animals

Octopus Intelligence

Project lead: Wolfgang Slany
Institute of Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, Graz University of Technology
Address: Rechbauerstr. 12 8010 Graz
Telephone: +43 6641273416
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Animals, Water
Activity: photography, locating, discussing, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://www.octopus-intelligence.org/project.html

Do you love diving or snorkeling? Then become part of marine research! Octopus Intelligence invites you to observe wild octopuses in the Northern Adriatic Sea and document your sightings. Every observation helps to learn more about these fascinating animals and their habitat. What are the aims of the project?The citizen science project Octopus Intelligence studies octopuses in the Northern Adriatic. The goal: to find out where octopuses occur, at what depths they live, how...

Biodiverciti

Project lead: Sebastian Seebauer
JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbh, LIFE Institut für Klima, Energiesysteme und Gesellschaft
Address: Waagner-Biro-Straße 100/9, 8010 Graz
Telephone: +43 316 876 7654
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Plants, Animals, Land use
Activity: photography, counting, locating, discussing, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://biodiverciti.joanneum.at

What role can you play in the biodiversity and climate crisis - in the familiar surroundings of your own garden? Citizen scientists implement biodiversity-enhancing measures in their garden, observe animals and plants and are analyzed how their attitudes and behaviors change.What are the aims of the project?BIODIVERCITI pursues two core research questions to analyze the impact of its intervention on Citizen Scientists and their gardens: 1. What improvements can be achieved in indicator...

Young Citizen Science PolliDiversity

Project lead: Verena Mayer
HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein
Address: Raumberg 38 8952 Irdning-Donnersbachtal
Telephone: 06769232306
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Plants, Animals, Health, Living together
Activity: measuring, photography, counting, identifying, observing
Participation: Closed participation
Project link: https://raumberg-gumpenstein.at/projekte/pollidiversity-young-citizen-science-fuer-biologische-vielfalt.html

In the PolliDiversity project, students explore flowering areas and observe pollinating insects like wild bees. Using digital tools, they collect scientific data and learn how to protect and experience biodiversity.What are the aims of the project?In the PolliDiversity project, students investigate the development of flowering areas using the ReNatura® BW3 Gumpenstein wildflower mixture, observe wild bees and other pollinators, and collect scientific data using digital tools. The goal is to...

Adapt4k

Project lead: Rebecca Hood-Nowotny
Institut for Soil Research, BOKU University
Address: Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Wien
Telephone: +43 1 47654-91176
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Plants, Animals
Activity: measuring, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://adapt4k.com/

ADAPT4K explores how forests can better cope with climate change together with citizens and forest owners. By collaboratively observing and measuring forests, valuable knowledge for their future is generated. What are the aims of the project? The aim of ADAPT4K is to support climate-resilient forest development in Lower Austria together with the public. Over several years, data on forest conditions—such as drought stress, tree...

Forest Groove

A group of children are standing outdoors in a forest. An adult man is holding a homemade directional microphone made from a flower pot with a recording device attached to it, listening intently with one hand to his ear. A child next to him is wearing headphones and also holding a similar directional microphone. Trees, a bench and a parked car can be seen in the background. The scene shows a group activity to record forest sounds.

Project lead: Irene Gianordoli
Bundesforschungszentrum für Wald (BFW)
Address: Seckendorff-Gudentweg 8, 1131 Wien
Telephone: 01878381355
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Plants, Animals
Activity: photography, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://www.bfw.gv.at/forest-groove-waldbiodiversitaet-im-einklang/

Exploring Forest Biodiversity Through Sound Forest Groove explores forest biodiversity together with students through nature observations and sound recordings. The collected data on species and forest sounds support research and make the diversity of the forest audible and tangible. What are the aims of the project? Forest Groove investigates biodiversity in urban and peri-urban forests in Vienna...

Cowwel

Project lead: Susanne Waiblinger
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Address: Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Wien
Telephone: 01250774905
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Food, Animals, Health, Culture
Activity: rating, discussing
Participation: Closed participation
Project link: https://cowlearning.boku.ac.at/cowwel/

A OneWelfare approach studying food vulnerability. The project "COwWEL" examines, together with citizen scientists from socio-economically disadvantaged groups, conditions that promote or hinder healthy and sustainable consumption behaviour in these groups, taking into account attitudes toward animals and their welfare. The goal is to develop strategies and information material to promote fairer and more sustainable food systems....

Vielfalt bewegt! Alpenverein from young to old

Project lead: Brigit Kantner
"Österreichischer Alpenverein" - Department of Spatial Planning-Nature Conservation
Address: Abteilung Raumplanung-Naturschutz, Olympiastr. 37, A-6020 Innsbruck
Telephone: +43/512/59547-15
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Plants, Animals
Activity: photography, counting, identifying, locating, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://vielfaltbewegt.alpenverein.at/

This project of the Austrian Alpine Association - a biodiversity monitoring above the timberline - increases our knowledge about alpine animal and plant species, their habitats and about the interrelationships of our actions and the effects on this sensitive living environment. The collected data on the 20 animal and plant species contribute to scientific questions on biodiversity in the Alps.MessageWhich animals live and which plants grow in our mountains? Within the framework of "Vielfalt...

