Become a citizen scientist

What is citizen science?

Citizen science is scientific research carried out by the public which contributes to our understanding of the natural world. You can take part in national wildlife surveys while on woodland walks or from your own home, recording your findings on apps and websites that will help scientists quickly gather data over a wide area.

It can be a lot of fun and you don’t need any specialist knowledge to take part. You can learn some valuable skills, as many citizen science initiatives give you lots of guidance on what to look out for. And you’ll be micro-volunteering for lots of wildlife charities at the same time!

Citizen science apps

Download these apps and be ready to record sightings as quickly as it takes to get your phone out of your pocket! You will be helping scientists to monitor the health of our wildlife and plants, and provide evidence of how to support our natural world.

UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme

You only need 10 minutes counting pollinators to contribute.

BirdTrack

Record birds (and other species) across the UK and share your sightings with the British Trust for Ornithology.

iRecord Butterflies

Identify any butterfly that you see in the UK.

Garden Butterfly Survey

Count butterflies in your garden all year round.

iNaturalist

An app and website that records observations, which are then shared globally.

iRecord

Similar to iNaturalist but specifically designed to support wildlife recording in the UK.

Project Noah

Fun and family friendly app where you can share photography and keep nature journals.

Become a citizen scientist

National citizen science projects you can join

Citizen science apps