Instructions
Saving the Great Barrier Reef, one image at a time!
First and foremost,
thank you
Thank you for taking part in conservation! The Great Barrier Reef is the iconic symbol of nature, and one of the most important ecosystems on the planet. But the twin crisis of climate change and nature loss threatens the reef’s health, and ultimately its survival. Now there’s a way we can all join the effort to protect the Great Barrier Reef by doing exactly what we already love to do, simply looking at it. Turn your eyes into a force for good by joining Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef in the Great Reef Census.
The experience
The Great Reef Census is a groundbreaking citizen science effort to survey the Great Barrier Reef. Whether you’re on the Reef or on the other side of the world, you can be a part of this important conservation initiative, helping label tens of thousands of images brought back from hundreds of reefs across its 2,300km stretch. By taking part in this initiative, you will be providing crucial and timely data to scientists and marine park managers on the health of the reef. You will view photographed sections of the reef and be asked to identify three types of coral, helping scientists pinpoint reef locations most important for its long-term protection.
Instructions
We work to keep things as simple as possible. If you have any questions, please get in touch with your event coordinator or reach out to “Kai” (WeHero Super Dog) in the lower-right corner of this page.
Your Agenda
Welcome To Your Volunteer Experience
Let's Dive In
The Great Barrier Reef Census
Let's Make A Difference
Thank you
.png)
It's time to sign up
The Great Reef Census is aiming to get thousands and even millions of eyeballs from all over the world looking over 75,000 images. Join our community of scientists, local government, schools, tech partners, media companies, blue chip corporates and ordinary citizens on the forefront of reef conservation. To take part in the Great Reef Census, follow these steps:
- Go to the website https://greatreefcensus.org/
- Click Sign In and you’ll be asked for some basic details, including Name, Email and Location
- Click “Analyse a Photo” and you’ll be put through to the Analyse and Discover page to watch a short video and learn about what coral categories you’ll use to label images from the Great Reef Census.
- Once you’ve read about the coral categories, click ‘Get Started’ and your first Great Reef Census image will load.
- Q1 of the platform will highlight a part of the photo and you must simply click one of the seven options to label it and fill in that part of the image.
If you’re unsure you can always click “I don’t know” but we strongly encourage you to have a punt even if you’re not 100% sure. Each image will be analysed at least 5 times, so don’t worry about getting it wrong. Once you’ve labeled all the polygons, you can click ‘Next’ to go to Q2. - Q2 requires you to simply view the same image and tell us what you think the dominant coral type is. Once selected you can click ‘Next’ to go to Q3.
- Q3 will ask you to select one of five options to estimate the amount of coral you see on the reef. Ignore any water, sand or hard to see areas. Simply focus on what’s on the reef. Once selected, click next and a pop up will appear.
- From here, you can either head to your personal dashboard or go to another image. Our goal is to have everyone who takes part analyze at least five images, but you don’t have to stop there.
- Thank you for using your eyes to help protect the Reef!
Share your success
Take a photo of your impact and share the experience with your friends and family. Use the opportunity to spread awareness and in protecting the Great Barrier Reef. Be sure to tag WeHero when you post on social media!
You've successfully completed the your experience!
Nice work! Now what?
We’d love your thoughts!
Have 32 seconds? We always want to make these experiences better and would love your feedback.
.jpg)
Learn more
Visit the Citizens website to learn more about their mission and how you can continue supporting them.
Recycling is hard so we made this resource list to make it easier!
We build our volunteer events to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Whether it is offsetting the carbon emissions of the shipping process, using recycled cardboard for the boxes, or relying on algae based dyes, we’ve made conscious steps to ensure we’re doing right for our world.
How we offset our carbon footprint
We have partnered with Cool Effect on The Mare Chicose landfill project in Mauritius to reduce methane emissions, generate electricity, create jobs, and promote sustainable development. Investing in the project helps reduce our carbon footprint and support global climate change mitigation.
Have questions about your experience?
We’re here to help!
Get in touch with us here or give us a call. Feel free to also chat with Kai and he’ll fetch a member of our team to help!
