A vision for global biodiversity monitoring with citizen science

Pocock, M.J.O, Chandler, M, Bonney, R, Thornhill, I, Albin, A, August, T, Bachman, S, Brown, P.M.J, Fernandes Cunha, D-G, Grez, A, Jackson, C, Peters, M, Rabarijaon, N.R, Roy, H.E, Zaviezo, T and Danielsen, F (2018) 'A vision for global biodiversity monitoring with citizen science.' In: Bohan, D.A, Dumbrell, A.J, Woodward, G and Jackson, M, eds. Next generation biomonitoring: part 2. Advances in Ecological Research series (59). Elsevier, pp. 169-223. ISBN 9780128143179

Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2018.06.003

Abstract

Global biodiversity monitoring is urgently needed across the world to assess the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity. One way to increase monitoring is through citizen science. ‘Citizen science’ is a term that we use in this chapter to describe the diverse approaches that involve people in monitoring in a voluntary capacity, thus including participatory monitoring in which people work collaboratively with scientists in developing monitoring. There is great unrealised potential for citizen science, especially in Asia and Africa. However, to fulfil this potential citizen science will need to meet local needs (for participants, communities and decision makers, including people's own use of the data and their motivations to participate) and support global needs for biodiversity monitoring (including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets). Activities should be feasible (for participants to provide scientifically rigorous data) and useful (for data users, from local to global scales). We use examples from across the world to demonstrate how monitoring can engage different types of participants, through different technologies, to record different variables according to different sampling approaches. Overall, these examples show how citizen science has the potential to provide a step change in our ability to monitor biodiversity—and hence respond to threats at all scales from local to global.

Item Type: Book Chapter or Section
Keywords: Aichi Biodiversity Target, biodiversity, citizen science, community-based, global, monitoring, participatory, Sustainable Development Goal, technology, volunteer
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GB Physical geography
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Q Science > QH Natural history
Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
Divisions: School of Sciences
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aecr.2018.06.003
Related URLs:
Date Deposited: 30 Nov 2018 16:01
Last Modified: 15 Aug 2021 09:51
URI / Page ID: https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/11636
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