Macquarie University Biology

A group of about a dozen Year 11 students in jackets and hoodies, seen from behind, standing in long grass and facing a line of wattle and eucalypt scrub. In front of them Dr Martyna Kotowska, in a red top and holding a printed sheet, points into the understorey. — Dr Martyna Kotowska with a Year 11 outreach group at a vegetation monitoring session in a Macquarie University ecology reserve.

Photograph supplied by Dr Martyna Kotowska, Macquarie University.

Domain: university teaching and outreach · Deployment: hosted, standard Fieldmark · Since: ongoing

At Macquarie University Fieldmark® supports authentic field-based learning across both university teaching and community outreach. Second-year undergraduate Biology students use Fieldmark to collect ecological monitoring data including plant biodiversity and aboveground plant biomass as proxy for carbon storage. Working within permanent vegetation quadrats and following TERN’s Ecological Monitoring System Australia protocols, students compare the effects of land management practices such as hazard reduction burns, regeneration planting, and weed control.

The same digital workflow has also been successfully adapted for outreach activities with Year 11 high school students, providing hands-on experience in ecological monitoring and biodiversity assessment. Combined with iNaturalist for plant identification, Fieldmark delivers an efficient, standardised, and engaging field data collection experience that reflects contemporary ecological monitoring practices.

With thanks to Dr Martyna Kotowska, Macquarie University.