PARK WATCH Article September 2025 |

Dr Sera Blair, NatureWatch Coordinator, reveals the importance of citizen science to nature in Victoria

In the depths of a Victorian forest, a torch beam cuts through the darkness, illuminating a hollow forty metres above. The silence breaks with a Boobook Owl‘s call, then suddenly – a glint of eyeshine. A Leadbeater’s Possum, once thought extinct until 1961, peers down from its Mountain Ash sanctuary. This single sighting will trigger protection for 200 metres of surrounding forest.

Across Victoria, dedicated citizen scientists are becoming the eyes and ears of nature, filling critical gaps left by government inaction and budget cuts. Their work has never been more important as our web of life faces unprecedented threats from land clearing, invasive species, climate disruption, and inappropriate development.

Committing to the Great Forest

Victoria’s Central Highlands exemplify the conservation crisis. After a century of logging and repeated wildfires, research warns of catastrophic collapse in hollow-bearing trees unless urgent protection is implemented.

This threatens the local extinction of hollow-dependent wildlife like Leadbeater’s Possums and Greater Gliders. When citizen scientists discovered a dead Greater Glider near a felled habitat tree last year, it provided clear evidence of nature protection law violations. Yet despite promises and the end of native forest logging, the government refuses to commit to creating a Great Forest National Park in the Central Highlands.

VNPA’s NatureWatch program coordinates wildlife cameras, spotlighting surveys, sound recorders and satellite data to document forest health and keep pressure on decision-makers. The clearer the evidence of what’s at stake, the harder it becomes for politicians to ignore.

Grasslands treated like dirt

Victoria’s Volcanic Plain grasslands, now the state’s most threatened habitat, face similar neglect. Home to Critically Endangered wildlife like Victorian Grassland Earless Dragons and Spiny-rice Flower, these subtle landscapes were promised major protection a decade ago. Progress has been painfully slow.

Dr Adrian Marshall and the Grassy Plains Network conducted a ‘People’s Audit’ revealing the dire condition of conservation reserves. Volunteers documented threatened plants crushed by contractors, habitats damaged by heavy vehicles, and in one shocking case, a rare grassland buried under asbestos-contaminated rubble. This evidence finally forced prosecution, though fines remained inadequate.

Marine world out of sight

Beneath Victorian waters, invasive algae displace native seaweeds while over-abundant sea urchins create marine deserts. Despite national obligations, the government has ruled out new marine national parks and cut fisheries officers.

Our ReefWatch program mobilises divers and snorkellers for underwater weeding and monitoring. Since 2002, the Great Victorian Fish Count has engaged thousands in Victoria’s biggest citizen science event, providing baseline data to track marine threats and hold leaders accountable.

Building capacity for nature

Citizen scientists are documenting wildlife and advocating for landscape-scale protection. From central west forests where Brush-tailed Phascogales thrive in areas earmarked for fuel reduction burns, to coastal reefs facing development pressure.

This grassroots movement needs equipment, training, and ongoing support. Wildlife cameras, sound recorders, and spotlighting surveys generate data that flows directly to decision-makers and scientific databases, preventing habitat destruction and wildlife deaths.

Every camera click and sound recorded builds the case for protection. In an era of political inaction and public service cuts, citizen scientists represent hope – ordinary people stepping up to defend Victoria’s extraordinary natural heritage before it’s too late.