Connecting Citizen Science to policy for transformative biodiversity action: insights from Bioagora

Although citizen science (CS) is a well-established topic in biodiversity, its policy impact remains inconsistent across scales, local to EU level. The BioAgora project aims to connect the biodiversity research with the needs of policy making through the development of fair and functional Science Service. In doing so, it aims to integrate citizen science as a vital component of biodiversity decision making and governance. Our work explores how citizen science initiatives contribute to transformative biodiversity action by engaging local communities, generating high-quality environmental data, and what can foster and hinder the interaction with policy process. At the same time this work aims to highlight the transformative potential of citizen science in its ability to democratize knowledge production, empower diverse stakeholders, and respond to the current biodiversity challenges.

The current work presents insights from the BioAgora project, designed to strengthen the science-policy-society interface, integrating citizen science as an integral aspect of biodiversity governance. Drawing on empirical insights from the project, we illustrate the linkage between citizen science and policy in domains such as marine, freshwater, pollination and nature-based solution.  

In doing so, CS projects and infrastructures were mapped. In addition, criteria based on the existing literature were developed to assess the policy interaction and impact of the citizen science projects. Based on the criteria, semi structured interviews and online survey was developed and administered.

Our findings emphasize, what is needed to better connect citizen science to policy needs while ensuring data quality, interoperability, and mutual learning. We also discuss barriers and opportunities for scaling up citizen science to maximize its impact on biodiversity decision-making. By positioning citizen science as a key enabler of transformative change, this work aims to advance discussions on how participatory approaches such as CS can drive more effective and inclusive biodiversity policymaking and support in bridging the gap between science, policy and society.

This work was supported by Bioagora, Grant Number 101059438