Citizen Science works wonders!

The increase in the number of opportunities to be a citizen scientist has unearthed a number of benefits for nature-based citizen science projects and those taking part in them.

What is citizen science, anyway?

It’s when ordinary people like you and me volunteer to do scientific research.  We could collect data and send it off to the organisation conducting the research or get more scientifically involved.  Some people design experiments, whilst many others simply take part in projects.  Things like this really matter because they help conservation organisations build up a more detailed picture of how wildlife is faring, for example, and which species need help. 

Citizen science projects can include things such as counting butterflies and bird species and finding ancient trees, or reporting on snakes and other reptiles they’ve seen.  Some of these projects are annual events whilst others are on-going. 

The other great thing about it according to a recent study is that people can build a connection to science and the natural world.  They believe they’re doing something worthwhile with their time, something that will make a difference, and they can enjoy the benefits the natural world gives them.  And they feel happier afterwards.

Information about the study

In People and Nature (9 February 2023), the results of a study were published concerning citizen science.  The study was called “Nature Up Close and Personal: A Wellbeing Experiment”. The study is the first to investigate the effects of citizen science on volunteers.  Ecologist Dr Michael Pocock who is from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) led the study which was undertaken during 2020 (the pandemic restrictions were in force) by UKCEH, the University of Derby and the British Science Association.

The average age of the 500 participants from across the UK was 52 and there was a control group.  They were surveyed before and after taking part, so assessing differences in their connection to nature, their wellbeing and pro-nature behaviour.

Particpants were asked to do a 10 minute nature-based activity at least 5 times over 8 days, namely a pollinating insects survey, a butterfly survey, spending time in nature and writing down 3 good things they noticed or a combination of both.

The results of the citizen science study

The people who spent time in nature and writing down 3 good things they noticed were more likely to say they’d do wildlife friendly activities in future, so it seemed that the activity strengthened their relationship with the natural world.  (You could try this last activity at home and see how you feel about doing wildlife friendly activities.)

All the volunteers showed better scores in wellbeing and feeling connected to nature.  Comments included “it gave me permission to slow down” and “it reminded me that small things can make a difference to my mood” and “it made me more aware of nature in all aspects of the environment.”

Participants reported improved levels of happiness, a greater connection with nature and a determination to do wildlife friendly activities e.g. planting more pollinator-friendly plants in their gardens, creating shelters for wildlife.  Nature can indeed benefit from our involvement in citizen science!

Anyone can get involved in citizen science!

And the great thing about citizen science is that anyone can take part – you just need to have a bit of time and to be curious and willing to watch and record.  It’s another way in which we can strengthen our relationship with the natural world, which must surely be good for nature, for wildlife and for us!   It means that people can enhance their connection with nature whilst helping conservation as they collect important data.

The researchers believe their results highlight the benefits of focusing on the natural world, and that’s even if that’s just for a few moments.

UKCEH welcomes support from anyone interested in getting involved with recording wildlife via their iRecord website and free-to-use apps for butterflies and the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme.

To conclude, a question

What will you do to connect with nature this week?

Citizen science projects ....   some UK examples:

Wildlife Trusts (national, regional) 

The Shark Trust - be a citizen scientist for sharks!

Help the Seagrass Project spot seagrass.  Here's how

Buglife - help them monitor the state of our wildlife and deliver conservation action where it is most needed. 

Royal Parks in London have a number of different opportunities

Woodland Trust - help them with their ancient tree inventory

PTES (the People's Trust for Endangered Species) has a number of surveys

The Mammal Society have a number of surveys to help mammals

The National Amphibian and Reptile Monitoring Programme, just the thing for those fascinated by reptiles and amphibians

Butterfly Conservation has recording and monitoring opportunities

Help amphibians and reptiles in the UK by using Froglife's app to submit your sightings.

Why not search out opportunities in your area to see what citizen science projects there are that you can help with? 

 

On of my favourite magazines, The Countryman, is reporting how a conservation by the National Trust for Scotland has turned a 200-acre dairy farm (no longer used) in wildflower meadows, wetlands and native woodlands.  So off I went to find out more direct from the National Trust for Scotland.

The Threave Landscape Restoration Project used grazing by 14 Belted Galloway cattle to increase biodiveristy, with vegetation at diferent heights.  As a reulst, 81 hectares of land at the Threave Estate which is located in Dumfries and Galloway have become rich habitats for fauna and flora.

 
The Belted Galloway cattle have been very busy working on the project

The cattle had satellite linked collars so that their activities could be tracked remotely, and this was helpful in reducing any possiblity of overgrazing.

 
The wheatear is one species that is enjoying
the results of this restoration project.

The result?  Insect and bird life have increased.  Not only that, but species which were rarely spotted at the site before, have increased, too.  Curlew, wheatear and the shoveler duck and skylark have all increased.

