Media releases

Federation University Australia’s Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI) and partners Waterwatch, Corangamite CMA, Envirocom Connections and The Waterbug Company, have been awarded funding from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, as part of the Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Program.

The National WaterbugBlitz: citizens assessing Australian waterways was announced alongside four other projects as successful recipients. It is one of only 18 successfully funded projects, selected from a large pool of applications nationally.

The National WaterbugBlitz will allow communities to engage with nature, build their skills and learn about freshwater biodiversity while participating in assessing our nation’s waterway health.

The National WaterbugBlitz builds upon 20 years of successful citizen monitoring in waterways by Waterwatch Victoria and other state / territory Waterwatch programs, by harnessing the expertise and knowledge of participants.

It will build a new knowledge repository about waterbugs (aquatic invertebrates) – a key indicator of river health – in order to assess the state and condition of our nation’s waterways.

“The sheer scale of monitoring across Australian waterways by governments and researchers a formidable task. So we’re looking to local citizen scientist to join in the task on an annual basis,” Dr Birgita Hansen, Research Fellow in CeRDI and project leader, said.

The National WaterbugBlitz will commence with a trial during the 2017-2018 summer, followed by two full BioBlitzes scheduled for spring 2018 and again in spring 2019.

“Citizen scientists (that is, community volunteers) via National WaterbugBlitzes can make a significant contribution to monitoring changes in waterways, and detecting early warning signs of impact,” waterbug expert John Gooderham said. 

“The National WaterbugBlitz participants will monitor and record the waterbugs in their local stream, using basic tools like a hand lens, ice cube tray and a plastic spoon, and aided by technical tools like the Waterbug App, and turn this information into a rapid assessment of their local river or wetland.” 

The project will see a new Waterbug website linked to the Waterwatch Victoria data portal. The site will display data and information from other programs.

For more information contact Birgita Hansen at b.hansen@federation.edu.au