The Australian Guide to Running a BioBlitz

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Koala scat survey at Mimosa Rocks BioBlitz

Koala scat survey at Mimosa Rocks BioBlitz

There is a growing interest in organising BioBlitzes in Australia. A working group of practitioners have put together this Australian Guide to Running a BioBlitz which we hope will help many more BioBlitzes to be run across Australia. All thanks to everyone who has contributed and our sponsors – see the Guide for details.

All of us who have run a BioBlitz agree they are just the best way to have fun, explore and learn together in special places and they are definitely worth the hard work of organising them. We hope to see a developing community of practice around the BioBlitz model and welcome your interest and engagement. We will do what we can to support and encourage this.

We would like to thank all those naturalists, scientists, volunteers and participants who have helped to make all the BioBlitzes we have worked on such splendid celebrations of science in nature – see you at the next one!

BioBlitzes are fun, engaging and deliver meaningful outcomes to individuals and organisations but they are also complex and multifaceted events, so we have tried to outline all the details that will help make your event a success for everyone involved.

Upcoming BioBlitzes

If you are interested in participating in a BioBlitz, here are some upcoming events you may like to join:

In Tasmania in the Tarkine (November 17-20th). For information and bookings go to www.bobbrown.org.au/bioblitz

In South Australia run by the Discovery Circle (Philip Roetman)

In SE New South Wales run by the Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness (Libby Hepburn, Sarah Morrison)

  • Four Winds BioBlitz (11/12th November) Register 

Let us know if you are running a BioBlitz and we can share information here

Australian BioBlitz Resources

Here you will find a downloadable PDF of the Guide and a list of extra resources – information and examples of documents from different BioBlitzes and background information and links which you may find useful. We now have an Australian BioBlitz logo which you are welcome to adapt to your own event. These resources will be updated over time and we welcome your contributions, so if you have any content such as Case Studies, stories, ideas and observations you would like to share please contact Libby Hepburn (libbyhepburn@btinternet.com)

The Australian Guide to Running a BioBlitz

The Australian Guide to Running a BioBlitz is designed for this country and is based on the experiences of BioBlitz organisers in Australia and overseas. It is based on the UK model developed as part of the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL www.opalexplorenature.org) program. Our aim is that this Guide is spread far and wide. It is freely distributed under a Creative Commons- Attribution licence (CC-BY). The Guide should be cited as: The Australian Guide to Running a BioBlitz (2015): Hepburn L; Tegart P, Roetman P, von Gavel S, Niedra S, Roger E, Miller S, Fyffe T, Brenton P, Lambkin C.

The Guide is a living document which we expect will be developed and improved for both science and the community over time as practitioners gain experience and understanding, and share their learning.

Waterbug survey at Mimosa Rocks BioBlitz

Waterbug survey at Mimosa Rocks BioBlitz

Case studies

Online Resources

Example promotional material

Example survey recording forms

Example BioBlitz timetables

Example BioBlitz evaluation questions

Reference links

Apps

Data upload

Additional BioBlitz and citizen science information

Apps for biodiversity ID – there are many more – please send details of any you find useful

Useful references

Working with children

International references

For more information, contact

Libby Hepburn

Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness

0458 798 990

libbyhepburn@btinternet.com