Photo: Jon Barrett
Citizen science
Many conservation organisations rely on data collected by members of the public to help them monitor and protect wildlife. Discover how you can become a citizen scientist with Somerset Wildlife Trust.
You can help make wildlife count. Literally.
It's really important that we monitor and understand changes in both the diversity (the variety) of species we have and, more importantly, the abundance (the quantity) of wildlife species we have across the county. This in turn helps us track the health of the ecosystems that exist to support them (and us), which are coming under increasing pressure from changes in our climate.
If we don't notice wildlife declines, we run the risk of losing species forever. There are gaps in our knowledge that we need YOUR help to fill.
So how do we fill those gaps? Well it’s a numbers game. And by that we mean the number of species records we have from year to year. The more records we have, the more we know about habitats; and the more we know about habitats, the better we can identify what to do about protect them and the wildlife that call them home.
Choose one of the options below to start a journey to unleash your inner citizen scientist.
The Great Somerset Wildlife Count
The Great Somerset Wildlife Count is Somerset Wildlife Trust’s citizen science initiative delivered in partnership with Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC).
7-spot Ladybird ©Rachel Scopes
Spot 60 Species
As part of our 60th anniversary celebrations, we're challenging you to spot 60 species to make wildlife count.
false - Tom Marshall
Specialist groups in Somerset
Specialist interest groups are dedicated to conserving and recording Somerset’s rich wildlife, habitats and varied geology
Citizen science projects are a great way to learn more about our wonderful wildlife, at the same time as helping to protect it.
Train yourself up and get recording!
iNaturalist and Seek
Share your observations with the iNaturalist or Seek app on your mobile phone
Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), Hardington Moor NNR, Somerset, England, UK - Guy Edwardes/2020VISION
Somerset Environmental Records Centre
SERC collects, manages analyses and supplies data on wildlife and the surrounding environment.
Adrian Clarke
Spotter sheets and ID guides
Need some help identifying what you see and want to download a spotter sheet?
How else can you get involved?
Wild about social media
Join the conversation and keep up to date with the latest wildlife news
