Volunteer for London's Rivers

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 2022, 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.
• Monitoring the spread of invasive species during our annual survey of the riverbed in the freshwater tidal Thames.

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:

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.