{"id":16253,"date":"2026-04-03T17:11:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/?p=16253"},"modified":"2026-04-03T17:11:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T06:11:17","slug":"how-citizen-scientists-are-making-a-contribution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/03\/how-citizen-scientists-are-making-a-contribution\/","title":{"rendered":"How citizen scientists are making a contribution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Until recently, the number of citizen scientists in Australia was\u00a0estimated at<\/a>\u00a0between 100,000 and 130,000 people.<\/p>\n

But this is a major underestimate. My survey of about 20 key organisations suggests there are likely\u00a0more than a million<\/a>\u00a0in Australia.<\/p>\n

There are only a limited number of professional (paid) scientists. But anyone with a smartphone can log observations, and professional scientists increasingly work alongside citizen scientists to collect and analyse valuable conservation data.<\/p>\n

Citizen science isn\u2019t new. Perhaps the best-known citizen scientist was Charles Darwin, who neglected to finish his medical degree in favour of studying corals. Later, the prolific letter writer built a network of passionate naturalists and\u00a0collected their observations<\/a>\u00a0to gather evidence for his theory of evolution.<\/p>\n

But what is new is how easy it is to get involved \u2013 and how many people are now lending their time and skills to the cause. It\u00a0opens up<\/a>\u00a0the possibility of science by the people, for the people.<\/p>\n

Melburnians may know the name\u00a0Ferdinand von Mueller<\/a> as the first director of the city\u2019s Botanic Gardens. But Mueller started as a passionate botanist who migrated from Germany in 1847, determined to catalogue every plant species in Australia.<\/p>\n

After years collecting samples, Mueller realised the task was too big. So he, like Darwin,\u00a0set about building<\/a>\u00a0a network of passionate collectors. Over the next 40 years, more than 1,500 amateur botanists sent him samples. This helped Mueller\u00a0catalogue<\/a>\u00a0hundreds of species new to Western science and produce the first\u00a0comprehensive surveys<\/a>\u00a0of the continent\u2019s vascular plants. Former Chief Scientist Alan Finkel\u00a0believes<\/a>\u00a0Mueller effectively planted citizen science in this country.<\/p>\n

Since then, citizen scientists have\u00a0contributed significantly<\/a>\u00a0to science. In 1870, Victorian farmers identified the giant Gippsland earthworm and sent it to professional scientists for confirmation. In 1973, a central Queensland fencing contractor rediscovered the bridled nailtail wallaby (presumed extinct), while a Daintree grazier\u00a0rediscovered<\/a>\u00a0the unique idiot fruit tree \u2013 which had not been formally recognised \u2013 after its fruit poisoned his cows.<\/p>\n

In 1994, bushwalker and amateur botanist David Noble was exploring a remote canyon in the Wollemi National Park west of Sydney when he found the last remaining stand of a tree long thought extinct. The\u00a0Wollemi pine<\/a>\u00a0(Wollemia nobilis<\/em>)\u00a0dates back<\/a>\u00a0to when dinosaurs roamed Earth.<\/p>\n

Even now, passionate citizen scientists are still making new discoveries. In his free time, J\u00fcrgen Otto\u00a0hunts for<\/a>\u00a0peacock spiders around Australia. He and his collaborators have named 64 species of the tiny, colourful spiders famed for their\u00a0courtship displays<\/a>. This year, Jan Pope and her daughter Sophie Kalkowski-Pope found a\u00a0huge and unusual<\/a>\u00a0coral meadow in the Great Barrier Reef.<\/p>\n

A good definition of citizen science is \u201cpublic participation and collaboration in scientific research with the aim to increase scientific knowledge\u201d.<\/p>\n

Key to this are core principles, such as active involvement of citizens in scientific endeavours that generate new knowledge and genuine scientific outcomes.<\/p>\n

Earlier generations might have called citizen scientists ‘amateur naturalists’. The term citizen science became popular for its less binary framing. Some people prefer ‘community science’.<\/p>\n

Another phrase is also gaining momentum. ‘Indigenous science’ has clear overlap with Traditional Ecological Knowledge.<\/p>\n

As Jingili man and zoologist Joe Sambono has observed, Indigenous science shouldn\u2019t be set in opposition to Western science, given science is Latin for \u201cto know\u201d:<\/p>\n

all groups of humans [\u2026] have recognised patterns, verified through repetition, made inferences and predictions and developed branches of knowledge that helped them to make sense of the world around them and their place within it.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Indigenous science is grounded in continuous, trans-generational, place-based observation built over tens of thousands of years. Cultural burning uses weather, fuel and ecological indicators to gently burn Country while supporting biodiversity, while seasonal calendars tied to flowering plants and wildlife movements shaped practical decisions about when to collect bush tucker, travel and care for Country.<\/p>\n

In our experience, enduring insights emerge from the overlapping space between Indigenous, citizen and mainstream science.<\/p>\n

Citizen science can be as simple as a keen birder posting sightings of a rare orange bellied parrot to\u00a0eBird<\/a>\u00a0or a fisher posting a sighting of a bull shark to\u00a0iNaturalist<\/a>\u00a0where citizen and professional scientists can see it.<\/p>\n

But it can also be volunteering to help in large-scale practical projects organised by professional scientists. These include tracking\u00a0bushfire recovery<\/a>, reporting\u00a0weed infestations<\/a>, monitoring\u00a0koalas<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0fishes<\/a>, assessing\u00a0microplastic hotspots<\/a>\u00a0and tracking\u00a0water quality<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It took six years (2008\u201314) for Australian citizen scientists to collectively contribute 10,000 species observations on iNaturalist. Now, more than 10,000\u00a0are posted<\/a>\u00a0every day.<\/p>\n

When this flood of data began, some scientists\u00a0were sceptical<\/a>. Could it be trusted?<\/p>\n

As time has passed, standardised data collection and\u00a0guidance<\/a>\u00a0from professional scientists have\u00a0built trust<\/a>\u00a0in the data.<\/p>\n

Citizen science is now recognised\u00a0for its contributions<\/a>\u00a0to health, astronomy, agriculture and \u2013 especially \u2013 nature conservation. Australia\u2019s\u00a0Strategy for Nature<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Threatened Species Strategy<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0State of the Environment<\/em><\/a>\u00a0reports recognise the worth of citizen scientist data.<\/p>\n

In an era of misinformation and declining trust in institutions, citizen science offers people a chance to engage directly with evidence and the natural world.<\/p>\n

To date, little funding goes towards making the most of what citizen scientists can offer. Nationally, the government will spend\u00a0A$15 billion<\/a>\u00a0on science this fiscal year. Of this, we estimate less than $10 million will go to citizen science.<\/p>\n

Much more is possible. The million Australians involved in these projects are active in the world and interested in helping protect nature. These attributes mean they could take a large role in tackling climate change \u2013 especially at local and regional scales \u2013 by observing changes, working on projects to reduce emissions, and helping communities adapt to climate change.<\/p>\n

To paraphrase the famous anthropologist and citizen scientist Margaret Mead:<\/p>\n

Never doubt that a small group of citizen (scientists) can change the world \u2013 in fact it is the only thing that ever has.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

This article was originally published in<\/em> The Conversation<\/a>. It was co-authored by Steve Turton, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography, CQUniversity Australia, and\u00a0<\/strong>Gregory Andrews, Aboriginal knowledge holder.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Image by Annie Spratt<\/a> on Unsplash.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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