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Smart City
Citizen Science
Citizen Science is a participatory approach to scientific research that engages community members to be actively involved in collecting, analysing and interpreting local data. 

It also helps the City academics students and scientists by providing valuable data and insights to help inform decision-making and policy direction.

Citizen Science projects can focus on a wide variety of topics such as environmental monitoring biodiversity and public health. Examples of Citizen Science projects include monitoring local air and water quality tracking the migration patterns of birds and identifying and mapping invasive plant species.

Citizen Science is an important tool for empowering communities and increasing public engagement in scientific research. It helps to bridge the gap between scientists and the public and can provide valuable data and insights that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to obtain. Additionally it can help to increase public understanding and awareness of scientific issues and to promote data-driven decisions.

Get involved in a citizen science project to map tree hollows

The Hollow Hunt project aims to build a clearer picture of tree hollow resources across our city with the help of community members.  

You dont need any special skills or equipment just your smart phone. Youll find hollows in streets parks and reserves right across the municipality and the list below provides additional guidance. When you locate a hollow complete the online form upload a photo and hit submit. Your hollow will be reviewed and mapped to the public Urban Forest Dashboard. Data generated through this project will help the City scientists researchers and policy makers to better understand and protect these important natural resources.

Recording a tree hollow 

If you have spotted a hollow all you need is a smart phone to snap a photo and record your findings via the online form.

Keep in mind a hollow can take 100 years or more to form.

Submit a tree hollow location

Possible hollow locations

The following list of locations have old-growth trees and are good places to look: 

Common questions

Most species of eucalypts and other trees with a long lifecycle will develop hollows over time. In Australia many native birds mammals and reptiles rely on hollows including bats frogs skinks possums gliders owls parrots rosellas cockatoos and kookaburras. Each animal has its own requirements in terms of hollow size shape depth and location. Some introduced species also use hollows and compete with our native wildlife. Increasing urbanisation and other factors have led to a loss of hollow-bearing trees in our environment and this has been listed as a ‘Key Threatening Process’ under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
By participating in the Hollow Hunt project you agree to have your location data recorded (via the online form). This will only be recorded once to determine the location of the tree hollow. The information submitted through the form is designed to capture details about the tree hollow only. Your personal details will not be made public. The City values the privacy of every individual and is committed to handling personal information in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014. This is further articulated in the Privacy and Health Records Council Policy. 
You can view the tree hollows map on the Urban Forest Dashboard along with other interesting facts about the 165 000 trees managed by the City.