Monitoring greylag geese in the Almtal

Project lead: Didone Frigerio
Core Facility KLF for Behavior and Cognition - University of Vienna
Address: Fischerau 13, 4645 Grünau im Almtal
Telephone: 07616 8510
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Animals
Activity: counting, locating, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://klf.univie.ac.at/de/forschung/laufende-projekte/grass/

Interested groups (mainly school classes) can participate in this scientific project about the whereabouts of the greylag geese in the Cumberland game park in Grünau im Almtal (Upper Austria).The social behaviour of the flock of greylag geese of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center (a core facility of the University of Vienna) has been monitored for more than 40 years. The birds are individually marked by coloured leg-rings and can move completely free.What is it all about?During the...

Forschen im Almtal (Research in the Almtal)

Project lead: Didone Frigerio
Core Facility KLF for Behavior and Cognition - University of Vienna
Address: Fischerau 11, 4645 Grünau im Almtal
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Animals
Activity: counting, identifying, locating, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://klf.univie.ac.at/de/forschung/laufende-projekte/visible-science/
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Visitors of the Cumberland game park in Grünau im Amtal (Upper Austria) were invited to use an app to enter sightings and behavioural observations of greylag geese, common ravens and northern bald ibises and thus support research projects and the long-term monitoring of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center (KLF).Since its foundation in 1973, the KLF (nowadays a core facility of the University of Vienna) has been dedicated to research on the social systems of free-flying birds. Especially three...

Homegrown

Project lead: Christian R. Vogl
Institut für Ökologischen Landbau Universität für Bodenkultur Wien
Address: Institut für Ökologischen Landbau, Universität für Bodenkultur Wien Gregor Mendel Straße 33 1180 Wien
Telephone: +43 (0)1 47654 93312
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Participation: Closed participation
Project link: https://boku.ac.at/nas/ifoel/arbeitsgruppen/ag-wissenssysteme-und-innovationen-agwi/projekte/homegrown

“Homegrown - There is nothing like a homegarden”Project descriptionWith their variety of plant species and the experience of the gardeners, rural home gardens constitute an integral component of the cultivated landscape in the Lienz district, East Tyrol. Together with pupils of the BG/BRG Lienz school (and biology, math/physics and English teachers), scientists are investigating rural home gardens, including stocks of plant species and the use of plants. These results will be compared with...

NestCams

Project lead: Didone Frigerio
Core Facility KLF for Behavior and Cognition - University of Vienna
Address: Core Facility KLF for Behavior and Cognition - University of Vienna Fischerau 31 4645 Grünau im Almtal
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Animals
Activity: Online game, counting, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://www.birdscience.net/participate/nestcams

In this project, citizen scientists studied the breeding behaviour of greylag geese and northern bald ibises. The project was run by scientists of the Konrad Lorenz Research Center (Grünau im Almtal, Upper Austria).Since its foundation in 1973, the Konrad Lorenz Research Center (KLF, a core facility of the University of Vienna) has been engaged in research on avian social systems. Three bird species in particular are used as models: greylag goose, raven and northern bald ibis.What was it...

Virus monitoring

Project lead: Linde Morawetz
AGES Institute for Seed and Planting Material, Phytosanitary Services and Apiculture - Department for Apiculture and Bee Protection
Address: Spargelfeldstraße 191, 1220 Wien
Telephone: 05055 – 33120
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Food, Animals
Participation: Closed participation
Project link: https://www.ages.at/themen/umwelt/bienen/forschung/zukunft-biene/virenmonitoring/

Which are the most common bee viruses in Austria and are these viruses related to winter losses of local bee colonies? To answer these questions, 200 beekeepers from all over Austria are working as Citizen Scientists in the "virus monitoring" for three years (2018-2020). Each year in September they collect bees from five of their colonies and send them to AGES, Department of Apiculture and Bee Protection. In addition, they report the winter losses of their colonies. The samples are analysed...

Avian malaria

Project lead: Herbert Weissenböck
Institute of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Address: Veterinärplatz 1 1210 Vienna
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Animals, Health
Activity: counting, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/de/pathologie/forschung/fwf-projekte/vogelmalaria/

Reporting and collecting dead songbirdsYou find a dead songbird in your garden? Your cat brings home a dead bird? If you are in this situation, you can support a current research project of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. Avian malariaWithin the framework of the Citizen-Science project "Avian malaria", dead songbirds and woodpeckers from Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland are collected by the Institute of Pathology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. The birds...

