Since its birth, citizen science has yielded enormous benefits for scientific research, contributing to the collection of relevant information for the scientific community and the dissemination of helpful and informative content on crucial issues such as pollution and climate change. This tool has grown exponentially over the last decade, proving extremely useful in addressing the challenges facing conservation biology today.
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The article by McKinley et al., titled "Citizen science can improve conservation science, natural resource management, and environmental protection", describes two intertwined pathways through which citizen science can improve conservation efforts, natural resource management, and environmental protection. The first path involves the shared construction of scientific knowledge, while the other involves informing policy and encouraging public action.
We know that citizen science is already a major contributor to many fields of research, including conservation and environmental science; it also provides valuable support for improving natural resource management, environmental protection policies and fosters the development of public engagement. Many kinds of projects can benefit from citizen science, but care must be given to meeting the needs of research and of the participating public in the right kind of project. If properly designed, implemented and evaluated, citizen science can efficiently generate high-quality data and help solve the challenges we face.
What are you waiting for? Find your nearest citizen science project and support scientific research. Your contribution can be important for the fate of life on our planet!
