Citizen Science
in the Dry Tropics
Get involved and make a tangible impact
Anyone, and everyone,
can become a citizen scientist.
Citizen science gets the community involved to help gather data and contribute to research. Whether it’s snapping photos or collecting rubbish, in the Townsville Dry Tropics there are many ways citizen science informs the health of our rivers, creeks, and coasts.
Start making a difference by helping our Partners through these citizen science programs.
Fin-formation with iNaturalist
In the age of smart phones, citizen science is in the palm of your hands, literally.
When you snap a pic of a crab or a flower, log your sighting in the global database of observations, iNaturalist. Other users help verify the ID, which powers up your sighting to “research grade” status, making it an official part of biodiversity research.
Our partner, Reef Ecologic, has been a strong contributor to the iNaturalist community. They’ve logged thousands of fish observations, growing our understanding of the marine life on Townsville’s doorstep.
The data could also be used to fill a fish health data gap in the Waterways Report Card. This methodology is being reviewed, and when approved, can be rolled out across the four other Regional Report Cards, increasing its impact across the Great Barrier Reef.
Whether you’re a garden guru, fish whisperer, or twitcher, make your observations count to biodiversity science.
Keeping watch on your local creek with Creekwatch
OzFish Unlimited keep tabs on the health of waterways in the Ross and Black basins as part of their partnership with Townsville City Council and Creekwatch. Creekwatch empowers the community to take an active role in looking after their favourite waterway.
Every week, volunteers can get involved to help monitor the health of rivers and creeks, by:
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Collecting and cataloguing waterbugs. These critters tell us a lot about the water’s health, as some can handle a bit of pollution while others need pollution-free water to thrive.
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Trapping and counting fish species. The balance of native vs non-native fish is a key measure of river health. Invasive species disrupt that balance.
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Checking water quality. By looking at things like nutrients and dissolved oxygen levels, we get a snapshot of how well the river is functioning.
All the data collected at Creekwatch activities helps to better manage Townsville’s waterways and improve habitat for fish.
Collect litter to collect data for the Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database
Litter has passed through a person’s hands at some point. Now, it gets picked up by citizen scientists and turned into valuable data by Tangaroa Blue Foundation who help tackle trash around Townsville’s rivers, creeks and coasts.
The data collected at beach clean-up events by volunteers is added to the southern hemisphere’s largest database for plastic pollution, the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database.
The treasure trove of data helps Tangaroa Blue pinpoint marine debris hot spots and stop rubbish at its source, helping to reduce plastic pollution and shape a cleaner future for our waterways.
But it doesn’t stop there. The data is used to calculate litter grades in the Partnership’s annual Waterways Report Card, which shows how much ‘pressure’ the local environment is under from pollution.
Collect litter, collect data and make a positive difference for our rivers, creeks, coasts and ocean.
ReefClean events are funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation.
Give the Reef a health check
A worldwide squad of trained citizen scientists dive in and monitor reef health.
By joining Reef Check Australia’s hands-on reef monitoring efforts, you’ll be collecting valuable data on how our local reefs are faring, including coral condition, fish populations and environmental impacts. This data is then used to track reef changes, support research, and help guide important conservation work. It’s also included in the annual Waterways Report Card.
For those who prefer to stay dry, Reef Check also run beach clean-ups to remove and reduce litter from our shores. Everything you collect is counted and the results fed into Tangaroa Blue’s Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database, helping to track and reduce pollution.
So, whether you're a diver or simply an ocean lover, there’s a way for you to get involved, meet like-minded ocean advocates and contribute to meaningful, positive action.
A 'shore' thing to get snapping for
The movement of water shapes sand dunes and beaches that are crucial to our awesome wildlife.
On Magnetic Island, a turtle nesting hotspot, data reveals a link between impacts from frequent climate extremes and a reduction in turtle nesting success. A community-led project restored coastal area to improve nesting conditions and now needs your help.
Locals are invited to snap photos of the shoreline at designated CoastSnap Monitoring Stations overlooking Geoffrey Bay and Nelly Bay. By uploading photos to the CoastSnap database, your pictures help scientists track shoreline changes and forecast how it may look in the future.
The project is a community initiative led by Envite Environment in collaboration with MINT, Townsville City Council and Queensland Parks and Wildlife. It is funded by the partnership between the Australia Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation under the Climate Accelerator Grant and also supported by Port of Townsville Limited.
Protecting coastal wetlands, one survey at a tide
Mangroves and saltmarshes are hard-working coastal guardians. They cushion wave energy, prevent erosion and soften the impact of storms. Importantly, they also filter water, store carbon and support fish, birds and all kinds of wildlife.
But these incredible habitats are changing, fast. They protect us and we can help protect them, as citizen scientists.
Earthwatch Australia’s MangroveWatch Shoreline Survey and Saltmarsh SAVERs programs invite volunteers to explore our local coastal wetlands and record what you see. The information helps build a clearer picture of how these ecosystems are tracking and supports real-world solutions to protect these vulnerable places.
Data collected by you at Saltmarsh SAVERs events, feeds into the Saltmarsh Monitoring Dashboard, an interactive map that shows how healthy they are, what’s threatening them, and where restoration efforts are needed most.
Shoreline survey data contributes to the annual Waterways Report Card, which shares how aquatic environments are faring from the catchment to the Reef.
