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Great Australian Wildlife Search

Australia's biggest wildlife search and citizen science project

Logotype Wildlife Search-1

Banner Image: Platypus, photo by Doug Gimesy

Following the success of the 2021 Victorian phase of the Great Australian Wildlife Search, Odonata is proud to announce that plans for our national wildlife search are now underway as part of this project.

Using eDNA technology, we will be engaging citizen scientists from across the country to help collect samples from waterways around Australia.

If we don’t know where our wildlife is, we simply cannot support them. Thanks to eDNA technology, combined with the power of citizen science, for the first time in history we are able to accurately baseline Australian wildlife and where they live. The data being produced through this project will also has the power to inform conservation action, research, environmental policy and so much more.

The 2021 Great Australian Wildlife Search was one of the biggest citizen science projects in the world and thanks to the help of over 500 citizen scientists, we gathered over 2,000 eDNA samples from waterways across Victoria. Replicating this project on a national scale will allow us to map wildlife on a greater scale and increase our impact on preserving and improving biodiversity on a national scale.

How to get involved

Volunteering as a citizens scientist is a fun and engaging way to make a tangible difference in conservation. It is an easy way for non-professionals, who are empowered to make a positive difference to the natural world to get involved in research that aims to protect, nurture and revolutionise the way we look at the natural landscape.

By volunteering as a citizen scientist for the Great Australian Wildlife Search, you are not only taking part in a historic research project but you are also contributing to important wildlife research that will make a tangible difference to conservation actions in Australia. If you are interested in being at the forefront of wildlife research, register your interest via the VOLUNTEER button.

 

Donate to the Great Australian Wildlife Search

We are currently fundraising to support the delivery of the Great Australian Wildlife Search across the country - a project on this scale requires a similar scale of support. If you are interested in contributing to the Search, please donate via the button above, or alternatively get in touch with the Odonata team at hello@odonata.org.au

eDNA sampling for the Great Australian Platypus Search. Photo by Streamline Media