Innovation in Citizen Science – Perspectives on Science-Policy Advances

Authors

  • Susanne Hecker Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ / German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7398-5806
  • Rick Bonney Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York
  • Muki Haklay University College London, London
  • Franz Hölker Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin
  • Heribert Hofer Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin
  • Claudia Goebel Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN)
  • Margaret Gold Natural History Museum, London
  • Zen Makuch Imperial College London, London
  • Marisa Ponti University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg
  • Anett Richter UFZ – Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department Ecosystem Services / German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)
  • Lucy Robinson Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity, Natural History Museum, London
  • Jose Rubio Iglesias European Environment Agency, Copenhagen
  • Roger Owen Scottish Environment Protection Agency
  • Taru Peltola Finnish Environment Institute, Joensuu, Finland / Université Grenoble-Alpes - Irstea, France
  • Andrea Sforzi Museo di Storia Naturale della Maremma, Grosseto
  • Jennifer Shirk Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York
  • Johannes Vogel Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN)
  • Katrin Vohland Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN)
  • Thorsten Witt Wissenschaft im Dialog
  • Aletta Bonn Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ / German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig / Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute of Ecology, Jena, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.114

Keywords:

innovation, science impact, science-policy interface, citizen science communication, Europe

Abstract

Citizen science is growing as a field of research with contributions from diverse disciplines, promoting innovation in science, society, and policy. Inter- and transdisciplinary discussions and critical analyses are needed to use the current momentum to evaluate, demonstrate, and build on the advances that have been made in the past few years. This paper synthesizes results of discussions at the first international citizen science conference of the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) in 2016 in Berlin, Germany, and distills major points of the discourse into key recommendations. To enhance innovation in science, citizen science needs to clearly demonstrate its scientific benefit, branch out across disciplines, and foster active networking and new formats of collaboration, including true co-design with participants. For fostering policy advances, it is important to embrace opportunities for policy-relevant monitoring and policy development and to work with science funders to find adequate avenues and evaluation tools to support citizen science. From a society angle it is crucial to engage with societal actors in various formats that suit participants and to evaluate two-way learning outcomes as well as to develop the transformative role of science communication. We hope that these key perspectives will promote citizen science progress at the science-society-policy interface.

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Published

2018-04-27

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2018)

Section

Meeting Report

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