Become ALFAwetlands citizen scientist!

If you’re visiting one of the ALFAwetlands Living Labs, here’s your chance not just to observe nature — but to help protect it and learn from it!

Join the ALFAwetlands iNaturalist Initiative! Be a Citizen Scientist!

What are the ALFAwetlands Living Labs?

• The Living Labs are at the heart of the ALFAwetlands project — where ecological, environmental, social and economic research come together. ALFAwetlands
• They span many wetland types: drained peatlands, agri-peat, peat extraction areas, floodplains, coastal wetlands, constructed wetlands, water-management sites, etc. ALFAwetlands
• The labs are about experiencing and studying how wetland restoration impacts biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, ecosystem services, and the well-being of local communities. ALFAwetlands

Why your observations matter

Every plant, animal, insect, fungus etc. you see in a Living Lab can be a data point. These observations help:

• Track biodiversity in real time
• Monitor changes due to restoration efforts
• Map species distributions and habitat health
• Support research and policy using real, ground-level data

Whom you can encounter?

Af for now, most commonly met:

• Greylag Goose (Anser anser) — ~986 observations ALFAwetlands
• Common Reed (Phragmites australis) — ~554 observations ALFAwetlands
• Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) — ~550 observations ALFAwetlands
• Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) — ~544 observations ALFAwetlands
• Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus) — ~537 observations ALFAwetlands

How to contribute: Use iNaturalist

We invite you to download/use iNaturalist and join the ALFAwetlands iNaturalist Initiative when you’re visiting.

Here’s how:

• Install the iNaturalist app (or use the web version).
• When you spot something in a Living Lab — bird, plant, insect, fungi, etc. — take a good photo (or more than one) and upload it.
• Tag it/location-stamp it so we know it was in a Living Lab site.
• Join ALFAwetlands iNaturalist Initiative (if you’re not already a member) so your observations go into the project.

What happens with your contributions

• The data you provide feed into ALFAwetlands research on wetlands, ecosystem services, and restoration methods.
• They help build models and scenarios for wetland restoration across Europe. ALFAwetlands
• Your contributions can show what species are thriving, what are struggling, and help guide future restoration actions.