Being a citizen scientist is a wonderful way in which to help nature and to contribute to organisations working to help nature. Join in a big effort to make a difference!
The thing about data is that it helps to give conservation charities a direction. It means they can use their results to plot their next steps and a longer term strategy. It can show where and which animals are in trouble, and who needs help.
This page lists a number of Citizen Scientist projects. I'll keep adding to them - so please keep checking back!
The Woodland Trust maps ancient trees so that they are better placed to protect them. But they need to know where they are, so if you are out and about and you spot an ancient tree, please let the Woodland Trust know.
The Society is well known for its beach cleans, but it also needs people to report wildlife sightings! They want to find out how jellyfish and turtle populations are changing around the UK, and they need the data from citizen scientists to help them acquire it. Data helps them campaign for change in the way they manage and protect our seas. Find out more about that here.
Well, take a look at ARG - the Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK! They have both ways you can record your sightings e.g. adders and they have a number of projects and surveys you can get involved with. (Look out for Make the Adder Count 2026). You can find your local group here
Help with Seagrass Conservation
Seawilding in Scotland (you may remember, they took a seagrass garden to the Chelsea Flower Show to raise awareness of seagrass) are expanding their ambitions for native oyster and seagrass seagrass restoration in Loch Craignish in 2026.
Project Seagrass need seagrass spotters to help create a more comprehensive picture of seagrass globally. The Seagrass Spotter is quite amazing
From the 18th to the 21st September, join in the Great UK WaterBlitz. It's a biannual campaign and it calls on everyone to test the quality of their local waterbody (e.g. rivers, streams, ponds, canals and wetlands) to build up a better picture of the quality of water across the UK.
Now, if you've missed this event, it will take place again in April 2027, and there's much more you can do such as the FreshWater Watch.
The Rivers Trust have got 10 ways in which you can get involved in the fight for cleaner rivers. It's a great way to get involved, collect data and contribute to scientific knowledge. They have a list of citizen science projects, and also they have some big events during the year, so please take a look at them and pop them into your calendar/diary. For instance, they've got a Big River Watch from the 18th to 24th September - and that's biannual, so if you miss the September one, you could join in during the April watch. Dive in for more information.
The PTES are looking for people who can record the wild mammals visiting your garden or other green spaces, find and record traditional orchards, health-check our hedgerows, spot stag beetles, record water voles, look for hedgehogs in camera trap videos and record sightings of dormice.
The Mammal Society
Use the Society's free app, the Mammal Mapper, to help you identify mammals you've seen and to make it easy to submit the record of your sighting to them. They love photos where possible as this helps with verifying the record but you can still submit records without photos. See their help on how to record mammals here. They also have a network of local groups. Find yours here.
There are plenty of ways you can volunteer with the RSPB, including residential volunteering. Volunteers can do quite a range of activities, from doing practical conservation work on nature reserves to tasks such as administration, attending events, talking to the public, taking photos and running social media accounts. There's also the chance to do corporate volunteering. Fly off to find out all about it here. And don't forget the Big Garden Birdwatch in January!
