The Role of Citizen Science in Threatened Species Management in Queensland

Author: Dr John Hodgon (Presenter)

The Queensland Department of Environment and Science Threatened Species Program 2020-40 recognises the contribution that individuals, communities and community-based organisations can make to the recovery and conservation of threatened species. This is illustrated by the Program’s vision that “Queenslanders support threatened species to prosper in self-sustaining populations, now and into the future”.

Monitoring and filling knowledge gaps are important components of our threatened species recovery program to inform management and recovery. Knowledge and data provide the evidence for adaptive management to respond to changes in threats and provide reporting metrics such as population trajectories. Well designed citizen science projects can play an important role and expand our capacity. We are also developing supporting resources to assist community organisations in taking an active role in threatened species recovery.

The Threatened Species Program has one long running, extremely successful citizen science program that monitors threatened marine turtles, their nests and nesting success across Queensland. We are in the process of establishing a new citizen science program around a Queensland Threatened Plant Network.

We are keen to harness the full potential of citizen scientists engaging in the program however some challenges have emerged. We are seeking guidance from others who have experience in overcoming these challenges and setting up enduring projects. Among the challenges from our perspective are permitting issues like those associated with undertaking threatened plant monitoring and recovery actions. Ensuring quality data is paramount to our work so we are also seeking examples of robust processes to ensure the data collected is useful and the results shared with
all participants.

This presentation details the two programs, the approach taken to setting up and maintaining them, and some of the specific challenges from a State Government perspective.

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