10 essential apps for exploring (and protecting) nature

Walking with an experienced naturalist guide at your side is not always possible. If excellent manuals allow self-taught training (see, for example, Delachaux and Niestlé editions), technology can also support exploration. Overview of the applications available to transform a simple walk into an enriching experience.

Deciphering bird songs

“Cui”: let’s admit that this is a very limited onomatopoeia to describe the immense variety of bird songs. However, these elegantly varied vocalizations are often the best way to spot our feathered neighbors hidden by foliage.

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Like a “Shazam” of bird songs, the BirdNET application (Google Play / Apple Store) offers, from a sound recording, to determine the species in question thanks to “an artificial neural network”. A tutorial explains how to get the best possible results through your device’s audio settings.

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The “+” of citizen science : Another tool offers to contribute to science by reporting observations on bird behavior. This is BirdLab, an application launched by the National Museum of Natural History (Vigie Nature). In winter, build your feeder using simple materials, follow the protocol and enter your observations on the app.

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Go on a treasure hunt

A sort of giant treasure hunt, Geocaching is one of the free activities to do in Paris and in many other cities in France and Navarre… but know that it is also practiced in nature. The Geocaching app can suggest quests for you to embark on, and guide you through them. It requires registration (free) to function.

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Rather than simple “caches” (the name given to the objectives of Geocaching, generally a notebook to sign as proof of its passage), an application offers to unearth species (or landscapes), in the same way as Pokémon Go, then photograph them. The Biodiv Go application, renamed Explorama, immerses you “in the shoes of an explorer”. Geolocate yourself, and… “catch them all !”

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Don’t need a trophy to motivate you? The digital guide for your future hike is also an application: Visorando. Choose a route based on location, distance, elevation or difficulty level, or create your own tour to take with you. “There is something here for everyone: from a Sunday stroll to a committed mountain journey, including touring hikes and even urban hikes”list the developers.

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“I use Visorando for my scouting (…) and when I’m on vacation to look for very local hikes”. User

The “+” of citizen science : Why not combine business with pleasure with INPN Species, from the National Inventory of Natural Heritage? The app allows you to “discover all the species of French fauna and flora (mainland and overseas)”, while advancing research. No need to be an expert: based on your photos, the location and the simple group (eg: “fish”, “mammal”, “plant”), it is the experts who will then confirm the exact species.

Plants, mushrooms and “little creatures”

If the songs of birds tickle your ears, there is still a good chance that a large part of the living beings encountered on your path are… plants. Pl@ntNet has the good taste of combining artificial intelligence (new “Vision Transformers” system since June 2023) and user participation to determine the species from your photos and location.

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Pl@ntNet, however, reaches its limits when faced with plant species that look very similar, according to the testimonies collected by GEO. For the most motivated, the Île-de-France Regional Biodiversity Agency offers Florif, a website (no app, yet?) developed by botanists Audrey Muratet and Philippe Jauzein. “In the field, I’m happy to have everything on my laptop rather than three big books on my back”confides a user.

Within the plant kingdom, you may be specifically interested in trees. With Forest Keys, from the National Forestry Office (Google Play / Apple Store), answer a series of six simple questions about the tree to find out what species it is. And because it is often “The tree that hides the forest”the app similarly identifies the footprints of wild animals as well as birds of prey seen between the branches.

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On the mushroom side, it is the Champignouf application which will recognize the species in question. Developer Warning: “Remember that Shroom often makes mistakes, and that many mushrooms, poisonous or edible, look alike.” Before consuming your finds, have your basket examined by a pharmacist-mycologist. And leave some for the wildlife…

Finally, to identify the little creatures that flutter around grass and branches, there is Picture Insect (the only paid app on this list, with a 7-day free trial). The tool analyzes your photo to determine the species of insect or spider in question.

The “+” of citizen science : Participatory science is not left out in the field of small animals with Spipoll, from the Office for Insects and their Environment (OPIE). Although, for the moment, the program seems to rely more on the website than the app.

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From (polluted) earth to sky

While walking in nature, you will also – unfortunately – come across trash. “80 % of plastic present in the Ocean comes from inland”, underlines the NGO Surfrider. On board a boat or along the banks, report the presence of plastic in rivers on the Plastic Origins application (free, upon registration). The data will help target pollution control efforts.

Want to turn to the stars? The Stellarium software is now available as an application (Google Play / Apple Store), which allows you to locate the planets of the solar system and the constellations by pointing your smartphone towards the sky. Also watch the satellites pass above you! Its competitor SkyView (Google Play / Apple Store) offers more or less the same functionalities.

List of 10 applications to explore nature and protect it:

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• BirdNET (and the “+” citizen science: BirdLab)
• Geocaching
• Explorama
• Visorando (and the “+” citizen science: INPN Species)
• Pl@ntNet / Florif (web)
• Forest keys
• Mushroom
• Picture Insect (and the “+” citizen science: Spipoll)
• Plastic Origins
• Stellarium / SkyView

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