Citizen Science and LandSeaLot: Harnessing the Potential of Public Participation in Research
Let's talk about citizen science!
What is citizen science?
Citizen science is public participation in scientific research. All over the world, people are contributing to science by observing their surroundings, gathering information, collecting samples and more. With advancements like smartphone apps and affordable technology, contributing to science is easier than ever before.
What’s the role of citizen science in LandSeaLot?
LandSeaLot’s goal is to streamline and improve how people observe and collect data about land-sea interface areas across Europe. These areas – including coasts, estuaries and bays – are hugely significant for our economy, society and environment. The more we know about them, the better we can understand and protect them in the long term.
To achieve this goal, LandSeaLot is activating and scaling up collaborations between researchers and members of the public. Collaborators hail from diverse groups, including marinas, fishing communities, aquaculture producers, schools, NGOs and recreational groups. But what they have in common is valuable access to and knowledge of local and regional land-sea interface areas.
How is LandSeaLot supporting and activating citizen science?
To support collaborations between researchers and members of the public, LandSeaLot will equip partners with low-cost, accessible technology and provide training on observation and data collection, both online and in select locations. By providing citizens with training to collect data and platforms to support researchers in other capacities, we can bridge observational gaps, enhancing our understanding of the natural world.
These partnerships and activities are intended to unlock the potential of public participation in research and contribute to the development of a common observation strategy for the land-sea interface area that takes diverse perspectives into account.
What’s next?
- In Summer 2025, LandSeaLot will launch the Citizen Science Hub and Training Academy.
- The Citizen Science Hub will be a space to share ideas and initiatives that unlock the potential of citizen science for observing the land-sea interface. The Training Academy will announce upcoming r upcoming trainings with targeted citizen scientists – and citizen scientists in the making – across Europe, offer online resources and trainings, and showcase success stories from the land-sea interface.
- We’ll also be unpacking LandSeaLot and citizen science on social media. Follow us to learn more
Comments are closed