Description
Citizen science has boomed in Australia in the past few years, with volunteers now contributing valuable data to more than 640 projects nationwide. In addition to representing billions of dollars annually in volunteered time, citizen scientists contribute to and enable breakthrough research.
The University of Adelaide recognises Citizen Science's impact in encouraging the public's engagement in research, and highlighting their invaluable role in collecting beneficial data and samples that can be used to address important research questions.
The Environment Institute of the University of Adelaide champions citizen science projects across the University and will steward the use of the Citizen Science Fund towards supporting citizen science projects, led by or supported by University of Adelaide's world-class researchers.
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About EchidnaCSI
The award-winning Echidna Conservation Science Initiative (EchidnaCSI) is internationally recognised as an innovative, state-of-the-art citizen science project. Data and samples collected by citizen scientists over the past 5 years have enabled new research into echidna diet, gut bacteria and distribution, which is essential to support conservation of the short-beaked echidna across Australia. EchidnaCSI was launched in 2017 by Dr Tahlia Perry, her PhD supervisor Professor Frank Grützner and Dr Peggy Rismiller.
Since then, EchidnaCSI has recruited thousands of volunteers to gather more than 14,000 confirmed Echidna sightings and 800 scat samples from all over Australia. It is impossible for scientists alone to obtain such an extraordinary number of sightings and samples.
“The ongoing success of a project on the national scale of EchidnaCSI depends on the public”, said Dr Perry, who refers to citizen scientists as “saviours”. "People love echidnas and we see the passion for their conservation growing exponentially since the beginning of EchidnaCSI,” Dr Perry said.
Despite being the face of the five cent coin and an undisputed national icon, little was known about these shy creatures until relatively recently. “As we learn more about their fascinating lives, we also understand the many and varied threats to their livelihood, which must be understood before they can be managed,” she said.
Citizen scientist Peter Hastwell is EchidnaCSI’s most prolific contributor to date, having added 251 data entries and scat samples from Kangaroo Island. This allows us unprecedented insight into the biology in this particular area, where research led by Dr Peggy Rismiller demonstrated a decline and recognition of the Kangaroo Island echidna population as endangered. “Roadkill, habitat destruction and feral animals like cats are the main threats for echidnas and they exist Australia wide,” Professor Grutzner explains. “We urgently need to obtain more data and material from echidnas Australia wide. There have been local studies in Tasmania and Kangaroo Island but we still know very little about echidnas across most of the Australian continent.”
“Our long-term goal is that EchidnaCSI and the Australian public can work together to fill this big knowledge gap.”
