to enhance bush corridors, build wildlife refuges and connect with your community, restoring ecological health to this vital stretch of Melbourne’s most important waterway.


Become a frog expert

Crinia signifera, Common eastern froglet, in water
Crinia signifera, Common eastern froglet. / Source: Museums Victoria / Photo: David Paull, 2016, CC BY-NC

Learn to recognise and track Australia’s incredible species of frogs with the FrogID app. Frogs are vital to healthy ecosystems and their populations can reveal early signs of environmental change. Download the FrogID app and start recording. Every croak counts.