Australia’s coastal waters are warming faster than the global average, especially in the climate change hotspots of south-eastern and south-western Australia. Over time, these temperature increases are predicted to impact species’ distributions, fisheries and conservation management. REDMAP (Range Extension Database and Mapping Project) allows the public to submit geo-referenced observational data (including photographs) on marine species occurring outside their known distribution. Species identifications are verified by a large panel of expert scientists using a semi-automated workflow which provides individual feedback to the observer. The sightings, including photographs, then appear on the website.
By logging sightings of marine species’ movements, members of the community are actively and constructively contributing to this large-scale monitoring program through activities they enjoy such as fishing, diving and boating. This involvement of ‘citizen scientists’ is crucial to the collection of cost-effective long-term data over Australia’s vast coastline. At the same time, REDMAP provides an easily-accessible and interactive source of current scientific information, thus facilitating a two-way knowledge exchange.
Within this talk, I will also discuss the steep but rewarding learning curve of social media tools for science communication.  Facebook and Twitter have been the main means of communicating the comprehensive information captured within the Fishes of Australia (www.fishesofaustralia.net.au) website, a beautiful and authoritative collation of knowledge on Australia’s large and diverse fish fauna. These methods not only advertise the site, but provide information on issues affecting Australian fishes and their habitats. While maintaining a presence in cyberspace is incredibly time-consuming, it’s a great ride.