Citizen science | Redland City Council
Council service closures over Easter holidays

Customer service centres & libraries will be closed on Good Friday (29 March) through to Easter Monday (1 April). Waste Transfer Stations will be closed Good Friday. Bins will be collected as normal.

Further information

Redland City Council has a proud history of working with community groups and individuals on citizen science projects such as the Koala Count-a-thon and Coochie Curlew Count.

Citizen science in the Redlands - phone app

What is citizen science?

Citizen science is scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by members of the community who may or may not have scientific qualifications. 

Advances in technology are making it easy for everyone to make a meaningful contribution to scientific research. It can be as simple as taking a photo and recording some basic information to share with researchers and the community.

Why should you contribute to citizen science?

Citizen science will:

  • Build your knowledge of local plants and wildlife.
  • Contribute to studies and projects that use your data to make a difference.
  • Bring new friends and life-long friendships.
  • Encourage you out into nature and help you live a healthier, more active lifestyle.

Our projects

Redland City Council is using The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) and their Biocollect portal to collect data on the natural environment around the Redlands Coast. ALA is a collaborative, national project that brings biodiversity data together from multiple sources and makes it available and usable online. It is also supported by the CSIRO.

Submit koala sightings

Redlands Coast Koala Watch is your opportunity to help improve the health and wellbeing of our local koala population. It’s a joint partnership between the community, koala researchers and Redland City Council that allows you to contribute to koala conservation.

You can collect information on local koalas by actively looking for them when going about your regular outdoor activities like walking the dog, jogging or picnicking in the park. You then record the information on our survey. Every recording counts even if you don’t see any koalas, it counts.

When you spot a koala, you can also check and see if the koala is ill or injured, and get help for it if needed. We'll give you resources to show you how.

The information you collect is used by researchers and Redland City Council to develop koala conservation actions, reduce the incidence of sick and injured koalas, and improve local koala mapping. Helping us spot and get help for ill or injured koalas quickly, will help us get more koalas back home from hospital, happy and healthy.

For more information or to join, visit Redlands Coast Koala Watch.

Submit coastal raptor nest sightings

The Coastal Raptor Nests Citizen Science Project aims to identify and map raptor nests within the Redlands mainland and islands. 

This project focuses on four iconic raptor species, chosen because little is known about their nest locations and behaviours. 

  • Eastern osprey (Pandion cristatus)
  • White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
  • Brahminy kite (Haliastur indus)
  • Whistling kite (Haliastur sphenurus)

For further information see the Redland City Council's  coastal raptor nest project page on Atlas of Living Australia.   

Submit veteran tree records

The Veteran and Significant Trees of the Redlands survey aims to identify and map veteran and significant trees in the Redlands Coast mainland and islands.  This data will assist in providing options for land and vegetation management, protection and conservation, and community education.

Veteran trees may be trees that have reached a great age compared with others of the same species.  Veteran trees are important as they often develop sturdy hollows that provide breeding habitat for a wide range of native species, including possums, koalas, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. 

This project is a Citizen Science project in partnership with the Redland City Council, Veteran Tree Group Australia and the Atlas of Living Australia.

For further information and to submit a record, see the Redland City Council's veteran and significant tree project page on Atlas of Living Australia.

All Redlands Coast projects

You can check out the Redlands Coast Hub on the Atlas of Living Australia to find all citizen science opportunities around the Redlands Coast.

General nature sightings

If you have a great nature sighting that doesn't find into any of our local projects, the Atlas of Living Australia has teamed up with iNaturalist to offer a new user friendly experience for submitting nature sightings. Download the iNaturalist mobile app or sign up at iNaturalist Australia and next time you see a plant or animal of interest you can submit a sighting.

Your sightings help scientists to manage, protect and conserve biodiversity on Redlands Coast.

Further Information

To help you download and use iNaturalist here are some useful resources.

  • A simple guide to downloading and using the iNaturalist app
  • Watch this video for a step by step guide to using the iNaturalist app.