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Short Abstract

Citizen science can provide a powerful tool to engage in learning about and connecting to nature, and in megadiverse countries of the Global South it may be the only source of biodiversity data. It can thereby also engender social licence and collective action for conservation.

Abstract

Motivation for the roundtable: Citizen science can provide a powerful tool to engage in learning about and connecting to nature, and in megadiverse countries of the Global South it may be the only source of biodiversity data. It can thereby also engender social licence and collective action for conservation.

Relating to our FLOW - freshwater monitoring project with the German angling association, I would like to discuss how citizen science can serve as an important means to connect to local communities and stewards of natural habitats (e.g. anglers), and empower local people to create the evidence for informed conservation planning and management. In addition citizen science can shape learning about biodiversity and ecosystems and drivers of change, and in this way also a sense of ownership and collective efficacy for conservation. Especially in megadiverse countries citizen science may thereby form transformative means towards biodiversity conservation.