What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz is a festival of science in nature. In one of the world’s last wild places, takayna / Tarkine, our BioBlitz will discover and record as many living things as possible over several days. BioBlitzes are fun, educational and meaningful to the community, naturalists and scientists alike. This is an event where everyone can explore, learn and contribute to our knowledge of biodiversity.

Tarkine BioBlitz will bring together volunteer scientists, experts, naturalists and members of the public for a weekend of discovery, biodiversity surveys and fun in a truly remarkable place. We will be cataloguing the biodiversity we discover, adding to the scientific knowledge of this region.

The Tarkine BioBlitz will be held over three days with field surveys from the morning of Friday 23rd November to lunchtime on Sunday 25th November. Arrival at base camp, just south of Smithton in northwest Tasmania, on Thursday 22nd November is advised if you would like to join the Friday morning surveys. You can join the BioBlitz for all three days or just one day.

The main goals of this event are to survey the biological diversity of the Tarkine and share knowledge about the biodiversity and ecology of the region. We will conduct field surveys at sites covering a variety of Tarkine ecosystems. Our central base camp at Riverbend Youth Centre (near Smithton) will provide facilities to share discoveries, identify and collate specimens, database records and, of course, rest and relax after a day in the field.

We see science as a central component of the Bob Brown Foundation campaign for long lasting and secure protection of takayna / Tarkine, including improving our understanding of the biodiversity of the Tarkine region.

We hope you are as inspired by takayna / Tarkine as we are and look forward to having you involved in Tarkine BioBlitz 2018.

Who can join in?

Anyone. BioBlitzes are fun, educational and meaningful to the community, naturalists and scientists alike. This is an event where everyone can explore, learn and contribute to our knowledge of biodiversity. Through BioBlitz we will together create a significant resource of biodiversity data and have an opportunity to share knowledge and enthusiasm for the natural world and one of the last wild places on the planet, takayna / Tarkine.

Where is BioBlitz?

Field sites in the Tarkine we will be visiting include a coast, forest and plains sites. Each day we will travel to our survey sites using minibuses and car-pooling. We will conduct an intensive field study of three locations in the Tarkine – a coastal region, the plains and forest region.

When is Bioblitz?

Tarkine BioBlitz will be held over 72 hours. You are welcome to join us from Thursday 22nd November to Sunday 25th November, or any time in between. 

What about accommodation at BioBlitz?

Our base camp for the duration of the event will be at the Riverbend Youth Centre, approximately 6km south of Smithton, North-west Tas. Accommodation options include motorhome sites, tent camping and dormitories with shared bathroom and toilet facilities.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are catered for by our BioBlitz team.

Each day we will travel out to explore and discover Tarkine coast, forest and plains locations and regrouping at the base camp each evening to share food, discoveries and stories.

We hope you are as inspired by takayna/Tarkine as we are and look forward to having you involved in Tarkine BioBlitz 2018.

We are heading back into takayna / Tarkine for our fourth annual BioBlitz and you are welcome to join us.  Over three years now, Tarkine BioBlitz has compiled perhaps the most extensive invertebrate dataset for the Tarkine, but a lot of work still needs to be done in the region.

For a taste of what happens at a BioBlitz, check out some of the blogs from previous years: