Be a Backyard Scientist: Your Guide to Saving Species with Your Phone

“I used to walk past flowers and trees without noticing them. Now, I find myself learning their names and their pollinators, all because I uploaded one photo on a citizen science app”- a Zoologist 

Imagine clicking a photo of an insect, plant, or any lifeform or recording their sound with your phone, knowing that this simple click or recording could help track and protect species. This is citizen science, where ordinary people from all walks of life contribute to a shared mission to protect nature and engage in meaningful scientific work. The project monitors and records endangered species, identifies threats, and educates and connects science to the public.

This article explores how ordinary people worldwide are contributing to wildlife conservation by using simple biodiversity-focused citizen science apps.

Turning Curiosity into Meaningful Action: Why This Story Matters

The power of these tools to ignite curiosity is something I’ve witnessed firsthand. At a recent NatureInFocus storytelling event, I showed an attendee how an app like iNaturalist works. They installed it on the spot. As they browsed the app, they were amazed. "Oh, you took this plant picture in this city... You can do this anywhere in the world?" they asked.

That spark of astonishment, the realisation that they could now learn the name of any species they encountered on their travels or in their garden, was palpable. This single interaction underscored a profound truth: Citizen science can transform a moment of curiosity into lasting, impactful action. It proves that regardless of your background, you have the power to contribute to nature conservation.

These platforms do more than just collect data; they are powerful educational tools. They build communities, raise environmental awareness, and empower individuals without a formal scientific background to play a direct role in tracking species and conserving nature. 

A Global Movement: Projects Protecting Our Species

Citizen science makes science more accessible to the public, connecting them to science. They feel a sense of responsibility when they know their data is being used for scientific purposes. This encourages deeper and long-term engagement with incredible results yielded from a collaborative effort.

Citizen science volunteers not only document new records but also help in tracking invasive species and the rediscovery of extinct species. There are many citizen science projects that are running all over the world, and each project has its own requirements.

Let's explore some citizen science projects around the world and how the public is involved and engaged in these initiatives.

Birdwatchers, this project is for you. eBird, the most talked and famous with over 800,000 users globally, is one of the largest citizen science apps. Users around the globe click on bird pictures and upload them to the eBird app. Birdwatchers submit checklists of birds they see, and their photos and data help scientists make critical conservation decisions, tracking migration patterns, population declines, and the effects of habitat loss. With many avian populations in decline, this data is more critical than ever. 

iNaturalist is one of the widely used citizen science apps globally, with over 2 million volunteers and has various projects within. One such notable project is the ‘AntIndia’ iNaturalist initiative, which documented 42,877 observations over ten years, including 348 ant species. This project highlighted new records and rare species only through the power of public participation. Another interesting image of a damaged leaf pattern uploaded by an iNaturalist user led to the identification of an invasive species from Eastern Asia in North America, recognized as a pest within just eight hours after uploading.

The India Biodiversity Portal (IB), is a collaborative initiative involving five research institutes of India dedicated to documenting the country's immense biodiversity. With over 1 million users, the portal features different projects like Bats of India, fish count, Dragonfly festival and many more. Its users have contributed over 1.6 million observations, creating a vital, open-access resource for science and conservation

To help scientists understand threats to penguin populations, EY employees participate in Penguin Watch, assisting by counting adult penguins, chicks, and eggs across Antarctica. They look at the images captured by remote cameras uploaded to the website ,and this simple task helps researchers process vast amounts of visual data in record time. This project helps scientists understand penguin populations and currently has 88,958 registered users.

Mosquito Alert, a project based in Spain, invites volunteers to photograph mosquitoes. The data is crucial for tracking the spread of invasive species like the tiger mosquito and the yellow fever mosquito, which can carry diseases. The project’s success highlights how citizen science can be a powerful tool for public health.

The Platy project, a collaboration between the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and the University of New South Wales, enables anyone to document platypus sightings to help reverse the decline of this iconic Australian species, which is currently threatened. Currently, it has 136,217 volunteers, and each of them is playing a key role in safeguarding freshwater ecosystems, as the platypus is a key indicator of river health.  

The Amazon Aerobotany project is dedicated to counting rainforest trees and monitoring their life cycle, contributing to the protection of this invaluable ecosystem. Nearly 3,000 Aerobotanist volunteers are involved, having collected 5,712 images to date. The volunteers review drone photos on the Zooniverse website, marking trees that are flowering, leafless, or belong to a specific tree species, following the provided instructions and tools. This data is essential for understanding the health of the Amazon, one of the world's most vital carbon sinks, in the face of climate change.

Seasonwatch, an India-wide initiative involving more than 2,000 participants, focuses on how trees change with changing seasons and climate. To date, they have observed over 800,000 trees. Each of these observations assists with making publications easier for scientists by providing otherwise difficult-to-reach information, such as annual cycles of flowering, fruiting, and leaf flush. 

Overall, each project has its statistics. For example, iNaturalist provides a year-in-review summary that informs volunteers of their contributions and compares them to the previous year’s contributions.

From the above-mentioned projects, we can see that citizen science initiatives are letting the public take direct action in conserving the natural world. Their collective efforts are truly making a huge difference.

Citizen Science Users, Observations, and Species Till Date with Maximum Observations

How to Get Involved: Your Four-Step Guide

How can you join in 4 easy steps:

Ready to contribute? Simply install any citizen science app of interest, be it iNaturalist, eBird, or any project in your country. Each project has its instructions, but each one is easy to understand. Thereafter, simply snap or record a sound and upload it. 

Even if you are traveling, you can click on the biodiversity of that place and upload. Share with others, or tell your family, friends, colleagues, or whoever is curious. Share your experiences and show them how a single image or a sound is helping in a big way. 

Joining the movement is simpler than you think, and the process is generally straightforward and designed for everyone.

1. Download the App: Choose a citizen science app that sparks your interest. iNaturalist and eBird are great starting points, or you can search for a project specific to your region or favourite species.

2. Get Outside: Head into your garden, a local park, or even just look out your window. When you see a plant, animal, or insect, take a clear photo or record its sound. You can even contribute while travelling, documenting the unique biodiversity of new places! 

3. Upload and Learn: Add your observation to the app. The community and built-in software will often help you identify the species. This is your chance to learn, discuss your findings, and connect with other nature enthusiasts.

4. Share Your Passion: Tell your friends, family, and colleagues about your experience. Show them how a single photo can become a vital data point for conservation. Sharing your passion is a powerful way to grow the community, just as easily as I did in nature-focused events.

Protecting Nature Together: Our Collective Commitment

Biodiversity conservation is possible if citizen science apps are utilized effectively, and science becomes more powerful when everyone is involved. In an era when wildlife is under immense pressure and species are disappearing at an alarming rate, public involvement in science is not just helpful, it can be game-changing.

Biodiversity conservation is a shared responsibility, and with these tools, it is also a shared opportunity. You don’t need special training or expensive equipment; your smartphone and your curiosity are all it takes. Every observation, from the rarest bird to the most common garden snail, contributes to a greater understanding of our planet and helps build a more hopeful future for all species.

Public involvement can be game-changing, especially in times when wildlife is under pressure, and we are losing species at a rapid pace.

Image Credits: Microsoft Designer