Have Fun And Save The Planet By Playing The Coffs Coast Eco Quest Coffs Coast Coffs Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - January 16, 2022 Look and snap to win prizes and help save animal and plant species. Photo: Coffs Harbour City Council. THERE is one more week to go to have fun and help the planet by joining the Coffs Coast EcoQuest, which finishes on Sunday January 23. The EcoQuest is a free, fun, outdoor engagement that helps collect information about the biodiversity of our region using an interactive game. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au It utilises the QuestaGame app created by environmental scientists at James Cook University in Queensland who believe in working (and playing) together to protect life on our planet for a sustainable future. Participants take photos of birds, bugs, plants and animals (while remembering to look and snap, but not touch) anywhere in the Coffs Coast region. They then upload their photos to the QuestaGame mobile iOS or Android app (or the website bee.questagame.com) to earn points. Participants try to identify the wildlife and plants they find, but, if they can’t identify something, James Cook University will do it for them. The Coffs Coast Summer EcoQuest, which organisers say is like Pokémon GO in real life with real wildlife and nature, runs over four weeks from Monday 27 December, with weekly winners receiving an $85 voucher from Jetty Dive. The developers of the Questagame app tout it as, “The world’s first game where players help save life on Earth.” Fiona Barden, Coffs Harbour City Council said, “It’s simple and easy to get outdoors, have a game outside and possibly win a prize.” She told News Of The Area that Council started the project last April after James Cook University approached the Council to be involved with its new app and a trial quest was conducted. Ms Barden said during the trial the Coffs Coast had the most participants in regional areas and the third most in Australia. She said the EcoQuest aligns seamlessly with the Coffs Coast being recently announced as the first Eco destination in NSW. Ms Barden said, “The EcoQuest encourages people to get out and enjoy our beautiful area.” More details, including recent weekly winners, can be found at coffsecoquest.com. By Andrew VIVIAN
