SA residents will be able to do their bit for conservation, while still working in their local environment or from home.
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The SA government has established a $2 million Citizen Science Fund to support public participation and collaboration in scientific research with the aim of increasing scientific knowledge.
This will include the establishment of two grant streams - a small grants program up to $15,000 per project, and a large grants program awarded through a targeted expressions of interest process.
Climate, Environment and Water Minister Susan Close said the new grants program would allow them to support and encourage existing and emerging citizen scientists and projects, while generating valuable information about the environment.
"Ensuring the survival of SA's threatened species is a key priority for the state government and these grants will support new and exciting projects which will super-charge conservation efforts allowing more people to be actively involved," she said.
"The rapid decline of native species is of great concern, and we must act to slow and stop the disappearance of SA's unique plants and animals for the benefit of future generations."
Launched as part of the international Citizen Science Month, Department for Environment and Water will administer the Environmental Citizen Science Grants program.
Eligible projects may address research questions or gather data about living things and the natural environment including plants, animals, fungi, species, ecosystems, ecological communities, soil, water, and air.
University of Adelaide ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity & Heritage postdoctoral researcher Tahlia Perry developed a national citizen science project, EchidnaCSI, during her PhD, which has engaged more then 15,000 people across Australia to provide the best sighting data for echidnas and new information on their diet and health, especially for the locally endangered Kangaroo Island echidna.
"Citizen scientists of all ages and educational backgrounds participated in EchidnaCSI by taking photos of echidnas through a dedicated phone app and even collected echidna scats (faeces) for us to use molecular tools to learn more about the wild and elusive echidna populations for conservation outcomes," she said.
"Citizen science not only allows researchers to engage the public in the scientific process, but it enables research to happen at a larger and faster scale than what is possible with more traditional methods.
"SA has developed a strong network of citizen science expertise in many areas of research, government, community and teaching and it is exciting to see this recognised and financially supported by the government's initiative."
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The large grants program, which will be open later this year, allows for more targeted, co-designed and longer-term citizen science projects to be funded, with research focused on key environmental questions that could inform conservation activities or policy decisions.
Applications for the small grants close on May 11.
