The Citizen Science and Outreach Program

Growing Forests. Growing Future Scientists.

The Miyawaki Forest Outreach Program brings together environmental action, STEM learning and community participation to create pocket forests.

Since 2021, the program has been recognised as one of UNESCO’s Green Citizens projects, a global campaign highlighting inspiring community-led environmental initiatives. Today the ‘Green Citizens’ network includes over 165 projects worldwide, and the Miyawaki Forest Program is proud to be part of this growing movement for positive environmental change.

Through the program, students and communities don’t just learn about ecosystems, they build one together.

Our goal is simple - to inspire the next generation of scientists, environmental leaders and eco-warriors.

Composting - Building the Forest from the Ground Up

Every forest begins with the soil.
Students and community members get their hands dirty collecting food scraps and organic waste from their school and local community to create compost for the forest site. This compost becomes a vital part of the soil remediation process, enriching the soil and creating the conditions needed for plants to thrive.
Through this process, students experience the power of a circular economy in action, transforming waste that would otherwise go to landfill into a valuable resource for their forest. They learn how composting helps reduce methane emissions, improve soil health and support sustainable ecosystems.
It’s a powerful lesson - healthy forests start beneath our feet.

Forest Creation - Planting a Living Ecosystem

Once the soil is prepared, it’s time to plant.
Students, teachers and community members come together to plant their very own Miyawaki pocket forest. Carefully selected locally native plant species are densely planted .
This is one of the most exciting moments of the program: a community working side-by-side to create a living ecosystem.
As the forest grows it will:
  • increase local biodiversity
  • provide habitat and food for native wildlife
  • create cooler, greener school environments
  • reconnect students and communities with nature.
In just a few years, what began as a patch of soil transforms into a  forest.

Planting the forest is just the beginning.

Students return to their forest regularly as citizen scientists, monitoring how the ecosystem develops over time under the guidance of the Murdoch University team.
Through hands-on investigations students collect data on:
  • plant growth and survival
  • biodiversity in and around the forest
  • temperature differences inside and outside the forest
Students record their observations using citizen science platforms such as MyPestGuide Recorder (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) and iNaturalist, contributing valuable biodiversity data while learning real scientific methods.

Learning Through Nature

The Miyawaki Forest Outreach Program provides students with a unique opportunity to experience hands-on environmental education through the creation and monitoring of their own school forest.

By combining formal classroom lessons with outdoor learning in a Miyawaki forest, students connect scientific concepts with real-world environmental action

Through guided activities, students investigate how ecosystems function while participating in citizen science monitoring of their forest.

They observe plants and wildlife, measure environmental conditions, explore the soil , and record biodiversity. These practical experiences help students develop scientific inquiry skills, environmental awareness, and a deeper connection with nature.

The program also introduces students to the role that urban forests and biodiversity restoration play in creating more sustainable and climate-resilient cities.

The Miyawaki Forest Outreach Program supports learning outcomes within the Western Australian Curriculum, particularly in Science, while also linking to Humanities and Social Sciences (Geography), Design and Technologies, and the cross-curriculum priority of Sustainability.

By participating in the program, students gain an understanding of ecosystems, climate solutions and environmental stewardship while contributing to the restoration of biodiversity within their school and community.

Nature, Wellbeing and Inspiration

There is much to learn and understand from nature but there are benefits beyond education. Spending time in nature has well-known physical and mental health benefits. Watching a forest grow that you helped create is something even more powerful.

The Miyawaki Forest Outreach Program helps students develop a lasting connection to nature, a deeper understanding of ecosystems, and the confidence to take positive environmental action.

A child wearing a red hat and teal shirt crouches on a dried grassy area measuring a plant with a tape measure, surrounded by bushes and trees.
A person holding a black fuzzy caterpillar on their hand, with grass and part of their clothing visible in the background.
Two children crouch in a garden or farm, recording data on a clipboard, with one child holding a soil tester or plant health device, surrounded by plants and a metal fence.
A young student dressed in a red shirt and hat, standing among green plants in a garden or schoolyard, taking notes on a clipboards with a measuring tape hanging nearby during daytime.
A close-up of a hoverfly on a pink and white flower with green foliage in the background.
Two children, wearing blue hats and blue uniforms, are outdoors near green bushes and trees, looking at and reaching towards a tall pole or stick.
Two children with hats in a botanical garden, one squatting and writing, the other standing and observing, surrounded by various plants and shrubs.
Two children, a girl and a boy, are outdoors among green plants. The girl is kneeling and writing in a notebook with a clipboard, while the boy is crouching down and looking closely at something on the ground. Both are wearing hats and blue sweatshir

The Miyawaki Forest Program gratefully acknowledges funding through the Plico Future Fund for the outreach and education aspects of the program