Roxanne is an Ecology Specialist - Terrestrial Ecology and Conservation Group at Beacon Development KAUST. Over the last 10 years, Roxanne has explored many mountains, wadis and mangroves conducting ecological field surveys in UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia. From tracking foxes and leopards, to satellite tagging seabirds and humpback whales, counting kingfishers and collecting insects. Roxanne has led many field trips involving students and volunteers to document local flora and fauna, and encourages everybody to get involved in natural history.

iNaturalist and similar platforms such as eBird are powerful tools to engage, collaborate and raise awareness as well as collect valuable data for global biodiversity databases, and there are even success stories of iNaturalists discovering new species or species thought to be extinct in the wild. Roxanne organised a similar event for the Emirates Natural History Groups in 2021, when 900 observations were made, 170 experts, enthusiasts and amateurs from around the world helped identify all 350 species recorded!