Biodiversity Reporter – Volunteer Opportunity
Ever wondered what creatures, great and small, call the ANU campus home?
Join us in uncovering the secrets of our campus' biodiversity. By helping us gather data on the various species living here, you’ll play a crucial role in shaping our biodiversity programs and promoting healthier ecosystems.
ANU Green is the University’s operational program seeking to improve our environmental sustainability efforts across our campuses. We offer a range of ways to get involved on our campus and contribute to our Environmental Management Plan.
Many of these programs are registered with ANU+, so students can have their contributions recognised on their academic transcript. Find more information about ANU+.
There are eight volunteer opportunities available as a Biodiversity Reporter through ANU+, see the below for more information about this opportunity. These volunteer positions may be filled quickly. If a position is filled but you are interested in volunteering with ANU Green, register your interest for future opportunities.
Spot a frog or an echidna? Anyone can get involved by downloading the Nature Mapr app. Take a picture or let us know via the app, your contribution will help us find out more about the biodiversity of our campus.
Quick links
As a biodiversity reporting volunteer, you’ll use the Nature Mapr app to snap photos or videos of species you spot around campus to help us identify plant and animal species on our Acton campus and utilise this data and data submitted by others on campus to develop a report. Volunteers will be assigned one of eight unique precincts to explore and report on:
- Dickson: Around Halls of Residence between Daley Road and Clunies Ross Street
- Banks: Research School of Biology, Fenner School, Research School of Chemistry
- Daley: Psychology, Physics, College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics, and Sports Halls
- Kingsley: Toad Hall, College of Business and Economics, Kambri
- Baldessin: School of Art, School of Music
- Ellery: Law, Chancelry, College of Asia and the Pacific
- Garran: College of Health and Medicine, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Physics, Research School of Earth Sciences
- Liversidge: College of Asia and the Pacific, University House, childcare centres, accommodation blocks
- Make a difference: Your efforts will directly contribute to our biodiversity management plan being developed for our Acton campus.
- Learn and grow: Gain experience in species identification and data reporting.
- Flexible commitment:Spend as little as one hour every fortnight making a difference. Reporting can be completed when it fits within your workload.
- Create an account and get familiar with the Nature Mapr app
- Proficiency with Microsoft programs
- Willingness to learn new computer systems
- An interest in and comfort with all kinds of species – from insects and fungi to birds and plants
- A minimum of an hour per fortnight for data reporting, and flexibility to increase this when seasons change to capture data on differences or changes in species at these times of year.
Ready to embark on this exciting journey with us? Register your interest to explore and protect the natural wonders of ANU together.
Don't have spare time to volunteer with the above opportunities but looking for other wants to help reduce our environmental impact across all our emissions sources? Join and encourage others to join the ANU One Small Step program which makes sustainability activities fun, easy and accessible to everyone. The app speaks directly to our community with easy and fun ways to act more sustainably. You can also join the ANU Green Network, online resource for staff to hear about the latest in environmental sustainability at ANU, including a second-hand furniture channel. ANUSA has also helped start a Buy Nothing ANU Facebook group for students and staff to reduce waste going to landfill.