Photos: Rachel Devlin
Who recalls or still enjoys the thrill of Pokémon Go, finding and capturing Pokémon species in the wild using their mobile phone? School holidays are the perfect time for families to increase the challenge and double the fun with a real-life Pokémon Go alternative: iNaturalist.
A free app, iNaturalist encourages users to take photos of flora and fauna species and upload them for identification and classification. Mornington Peninsula Shire ranger Rachel Devlin, who’s co-ordinator of destination conservation and operations, knows first hand the excitement this app is generating. There’s currently a thriving iNaturalist community on the Mornington Peninsula, with members vying for a place on the leader board based on the number of observations made.
Rachel says you don’t need to be an expert; just take the photos and add them to your tally. There are experts and experienced players online who will suggest identifications for the observations you upload. All verified sightings then go into global databases, such as the Atlas of Living Australia. It’s rewarding to know that while undertaking a fun activity you’re contributing to an important record of biodiversity in the natural landscape.
Rachel encourages users to join a project on the app, such as the Briars Rangers Biodiversity Log she has created to log the various species found at The Briars. This project has already received 2498 observations by iNaturalist users with 788 species identified, and the number just keeps going up.
iNaturalist enthusiasts are welcome to visit The Briars at Mount Martha where the focus is always on conservation and biodiversity. The 230ha property includes a wildlife sanctuary and wetlands, and rangers such as Rachel are on site to assist. Rachel says different eyes capture different views, and she recalls times that she has unknowingly walked past a small bug or plant when the person behind her has piped up with “What’s that beetle?” or “What’s that flower?”.
To learn more about the iNaturalist app, visit inaturalist.ala.org.au or simply download the app and get ready to ‘play’. For specific queries concerning the Briars Rangers Biodiversity Log project, email the.briars@mornpen.vic.gov.au
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