From recording over a million bugs to discovering that gardens
are a haven for earthworm diversity, the successes of one of the
largest national citizen science projects, Open Air Laboratories
(OPAL), are highlighted in the Community Environment Report
published today. More than half a million people, including the
public and community scientists, have taken part in the OPAL
project, which is led by Imperial College London and supported
by a Big Lottery Fund grant. Partners of the project include the
Natural History Museum. By carrying out nature surveys, people
have gathered important biodiversity data, the report
highlights, including information from deprived urban areas that
have never before been sampled by scientists OPAL Community
Environment Report Many participants were carrying out nature
surveys for the first time and just over half of the surveys
were carried out by young people, fulfilling one of the
project’s aims to inspire a new generation of environmentalists.
The Community Environment Report