EMBARGOED|0001 23/04/2026] Vast online archives of photos, videos and sound recordings collected by the public are reshaping how scientists study the natural world, allowing researchers to answer questions that were once out of reach.
A new study led by UNSW Sydney shows how these datasets can be turned into practical tools for conservation, helping scientists identify and track species that have long eluded study.
The research demonstrates the approach using the Kermadec Storm Petrel — a rare seabird subspecies with an estimated population of just 100 to 300 pairs.
“If you can’t identify something, you can’t know where it exists and where it doesn’t,” said lead author Simon Gorta, a PhD candidate at UNSW Sydney.
The team analysed more than 1,000 individual birds using publicly available photographs from platforms including the Macaulay Library via eBird, alongside museum specimens and published records.
From these images, researchers manually scored subtle physical traits — including rump colour and tail shape — and used statistical modelling to determine which features reliably distinguish the subspecies.
Once classified, those records could be mapped, revealing the birds travel far beyond their known breeding site, with confirmed records across the Tasman and Coral Seas, including sightings off Australia’s east coast.
“As we now know they’re crossing the Tasman and Coral seas, we can start to work out what threats they might be facing away from their breeding grounds,” said co-author Peter Allen, a PhD candidate at Monash University.
The researchers say the same approach could be applied to other animals and plants, wherever traits can be measured from existing media.
As global citizen science databases continue to grow, so too does their potential to fill critical gaps in conservation knowledge.
For more information, images, or to organise interviews with Simon Gorta contact:
Tom Melville
[email protected]
0432 912 060
-ENDS-
Contact details:
Tom Melville
[email protected]
0432 912 060