As well as the cattle, the project is aiming to plant 16,000 native trees, too. 

Nor have people been forgotten.  The wetland area is accessible to human visitors, thanks to broadwalks.

This porject is encouraging other sites to create change, both locally and further afield.  They are looking to enlist the use of cattle to do some conservation grazing, for example, also using GPS tracking devices which helps reduce over-grazing. 

HSBC UK pledged a significant donation to the project. 

Threave is important because it is the home of the School of Heritage Gardening, and it’s dedicated to the training of hortiuclturalists. Not only that, it’s got Scotland’s only Bat Reserve!  They’ve got 8 species of bats and a conservation programme dedicated to protect them.  

There's a Bat Reserve at Threave Garden & Estate

The National Trust for Scotland says it’s  one of Scotland’s most biodiverse nature reserve – there’s an osprey platform where you can take in the beauty around you. 

Well done to everyone involved in the project!

Visit the National Trust for Scotland here.

Images on this blog ©National Trust for Scotland

 

World Giraffe Day gives us all an important chance to raise awareness of the challenges giraffes face in the wild. 

Giraffe face a Silent Extinction if we don’t act

There are only about 117,000 giraffe left in the wild now, so every giraffe is important and matters.  West African giraffe are rarer than mountain gorillas.  In fact, their decline has been referred to as the Silent Extinction, by Sir David Attenborough in the BBC documentary, “Giraffes:  Africa’s Gentle Giants”.

A video on You Tube from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation made 3 years ago (2020) tells us that:

• Giraffe have gone extinct in at least 7 African countries
• In the last 300 years, we’ve lost 90% of all giraffe habitat
• Human population growth across Africa is having a huge impact on giraffe and other wildlife

Action is essential. 

The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is the only organisation in the world which concentrates solely on the conservation and management of giraffe in the wild throughout Africa.

It works in 15 African countries across 45 million acres of giraffe habitat.

Enter World Giraffe Day!

Why is on the 21^st June?  Well, it’s the longest day or night of the year, depending on where in the world you live, and because it’s the longest, it’s also – naturally – World Giraffe Day!

This an annual event was initiated by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to celebrate this most beautiful of animals.

Zoos, schools, governments, companies and NGOs are hosting events to help raise awareness, and you can get involved and do your bit.  Stick your neck out and raise awareness of giraffes and remind people of their beauty on social media!

Crucially, it’s a great opportunity for the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to raise much needed funds to continue their work moving wild giraffe to their historical habitat. 

Giraffe Translocation

The charity has a translocation programme, moving giraffe.  Giraffe are moving to areas where there are very few or no giraffe.  They are also caught, and then given satellite tracking units so that they can be tracked which enables conservationists to find out more about their movements.  Catching and tracking giraffe provides an excellent opportunity to find out as much as possible about these beautiful animals. 

All the giraffes which have moved thanks to the programme are doing well and thriving.  And the great news is that many new calves are being born!  The programme is a key part of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation’s programme to ensure that giraffe have a future in Africa.

The Foundation works closely with local communities – many African children have never seen a giraffe so it has taken children into the field for a day to see giraffe.

You can read about their recent work and news here.

 

World Giraffe Day is an important fundraiser

It’s the Giraffe Conservation Foundation’s biggest fundraiser of the year and the non-profit receives most of its support as a result of it.  So please, please if you can, chip in! 

There are a number of donation tiers, and in addition to its standard donation options, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation is offering Supporter Packs to all donors – and these include a variety of perks, which range from shareable giraffe adoptions to official apparel and art.  And they increase your ability to share their message!  All the supporter packs have a set of digital post cards that you can share on World Giraffe Day!

Why not Adopt a Giraffe? 

You could adopt a giraffe for yourself or as a gift for a loved one - the Adopt-a-Giraffe Program allows you to follow the lives of a few selected desert-dwelling giraffe in the remote north west of Namibia, next to the Etosha National Park.

Join in the Social Media Challenge!

#StandTallforGiraffe

Show how you #StandTallforGiraffe – literally!   Take a photo of yourself standing tall – you could make it a group photo, but please bear social distancing rules in mind!  A baby giraffe measures about 2m at birth – whilst the adults reach the giddy heights of over 5m.

Or come up with something that’s giraffe inspired – a cake with a giraffe on it, or paint a picture – just show how giraffes have inspired you and spread the message on social media of World Giraffe Day!

And tag the Giraffe Conservation Foundation on social media - here are the tags…

• Facebook: @giraffeconservationfoundation
• Instagram: @giraffe_conservation
• Twitter: @save_giraffe

And use these hashtags to spread the message!

• #GiraffeConservationFoundation
• #WorldGiraffeDay
• #WorldGiraffeDay2023
• #StickYourNeckOutForGiraffe
• #StandTallForGiraffe

There’s an event guide too!

