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Citizen Science Ecosystem Explorers

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Citizen Science Ecosystem Explorers

Aisha, Hugo and Rawiri are travelling around Aotearoa New Zealand. At each stop, they record wildlife observations for a citizen science project. Read the field notes, then use evidence to answer the questions. Citizen science is research that members of the public help with by making careful observations and sharing useful data.

Stop 1: Read the field log

The travellers used the same 10-minute observation method at each stop. They counted only birds they could identify with confidence. The counts below are observations from one visit, not a complete count of every bird in the area.

Stop

Place

Tūī

Pūkeko

Coastal wetland

Forest track

Town reserve

1.What is citizen science? Choose the best description.

Research carried out only by university scientists
Research that members of the public help with by collecting or sharing observations
A nature activity that does not use evidence
A way to count wildlife without recording where or when it was seen

2.Use the field log. Which stop had the most tūī observations, and how many were recorded there?

3.At which stop were more pūkeko than tūī recorded? Use the numbers to support your answer.

4.The travellers want other volunteers to compare their results fairly. Which two details should they record every time?

Observation duration and place
Their favourite bird and snack
The colour of their notebook and the car
How many birds they hoped to see

5.Aisha hears a bird call but cannot identify the bird. What is the most reliable action for the project?

Guess the species so the record looks complete
Record it as an unidentified bird, following the project instructions
Add it to the species she saw most often
Leave out the location and make a guess later

Stop 2: Think like an ecosystem explorer

An ecosystem includes living things and the non-living parts of their surroundings. Repeated observations can help people investigate changes, but a single visit is only a snapshot. Careful methods, accurate records and respect for wildlife make data more useful.

6.True or false: The field log proves that the forest track always has more tūī than the other places.

TrueFalse

7.Complete the idea: If volunteers repeat the same survey at the same places over many months, scientists can look for in bird observations.

8.Rawiri suggests playing bird calls from a phone to attract birds for a larger count. Explain one reason this could make the survey less reliable or less respectful of wildlife. Suggest a better approach.

9.In Aotearoa, kaitiakitanga is a Māori concept connected with guardianship and care for the natural world. Describe one way a citizen science volunteer could show care and responsibility while collecting observations.

10.Design a simple citizen science survey the travellers could do at their next stop. Name one thing to observe, where and how often to record it, and one way to make the observations consistent.