Twice the Eureka Moment for Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board
Insect investigators has won the 2024 Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science receiving the accolade at a recent awards ceremony hosted by the Australian Museum in Sydney.
This is the second year in a row that a project of which the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board is a partner has won, following the success of 1 Million Turtles in 2023. The landscape board-supported initiative Fungimap was also a finalist in 2022.
The Australia-wide insect discovery project, led by Dr. Erinn Fagan-Jeffries from the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Museum, engages primary school students to survey local insects with the aim of helping to develop a better understanding of regional biodiversity. Since its inception in 2019, students have helped to name 21 new insect species, helping to document more than 5,000 insect species using DNA sequencing.
Seventeen primary schools from South Australia participated in insect Investigators this year, with students playing a leading role in the collection of insects. The opportunity also provides for classroom learning about aligned topics including the value of biodiversity. Since 2019, South Australian students have helped to name 10 previously unknown insect species from South Australia with more in the process of being described.
Dr Sylvia Clarke from the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board said that the win was a reflection of the project’s success in connecting school students and the scientific community.
“To be able to work with regional Australian schools means that we’re also educating children about the value of biodiversity, and potentially inspiring the next generation of entomologists and ecologists”.
Dr Clarke said that a key emphasis of Insect Investigators was the inclusion of regional and remote schools across Australia.
“The program prioritises regional and remote schools because we know they don’t get the opportunities that city-based schools do, but also because we need a better understanding of these regional ecosystems so we can ensure that they are protected into the future.”
“To have been a finalist for this award 3 times and then win it twice in a row is really proof of the value of citizen science in terms of its ability to contribute towards the scientific knowledge we need in order to better understand and monitor our environments,” she added.
Find out more about Insect Investigators online at insectinvestigators.com.au.
Insect Investigators received grant funding from the Australian Government, is led by the South Australian Museum and University of Adelaide and involves 17 partner organisations including the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board.
