HALF of all ACT recordings over the last 110 years of rare or uncommon plants have come from Canberra Nature Map, says conservator of Flora and Fauna Dr Annie Lane.

In light of National Threatened Species Day, conservator of Flora and Fauna Dr Annie Lane is highlighting the benefits the Canberra Nature Map has on Canberra’s rare plant species.

“Citizen scientists and professionals alike have been logging their findings on the Canberra Nature Map, which is a community website that has become the authoritative source on the distribution and abundance of plants, animals and fungi in the ACT and surrounding areas,” she says.

“The map has over 1000 members who, even in winter, are putting in up to 100 sightings per week.”

Citizen scientists have also been actively sighting already discovered rare species, with sightings of these doubling in the region in the last three years.

“The Canberra Nature Map has transformed the way wildlife information is collected, reported and accessed across the region,” she says. 

“For example, the Canberra Nature Map community has been called on to help ecologists understand how orchid presence and abundance on Black Mountain sandstone has been influenced by fire history.

“And on dozens of occasions Canberra Nature Map reports have been the first records of significant weeds or of problem plants in a reserve or private property, enabling land managers to quickly eradicate an infestation before it becomes a problem.

“Canberra Nature Map is not only for people who wish to record sightings of plants and animals, but is a wonderful vault of local information for anyone who wants to find out more about the ACT’s natural environment.”

See the map at canberra.naturemapr.org/