British Columbians heading out into nature or just relaxing in their backyards this long weekend can use their phones to help collect data on the plants and animals they see.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is promoting its 5th annual Big Backyard BioBlitz through August 4th.
The community science event sees participants use a smartphone, tablet, or digital camera, to take photos or make audio recordings and upload their findings to the iNaturalist app to contribute to a database of biodiversity.
The app uses artificial intelligence to help users identify the species in the images they upload.
“The more people that can spend time outdoors and learn about the different plants and animals in their communities, the more apt they are to conservation efforts,” said Andrew Holland with the NCC.
The data collected is used by municipalities, conservation biologists, foresters and scientists across Canada.
Holland said the data can help researchers track things like the spread of invasive species, or better understand the impact of wildfires on the ecosystem.
But he added the BioBlitz is intended to be a fun activity for all ages to learn more about their surroundings. He said last year someone even uploaded a photo of their family dog.
“Everyone has a phone these days in their pocket, it’s just showing them how to use it to benefit science and nature,” said Holland.
The NCC says people submitted close to 6000 photos of various plant and animal species located in British Columbia during last year’s event.
People can register to participate at backyardbioblitz.ca.
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