Was it the mangrove fever? We’re not entirely sure - but what we do know is that our latest Green Drinks brought a full house together for an evening of connection, learning, and inspiration.

A big thank you to everyone who joined us, and a special shoutout to Lucia Caldas Duran from Earthwatch for sharing her work and insights with the community.

Lucia has been the Program Manager (Wetlands, Coastal & Marine Environments) with Earthwatch for about a year, and in that time has already made a strong impact in North Queensland. Her work focuses on bringing people closer to science - creating hands-on opportunities for the community to get involved in environmental monitoring, while also building momentum for longer-term stewardship of our local ecosystems.

Founded in 1971, Earthwatch is a leading international environmental nonprofit operating across the UK, USA, India, Japan and Australia. Their mission centres on environmental sustainability and scientific research, with a strong emphasis on collaboration between scientists, volunteers, and communities. At the heart of their approach is citizen science—empowering everyday people to contribute to real data collection and meaningful environmental outcomes.

And with April marking Citizen Science Month, the timing couldn’t have been more fitting.

Earthwatch has recently launched the Saltmarsh Dashboard—an evolving tool designed to bring together data collected in the field and translate it into practical, on-ground action. The platform helps unpack how data is gathered, how it feeds into the system, and how it can guide priority management decisions to better protect these vital ecosystems.

You can watch a presentation on the useful tool here. 

The Saltmarsh Dashboard is a living, growing resource, with new data continuously being added through community-led surveys. Feedback and ideas are always welcome as the platform evolves.

For those keen to get involved locally: saltmarsh fieldwork around Townsville will resume shortly. It’s a great opportunity to contribute to real scientific research while spending time in some of our region’s most unique and important habitats.

Please contact Lucia, if you'd like to come to one of the surveys ([email protected])