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 Marine Conservation Society has a number of citizen science projects you can get stuck into such as:
Friday 18th September 2026 - it's the start of The Great British Beach Clean (which runs to Sunday 27th September 2026). Hundreds of beach cleans take place around the UK. In 2025, 6,482 volunteers helped clean 97 miles of beach. Find out how to get involved here.
Jellywatch - if you spot a jellyfish or a turtle, the MCS is asking that you report your sighting.
Big Seaweed Search is over for 2026 but make a note to check it in early July 2027!
Find out about the MCS's citizen science opportunities here.
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.
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
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.
