Citizen Science Show

Ghost nets have become one of the most confronting environmental issues facing northern Australia, and hearing directly from those working on the ground makes it impossible to ignore the scale of the problem. Speaking with Kristen Sierke, the Ghost Net and Marine Debris Coordinator with the Northern Land Council, highlighted how deeply this issue is woven into both marine conservation and Indigenous ranger work across the Northern Territory.Kristen’s path into this work began with a long-standing connection to the ocean, from studying marine biology in South Australia to working in tourism on the Great Barrier Reef, and later as a ranger and in biosecurity roles in the Northern Territory.That progression led her to work closely with Indigenous rangers, and eventually into a role dedicated entirely to tackling ghost nets and marine debris in Southeast Arnhem Land.Ghost nets are abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear that continue to trap wildlife long after they are no longer under human control. Designed to catch fish, they do exactly that without discrimination, drifting for years or even decades.An aerial survey in the Gulf of Carpentaria alone identified more than 2,500 ghost nets on beaches, with estimates suggesting that across northern Australia there is roughly one ghost net for every kilometre of coastline.More Informationhttps://www.facebook.com/kristen.sierke/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com

Heidi first recognised the scale of marine debris while working as a diving instructor, a career that placed her in the water almost daily and offered close encounters with marine wildlife.Over time she began noticing increasing amounts of rubbish appearing in some of the world’s most treasured dive sites.Later, while exploring the southwest coast of Western Australia, she saw debris washing onto remote beaches and began questioning its origins and how the flow could be stopped.These observations planted the seeds of what would become Tangaroa Blue and the Australian Marine Debris Initiative.People can get involved in many ways: participating in beach clean-ups, establishing monitoring sites, supporting data analysis, contributing to awareness campaigns or using the AMDI Data Collection App.The value of sustained volunteer data cannot be overstated; it would be impossible to fund an equivalent program using paid staff alone.More Information https://tangaroablue.org/If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com

Tonight on the show we gather the team and revisit some of the Citizen Science Show highlights for 2025. If you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com

During one calm day in March 2025, Samantha noticed something unusual: thick, persistent sea foam spread across the water near West Island. It was far more extensive than anything seen before, and instinctively it seemed wrong. With guidance from Faith and Peri Coleman, Samantha learned how to use the equipment, how to prepare samples, and how to identify phytoplankton. What stood out most was the absence of historical baseline data. There was no clear record of what “normal” looked like for these coastal waters. The only option was to document what was present now and to keep watching.From that need, Samantha created an open Facebook group, Phytoplankton of South Australia, making all findings public and transparent.More informationhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/1315762396637652https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?project_id=249644Photo CreditLynlee JohnsonIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com

Australia has roughly 25 to 30 freshwater turtle species, depending on the day’s taxonomy debates, and Ricky Spencer's work centres on these inland species found in almost every river, dam and creek.Among the most fragile is the Bellinger River turtle, which came close to disappearing ten years ago when a virus reduced a population of more than four thousand to just sixteen survivors.Those rescued turtles continue to breed under human care, yet the road to recovery is long.Meanwhile, species that are still widespread are also declining.Long-neck turtles, familiar to many Australians, have dropped by around ninety per cent over three decades despite their apparent abundance.More Informationhttps://www.turtlesat.org.au/turtlesat/https://1millionturtles.com/Photo CreditDr Donald McKnightIf you enjoy this podcast, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com

Alicia McArdle’s work in conservation has been shaped by community from the beginning.Early in her career, not long after university, she was employed by Save Our Waterways in Brisbane, helping coordinate a project to restore an entire creek system. Local residents carried deep knowledge of their waterways, and working alongside them showed her how powerful citizen-driven stewardship can be.That experience stayed with her, just as her first sight of the Great Barrier Reef at age twelve on Green Island did.The colours, marine life and the fleeting shock of spotting a moray eel set her on a path toward marine biology.More Informationhttps://citizensgbr.org/If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com

Clare Buswell’s career weaves together political science, cultural history, and speleology in a way that makes perfect sense once she begins to explain it.Her early academic work on colonial gender dynamics in Kenya led her to examine cultural interpretations, dreamings and social relationships—perspectives that later helped her understand the significance of Australia’s karst landscapes and the First Nations stories etched into them.For Clare, the subterranean world reflects the same human and environmental connections found above ground, only preserved in stone, charcoal and silence.More Informationhttps://caves.org.au/If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts.Leave us a comment and share this show with your friends.It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Thumbnail Photo Credits:Mr Neville SkinerClare BuswellContact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com

At the Australian Museum, citizen science has grown from a niche concept into a vibrant, community-driven force.Managing the Centre for Citizen Science, Paul Flemons oversees three major programs that have transformed how the public engages with scientific research.Frog ID is perhaps the most familiar, inviting thousands to record and monitor frogs across Australia.DigiVol allows volunteers to digitize invaluable collections from institutions worldwide, including natural history, cultural artifacts, and council libraries, from the comfort of their homes.Australasian Fishes collects data on fish distributions, helping to track environmental changes and shifts in ocean temperatures.More Informationhttps://australian.museum/get-involved/citizen-science/volunteer-with-us/https://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com

Kelly Sheldrick has been working with communities across Perth to uncover the hidden world of the region’s tiny microbats—animals so small and quiet that most people never realise they are part of the local landscape.Through her projects with the Conservation Council of Western Australia, volunteers use active acoustic detectors along transects in City of Wanneroo bushland, watching echolocation calls appear on screens while listening to slowed-down chirps.This real-time sensory experience often transforms how participants think about bats, shifting them from distant concepts to lively nocturnal neighbours.More Informationhttps://www.ccwa.org.au/bat_monitoring_programhttps://citizenscience.org.au/citscioz25/About The Citizen Science Show PodcastThis episode of the Citizen Science Show podcast is coming to you from CitSciOz25 the Australian Citizen Science Association conference, in Melbourne Connect, a world-class innovation precinct at The University of Melbourne.If you enjoy this content, please like and subscribe to our show wherever you get your podcasts. It really helps us to reach more citizen scientists, like you.Contact the ShowWe are always looking for more guests to tell us about interesting citizen science projects, research and events.You can email us at: info@citizenscienceshow.com