Share and Follow
Key Points
- A BioBlitz helps increase scientific knowledge and our understanding of the environment.
- Anybody can get involved in a BioBlitz.
- Information gathered during a BioBlitz is uploaded to a biodiversity database for use by scientists and researchers.
A BioBlitz is a citizen science activity that anybody can participate in and offers the opportunity to discover new species of plants or animals whilst increasing scientific understanding.
Participants in the Walpole Wilderness Bioblitz – Daemon Clark
During a BioBlitz, members of the public participate alongside scientists to record as many plant and animal species at a designated location within a specific period of time.
“The Walpole wilderness is one of the wettest parts of Western Australia and there’s a whole range of species and ecosystems here that occur nowhere else in the world. There’s a huge area that’s really unexplored so we don’t even know what’s in these areas and some of the species here date back to times before the dinosaurs so it’s an incredibly important area for biodiversity,” says Dr Edmonds.
A BioBlitz brings the community together to help science.
“A BioBlitz is very empowering, it allows people to actually build a network of other like-minded people but it’s also really important that you understand that every observation that’s recorded actually has an impact – and gives us more information which builds our knowledge and through that it leads to better management outcomes,” explains Dr Edmonds.
Dr David Edmonds examining plant species in the Walpole wilderness – by Phil Tucak
Read Related Also: Palestinian attacker wounds four in Tel Aviv as Israel presses on with operation
BioBlitz events are often run by local community, conservation or natural resource management groups. Participants blitz a designated natural area within a given time, documenting as much biodiversity as possible.
“We take a photo of the thing that we’re trying to identify and that gets uploaded onto the website and from there scientists from all around the world can look at it and identify that species and it becomes what they call research grade data and anyone around the world can access that information and use it in their own research,” says Dr Edmonds.
Online biodiversity database iNaturalist – Image David Edmonds and iNaturalist
Helping to expand scientific knowledge
For Dr Edmonds, organising a BioBlitz in an area like the Walpole wilderness is very important because it provides a snapshot of the local environment’s health.
Conservation veterinarian Dr David Edmonds in the Walpole wilderness – Phil Tucak
“Some of the goals of the Walpole wilderness BioBlitz are to survey areas that haven’t been surveyed before to really look at new ecosystems and see if there’s similar species, different species and potentially new species. And we really want everyone who comes along to get an appreciation for the environment and really an engagement with the landscape – a real connection to country.”
Anybody can get involved in a BioBlitz. Find an event near you by searching online for your local community, conservation, landscape or natural resource management group.
