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Project status
Active
Habitat
Rivers
Region/Country
London/United Kingdom
Contact details

The River Thames and its tributaries are home to a diverse array of wildlife, and ZSL is working to conserve and enhance this biodiverse ecosystem.

We're enlisting the help of citizen scientist volunteers in our vital conservation work. Whether you can help for a few hours, days or months, there are a number of projects for you to get involved with throughout the year. 

In 2024, ZSL’s aquatic citizen science projects will include:

  • Outfall Safari’s at various locations across Greater London. These surveys help map, rank and report sources of pollution in rivers in London
  • Riverfly Monitoring Initiative monthly health checks to gauge the health of waterways by looking at the diversity of invertebrates
  • Conserving the Critically Endangered European eel. Help with measuring and counting eels as they migrate through our rivers to better understand their life history and distribution.
  • The Great London Pond project. To map and assess the condition of ponds, we are looking for volunteers to help conduct surveys across greater London.
Outfall Safari Training Sessions 2024

Please sign up to one of our training sessions below to learn how to carry out bankside surveys to identify and score polluting outfalls and to sign up to a section of river to survey. More information can be found on the Eventbrite links below. 

Crane Catchment:

River Rom and Beam

Edgware Brook/Deans Brook/Silk Stream

Beverley Brook

Reading

Swindon

Banbury

The Great London Pond Project Training Sessions 2024

To get involved in The Great London Pond Project, please sign up to one of our training sessions below to help us identify the location and condition of priority ponds in London.

Monday 20th May, London Zoo

https://TheGreatLondonPondProjectLZ.eventbrite.co.uk 

Wednesday 22nd May, Harrow

https://TheGreatLondonPondProjectHarrow.eventbrite.co.uk 

Thursday 30th May, Twickenham

https://TheGreatLondonPondProjectTwickenham.eventbrite.co.uk 

Tuesday 4th June, Beckenham

https://TheGreatLondonPondProjectBeckenham.eventbrite.co.uk 

Thursday 6th June, Croydon

https://TheGreatLondonPondProjectCroydon.eventbrite.co.uk

Monday 10th June, Redbridge

https://TheGreatLondonPondProjectRedbridge.eventbrite.co.uk 

 

This project is supported by the Mayor of London.

What we need from you

You will be fully trained so experience is not necessary and all equipment is provided. All you need is wellies, a willingness to learn from our experts and a bit of spare time to take part - we provide the rest! 

All volunteers must be over 18. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please register here for more information:

Seahorse in the Thames
Citizen science volunteer wading in river with fishing net

Unable to volunteer, but keen to help?

If you are unable to volunteer but would still like to support our conservation work in the Thames, then you can still help conservation scientists to understand how seals use a popular haul-out site in the Thames Estuary. Instant Wild relies on members of the public to identify seals or other species captured in images from camera traps placed at Hamford Water.

If you see a dead or stranded marine mammal, please inform the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme.