Many of us like to “do good” when we travel, and getting involved in some kind of citizen science program when we travel is a fantastic way to do this. Citizen science might involve making observations of wildlife or flora, collecting other kinds of data or even working in a science lab, and the guests on this podcast have a variety of wonderful citizen science experiences to report.

First up, I chat with Roger Smith of Echidna Walkabout. After running tours in Australia for several decades, largely centred on our intriguing wildlife, he has much to say about using citizen science on their tours, and has a great example from a koala project to share.

I then speak with Jamie Van Jones of Salt and Bush Eco Tours. They include some kind of citizen science aspect to all their tours and Jamie explains how travellers are contributing to helping conserve a critically endangered possum in Western Australia.

Finally, Justin Meneguzzi explains his experience of citizen science on an expedition cruise to Antarctica, where he could get involved in various projects run by the scientists on board the ship.

Links:

• Roger Smith of Echidna Walkabout - https://echidnawalkabout.com.au/
• Koala Clancy Foundation, their NFP - https://www.koalaclancyfoundation.org.au 
• Jamie Van Jones - www.saltandbush.com.au 
• Swanlandia, their NFP - https://www.swanlandia.com.au
• Justin Meneguzzi - https://www.justinmeneguzzi.com
• eBird - https://ebird.org/ 
• iNaturalist - https://www.inaturalist.org  
• Questagame - https://questagame.com 
• Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
• Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
• Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/293