Over 46,000,000 acres was burnt in the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season in eastern Australia. Understanding how the environment recovers from this unprecedented fire season is an important scientific goal.
As a citizen scientist, your observations from recently burnt areas are important. The Environment Recovery Project is an initiative of UNSW, through iNaturalist Australia, inviting all community members to take a walk in areas of burnt bushland, and upload observations to the Environment Recovery Project. They are interested in common species just as much as rare species. Please always ensure that a bushfire-affected area is safe before entering, and if in doubt do not enter.
Some of the things the project would love to see photos of include:
- Plants (native and weeds): Seedling or resprout
- Animals (natives and ferals): Alive or dead, tracks and scats
- Fungi and Lichen
- Landscapes: Scorch height (how high the fires went) and the amount of leaves burnt in the canopy, shrubs, and ground cover.
Your findings will help us understand how species recover from the 2019-2020 bushfire season.
Learn more about the project and submit your photos here.
Important: Be aware of current weather conditions and fire danger ratings. Never enter areas where there is active fire. Many bushfire impacted communities are still grieving, please be respectful of their privacy. Do not trespass private property. Always stay on designated walking trails and do not trample recovering biodiversity.
