MyHydroscape has 20 badges across 5 categories. You earn them by submitting records — more records, more species, more counties, more record types, and recording species of conservation concern. Progress is tracked automatically.
Milestones (4 badges)
Based on total submissions across all tools.
- 🌱 First Report — submit your first sighting
- 📊 10 Reports — submit 10 sightings
- 🔬 50 Reports — submit 50 sightings
- 🏆 Century — submit 100 sightings
Species (4 badges)
Based on unique species recorded.
- 🦆 5 Species — record 5 distinct species
- 🌿 10 Species — record 10 distinct species
- 🔍 25 Species — record 25 distinct species
- 📚 50 Species — record 50 distinct species
Geographic (3 badges)
Based on how many counties you've submitted records from.
- 📍 Explorer — record sightings in 3 counties
- 🗺️ Ranger — record sightings in 5 counties
- 🌍 Surveyor — record sightings in 10 counties
Breadth (5 badges)
Based on contributing to each of the five record types (collections).
- 💧 First Water Quality — submit your first water quality observation
- 🐦 First Cormorant — submit your first cormorant sighting
- 🌙 First Roost — submit your first roost count
- 🛡️ First Deterrent — submit your first deterrent log
- ✅ All Five — submit a report to every collection type
(First Roost requires PIN-gated access to the roost survey tool — not available to everyone.)
Conservation (4 badges)
Based on the conservation status of the species you record.
- ⚠️ INNS Spotter — record any invasive non-native species
- 🔴 Red List Recorder — record any Red List species
- 🛡️ Protected Species — record any legally protected species
- 🏅 Conservation Champion — record 5 or more species of conservation concern
Open the Badges section of your MyHydroscape dashboard. Each badge shows:
- Earned — the emoji is lit up, the badge is yours
- In progress — a progress bar and a count (e.g. "7/10 species")
- Locked — not started
Badges evaluate automatically whenever you load the dashboard. There's nothing to claim — when you hit the threshold, the badge appears.
- Breadth badges are the easiest overall. One report in each of water quality, cormorant, and biodiversity unlocks three badges in 15 minutes.
- Species badges reward variety. If you tend to log the same river system, push yourself to log something outside your usual range.
- Geographic badges need travel. Record somewhere new next time you visit family, go on holiday, or fish a new water.
- Conservation badges are about observation. Invasive species (signal crayfish, Himalayan balsam, harlequin ladybird) are common if you look. Red List birds (swift, starling, house sparrow) are probably already in your garden.
- The Century takes time. 100 records is roughly one record a week for two years. It's a long-haul badge.
- They don't unlock features — the app is identical for 0-badge and 20-badge users
- They don't affect data visibility or trust — every record counts equally regardless of the reporter's badge count
- They don't expire or reset
They're there because progress is satisfying, and the app is more satisfying to use when you can see what you've contributed.