Citizen science (CS) plays a core role in biodiversity monitoring, especially species-level monitoring. Besides data, CS engages society in conservation and creates pathways for transformative change. CS is, however, diverse. Some forms of CS have strict protocols; others are more flexible; while others are co-designed. These different types of CS are often associated with trade-offs for spatio-temporal data coverage and quality, as well as the breadth of engagement across society. Novel developments in CS practice, such as adaptive sampling, may help optimize such trade-offs by coordinating efforts. At the same time, technological innovations are rapidly expanding the range of topics that can be addressed with CS.
The opportunities of CS to fulfill the monitoring needs of the GBF are slowly being recognised. However, the role of CS in monitoring still varies across scales, countries and monitoring targets. The impact of CS is most diverse at the local scale, but successful integration of data into national and international scale analyses is still largely restricted to taxa such as birds and butterflies, especially in western countries. Successful case studies and tested workflows could offer templates for how CS could be applied elsewhere.

Here, we offer an interdisciplinary session about research and practice on CS as a tool for local and national biodiversity indicators. Relevant topics could include:
- Pipelines to translate CS data into indicators
- Examples of co-design or novel forms of engagement
- Approaches for including new tools and technologies
- Challenges and opportunities within different forms of CS
- Adaptive sampling or similar novel approaches for integrated monitoring
- Evidence on social outcomes from CS