Citizen science apps and projects

Citizen science is defined as the involvement of volunteers in science, so it has the dual benefits of making a contribution to ‘real’ science, while also engaging many people with science. There are different types of citizen science projects, from contributory to collaborative and co-created projects.

Citizen science projects at UKCEH

• Bloomin' Algae
• Report Yellow-legged (Asian) hornets via the Asian Hornet Watch app
• National Honey Monitoring Scheme
• National Plant Monitoring Scheme
• UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme
• Predatory Birds Monitoring Scheme
• DECIDE - recording nature where it matters
• Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CastCo)

The free apps listed below allow volunteers to quickly access information ‘on-the-go’. Using GPS and camera technology embedded in smart phones, these apps allow citizen scientist volunteers to collect verifiable records in the field. These records are used by our scientists to further our understanding of the world around us. In many cases records can also be added directly to the iRecord website.

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Biological Records Centre (BRC)

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The BRC is a national recording scheme for terrestrial and freshwater species. Since its beginnings in 1964 BRC has worked closely with volunteer schemes all over the UK, collecting volunteer data and producing more than tens of thousands of species distribution maps. This information is invaluable for researchers, allowing them to monitor species trends and track environmental change. 

By using the iRecord family of smartphone apps, or recording sightings online at iRecord, you can become part of a community of citizen scientists working to better understand our natural environment. 

National Honey Monitoring Scheme

Working in partnership with UK beekeepers, the National Honey Monitoring Scheme aims to use honeybees to monitor long-term changes in the condition and health of the UK countryside. However, we need the help of beekeepers if this scheme is to work.

National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS)

The National Plant Monitoring Scheme is a partnership of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI), the Biological Records Centre (within the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Plantlife. The scheme is looking for volunteers to help scientists with an annual stock take of the UK's wild plants and their habitats. The surveys of wildflowers and their habitats will provide evidence of which widespread plants are increasing or declining, as well as indicating the changing state of valued habitats such as grassland, fenland and even road verges.

Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS)

PoMS is the only scheme in the world generating systematic data on the abundance of bees, hoverflies and other flower-visiting insects at a national scale (currently across England, Wales and Scotland). Its two types of survey aim to establish how insect pollinator populations are changing across Great Britain. Volunteers are sought for both surveys.

Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS)

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The PBMS is a long-term, national monitoring scheme that investigates the levels of pollution in select species of predatory and fish-eating birds in Britain. By collecting carcasses of dead birds and investigating their contaminant levels we can discover:

• how and why the levels vary between species and regions,
• how the levels are changing over time,
• and how these contaminants may be affecting individual birds and overall populations. 

For information on how to report dead birds, please contact:

•  Telephone: 01524 595830
• Email: pbms@ceh.ac.uk

DECIDE - recording nature where it matters

We need high-quality information to make good decisions for nature, but there are gaps in recording at national and at local scales. The DECIDE project improves models for biodiversity decision-making by putting recorders' motivations at the heart of the process.

Additional wildlife recording support

Visit the Biological Records Centre for a guide to getting started with biological recording.