 Visit the Giraffe Conservation Foundation here

 

The 15^th to 21^st May is Invasive Species Week. 

Over 2,000 plants and animals have been introduced to Britain from all over the world by people.  And these are called non-native species. 

Many of our agricultural species such as wheat and barley aren’t native to Britain, but about 10-15% become invasive non-native species.  These spread and do harm, contributing in no small way to global biodiversity loss.

Examples include Japanese knotweed, the Asian hornet, Signal crayfish, Himalayan balsam, and the grey squirrel.

In Britain, they threaten the survival of native wildlife and damage natural ecosystems.  And they are costly to the environment, and more.

The North Wales Wildlife Trust says they compete for resources, such as light and water.  They predate on native species, and they carry diseases.  And invasive species breed with closely related native species.  And since 1976, they have been thought to cost the UK economy between £5.4 and £13.7 billion – that’s about £122 million a year!

So organisations across the British Isles and Ireland are working to raise awareness of the impacts invasive non-native species can have and how we can help protect the environment.

Volunteer to tackle invasive non-native species

You could volunteer to help with the management of invasive non-native species and help native species habitats to recover.  There’s nothing like volunteering in the open to help with wellbeing, to connect with nature and meet people who share a similar interest and wish to help the countryside and protect our environment. 

There are Local Action Groups and also projects you can get involved with.  Even if you don’t have enough time to volunteer but want to help, there will be things you can do to help stop the spread of non-native species.   Find your Local Action Group here.

The North Wales Wildlife Trust has more information and details of ways you can support their efforts to tackle invasive non-native species  They have videos you can watch to give you actions you can take.  For example, you can

1. Help prevent and reduce the spread of invasive species – for example if you enjoy recreational water activities
2. Identify invasive species – they have an app to help you do just this
3. Volunteer and help tackle invasive species locally
4. Be a citizen scientist – report invasive species you see in Wales
5. Help Stop the Spread and adopt simple biosecurity principles. The North Wales Wildlife Trust says that “Biosecurity is the effective management of risks posed by invasive non-native species, pests or harmful pathogens focusing on the prevention stage.”

 

There are three things we can all do:

Check clothing and equipment for mud, or bits of plants or aquatic animals when you leave water and leave anything you find on the site. 

Clean everything with great thoroughness, especially those damp and hard-to-access areas.  Use hot water if you can. 

Dry everything thoroughly because some invasive species can close to 2 weeks in damp conditions!

                                                                    

#GreenMatchFund

Update on 29 April 2023:  The Green Match Fund 2023 was a great success, and £4,349,330 was raised for 178 charities in 7 days.  There were 22,457 donations to make this happen!   Congratulations to all the charities involved! 

Here's the background here: 

Here’s a chance to make a donation for wildlife which gets DOUBLED! 

From the 20^th April at midday for one week, you can donate to an environmental charity taking part and your donation will be matched! 

This is a great chance to really make your £ stretch to make a difference!

If we all pull together, we can really go places 
for nature and the natural world
Visit the Green Match Fund here

Charites taking part in the Green Match Fund include:

• Wildlife Trusts (a number have their own individual appeals)
• Rewilding Britain
• Bees for Development Trust
• Surfers Against Sewage
• Northumberland Rivers Trust
• Fauna and Flora International (for pangolins)
• The RSPB
• Buglife
• Students organising for Sustainability (that's Hedgehogs Friendly Schools)
• Blue Marine Foundation
• Virunga Foundation (that’s for gorillas)
• David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
• ZSL (for big cats)
• Bumblebee Conservation Trust
• Wild Fish Conservation
• Royal Entomological Society (that’s for insects)
• International Animal Rescue (for mangroves)
• The Shark Trust
• Sumatran Orangtuan Foundation
• Beaver Trust
• Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (wildcats)
• Whale and Dolphin Conservation
• Bat Conservation Trust
• CPRE (for hedgerows, so important to lifestyle)
• Wildlife Vets International (for vultures)
• Space for Giants (elephant-human conflict)
• South Downs National Park Trust (for a network for ponds)
• Rhino Ark (UK)
• Orangutan Foundation
• Bees Abroad (bees and elephants)
• Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit
• Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust
• Project Seagrass
• Organisation Cetacea
• People’s Trust for Endangered Species (for hedgerows)
• International Otter Survival Fund
• World Cetacean Alliance
• The Falconry Centre – Vulture Conservation
• South Georgia Heritage Trust (whales)
• UK Wild Otter Trust

Even if you cannot donate, this is a great opportunity to find out more about what the charities that interest you most do, and to spread awareness of what they do – spread the word!

The above list doesn’t cover all the charities taking part, so visit the Green Match Fund’s page to find out more!

#GreenMatchFund