The smartphone and social media, two ubiquitous communication tools, have been enlisted by UNE scientists to build understanding of the 'dynamic lagoon' ecosystems of the New England tablelands.
In a citizen science project, the researchers have installed photo points at two public lagoons and are asking visitors to snap an image and share it via social media carrying the #dynamiclagoons tag, or directly in an email to the research team.
The high-altitude lagoons – Dangars Lagoon near Uralla and Little Llangothlin Lagoon near Guyra – are 'dynamic' in that they are highly variable. Their water levels swiftly rise and fall seasonally, and they can dry out to the extent that little or no water is visible.
"But whatever their state, at capacity or apparently dry, these lagoons provide important refuge for a range of species," said UNE ecologist Dr Manu Saunders.
"The citizen science photo-monitoring project will support biodiversity surveys, so that we have an ongoing visual record of the lagoons' status that we can use to correlate against fluctuations in biodiversity."
Dr Saunders's collaborator in the project, UNE freshwater ecologist Dr Deborah Bower, said adding citizens to science is also an important aspect of the project.
"We hope the signage, and the act of taking a photo and sharing it, will prompt visitors to see more than just scenery," Dr Bower said.
"These sites are unique ecosystems that are important but endangered. Science alone won't conserve the integrity of the lagoons.
"We need the community to rally behind conservation efforts to ensure these ecosystems are protected so that they continue to effectively function as reservoirs of biodiversity."
"We are asking the community to please stop and take a photo each time you drive past the lagoons and post it to social media with the #dynamiclagoons hashtag. This will help us to track the water levels and state of the lagoons over time."
The lagoons are examples of Upland Wetlands, an ecological community that is listed as Endangered under New South Wales and Commonwealth legislation. The project, funded by the Environmental Trust’s Saving our Species program, will help conserve the 59 rare lagoons in the Northern Tablelands. Most of these are in a degraded condition because they have been modified or damaged through grazing, dams or drainage, and they need community to get behind their protection.
The photo point project is part of a larger UNE project managed by Dr Bower and Dr Saunders working to protect these unique Northern Tablelands ecosystems.
Visit the Dynamic Lagoons website here
