PEOPLE POWER OFFENSIVE

Each year, experts and citizen scientists come together in the Walpole Wilderness BioBlitz to survey the natural wonders of the South West region of Western Australia.

- VICTORIA LAURIE

A CROWD IS GATHERING along a wide dirt road in the wilderness. Cars, trucks and mud-splashed four-wheel-drives park in a long line, one behind another. Families with young children emerge, kitted out in bright jumpers and gumboots, then backpackers and grey-haired couples wearing matching hiking boots appear. The lively throng – reaching a headcount of 170 – has signed up to take part in the Walpole Wilderness BioBlitz, a two-day event held annually in the South West region of Western Australia. People have driven to the tiny south coast hamlet of Walpole from near and far – a few have even flown interstate to learn about the Walpole Wilderness.

“We’re going to split up into groups of about 10 and survey a whole range of different ecosystems, from the forests down to granite outcrops and peatlands,” says BioBlitz coordinator Dr David Edmonds, a local vet and cattle farmer, as he addresses the crowd. “We’re looking for a whole range of different things – we’ve got expert botanists to talk plants, we’ve got invertebrate specialists for the insects, and frog experts. We’ve got all sorts of people here.”

Later, David tells me he loves watching the animated conversations between experts and citizen scientists: “These are people who just want to participate and get out there and learn more about the Walpole Wilderness.”

By the end of the BioBlitz, these citizen scientists will have uploaded 3000 images onto iNaturalist, an app that helps image takers and researchers identify a flower, bird, frog, or bit of moss.

In total, the BioBlitz images will capture more than 600 species, many of which reside nowhere else on the planet. There will be thrilling sightings of rare species, and a few images that capture devastating loss.