Citizen science
Citizen science involves public participation and collaboration to assist in scientific research. City of Melbourne has a range of citizen science initiatives that the community can participate in. These initiatives provide the community with meaningful opportunities to help build our understanding of biodiversity in our city, learn new skills, meet new people, and connect with nature.
BioBlitzes
A BioBlitz is a citizen science, data collection-based event, where experts and members of the community work together to discover and document as many species as possible within a specific location and time period.
Run every few years, our BioBlitzes bring experts and members of the community together to discover and document the species which call Melbourne home.
Find out about upcoming Biobliz events and read about past BioBlitz’s on Participate Melbourne External link.
Melbourne BioBlitzes External link
Insects of Melbourne
In 2026, City of Melbourne, Fed Square and Heartscapes have come together to create Insects of Melbourne. This guide introduces you to some of the most common, rare, colourful and curious insects you might spot around the city.
Celebrate the launch of this new pocket-sized guide to all the curious insects calling Melbourne home on Saturday 28 February.
Insects of Melbourne Launch External link
Superb City Wrens
This citizen science project aims to improve inner-city habitats for superb fairy-wrens and other small birds. We want to find out where superb fairy-wrens are living and foraging in the Parkville area and importantly, where they’re not, so we can improve their habitat where it’s needed most.
We are calling on the community to become a ‘wren watchers’ and help us survey superb fairy-wrens at key areas in and around Parkville.
Your sightings will help us learn how successful our restoration works are, and how we can plan future works to make city life easier for these birds.
Citizen Forester Program
Our Citizen Forester Program External link was established to help us collect data about trees, plants and ecology to grow a greener Melbourne.
Citizen Foresters help grow the urban forest and improve urban ecology by carrying out essential advocacy, monitoring and research tasks.
Activities that Citizen Foresters can participate in include habitat planting days, tree hollow mapping, nature journaling and surveying our local wildlife, such as birds and insect pollinators.
Register to become a Citizen Forester External link
The Little Things that Run the City
Did you know there are at least 15 species of dragonflies and damselflies in the city’s ponds and creeks? Or that beetles are the most common type of insect living in the City of Melbourne?
In collaboration with RMIT, the City of Melbourne has released a children’s book that focuses on 30 amazing insects in our city. The book explores the diversity of insects we have within our city’s boundaries and examines what we can do to help them survive and thrive.
You can purchase the book at the Melbourne Museum Shop and Royal Botanic Gardens Shop or download a digital copy below.