PolliDiversity 2.0

Project lead: Verena Mayer
HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein Stabstelle für Akquisition
Address: Altirdning 11 8952 Irdning-Donnersbachtal
Telephone: 0676/9232306
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Plants, Animals
Activity: photography, counting, identifying, taking care
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://raumberg-gumpenstein.at/schule/schule-aktuelles/citizen-science-zum-ersten-mal-an-der-hblfa-raumberg-gumpenstein-mit-dem-projekt-pollidiversity.html

Compared to PolliDiversity, PolliDiversity 2.0. is still about creating habitats for insects, but the tasks of the citizen scientists have changed somewhat due to usability. The project was offered for the first time at the Citizen Science Award in 2021. In 2022, the second round took place in a modified form. Due to career changes of the project participants, the project will not be offered in 2023, but further project runs are planned for the future.The aim of PolliDiversity 2.0. is to...

Cats do science

Project lead: Thorsten Schwerte
Institute of Zoology, University of Innsbruck
Address: Techniker Str. 25 6020 Innsbruck
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Plants, Animals
Activity: rating, observing, experimenting
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://www.uibk.ac.at/zoology/staff/schwerte/katzen-machen-wissenschaft.html

1. DescriptionTake part in a Citizen Science Project, in which your cat will play the main role! According to current knowledge, any kind of damage or addiction to catnip can be ruled out – the administration of catnip to the cat is completely harmless. The experiment requires about 20 minutes a day for three days in a row (preparation time is included). At the end of the experiment, a total of 15 minutes of recordings should result.2. GeneralDear Citizen Scientists!First of all, thanks...

Explorer Challenge

Project lead: Mariela Bartosch
Livin Farms
Address: 2.Haidequerstraße 1-3 Halle 42, 1110 Wien
Telephone: +43 690 10119476
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Food, Animals
Activity: taking care, observing, experimenting
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://thehiveexplorer.com/pages/vienna-school

The Austrian start-up Livin Farms develops innovative technologies for the sustainable breeding of insects. Food and other organic residues can be recycled with the help of insects and converted back into valuable proteins. In this way, cycles can be closed and food systems can be made more sustainable.Explorer ChallengeEducation is another central aspect at Livin Farms. As part of the Explorer Challenge school project Livin Farms brings sustainability, circular economy and insects to...

Forest areas for the forest dormouse

Project lead: Birgit Rotter
Österreichische Bundesforste
Address: Schloss Eckartsau, 2305 Eckartsau
Telephone: 0664 618 89 36
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Animals
Activity: photography, identifying, taking care, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://baumschlaefer.at

OverviewYou can tell by its name: The forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) is a characteristic species for deciduous and mixed forests. It belongs to the dormouse family and its survival is inextricably linked with forest habitats. The forest dormouse is protected throughout Europe, but data on its distribution is largely still missing. So where in Austria can it be found?Have you ever seen a forest dormouse? With its black eye mask, it reminds us of a superhero in action, but in fact it...

Mammoth wasp

Project lead: Dominique Zimmermann
Naturhistorisches Museum Wien
Address: Burgring 7, A - 1010 Wien
Telephone: 01/52177 - 316
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Animals
Activity: photography, identifying, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/forschung/2_zoologie_insekten/sammlungen/hymenoptera/mammoth_wasp

The mammoth wasp Megascolia maculate is the largest wasp species in Europe with a body length of up to 4.5 cm. In Austria, a few specimens of the mediterranean species were found in Vienna and Lower Austria at the end of the 19th century. Since then, there have been sporadic sightings in eastern Austria in recent years. Due to the current climatic warming it can be assumed that the species will spread further in Austria in the next years. In order to observe and document this, we need your...

Friends of the Garden

Project lead: Karin Ernst
Österreichische Gesellschaft für Herpetologie (ÖGH)
Address: c/o Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Burgring 7, A-1010 Vienna, Austria
Telephone: 0043 1 52177 61
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Animals
Activity: observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://www.herpetozoa.at/index.php/aktivitaeten/gartenfreunde

From alpine crested newt to sand lizard - gardening enthusiasts report pleasePrivate gardens not only provide a place of peace and relaxation for humans but can also serve as important habitats and stepping stones for many animal and plant species. Especially the two endangered species groups of amphibians and reptiles can benefit from a garden designed with nature in mind. However, occurrences of common tree frogs, smooth newts, common lizards, and other species in residential...

Garden dormouse

Project lead: Stefan and Christine Resch
inatura - Erlebnis Naturschau GmbH
Address: Jahngasse 9, 6850 Dornbirn
Telephone: 0676833064755
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Topic: Animals
Activity: photography, locating, observing
Participation: Open participation
Project link: https://www.inatura.at/forschung-und-wissen/beobachtungen-melden/gartenschlaefer

Wanted - Garden dormouse in VorarlbergThe garden dormouse, which is active at dusk and at night, has probably the most contrasting coat colouration among the small mammals in our latitudes. It prefers coniferous and mixed forests with rocky ground as its habitat. Little is known about its occurrence in Vorarlberg.In a citizen science research project, the inatura - Erlebnis Naturschau Dornbirn was therefore searching for the garden dormouse in Vorarlberg in cooperation with the apodemus...