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Taskscape Associates

Citizen Involvement in the UN's Global Biodiversity Framework

Project-supported paper is published on the possibilities of citizen science...




Today, the journal Nature Sustainability published a new paper co-authored by Finn Danielson from project partner NORDECO as part of his work for FRAMEwork. 


The paper explores the potential impact of Citizen Science initiatives on efforts to meet the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF aims to reverse nature's decline by requiring governments to report progress on 23 targets and four goals, and it encourages community-based monitoring and citizen science to improve decision-making and conservation efforts. The researchers assessed how Indigenous Peoples, local communities and citizen scientists could help with these goals. 


They found that, of the 365 GBF monitoring indicators, 30% can involve Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and citizen scientists, while 51% could benefit from citizen data collection. The greatest opportunities for citizens to contribute and interpret data are on targets to reduce threats to biodiversity and to meet peoples’ needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing from biodiversity. However, many indicators are complex or require legislative oversight making citizen involvement less feasible than in previous frameworks. 


© NORDECO

Expanding citizen engagement could enhance data collection and support better conservation actions - and the researchers outline a road map for how this could be achieved, identifying how countries’ environmental agencies can enable citizen engagement. Their suggestions include:


  •  collaborating with Indigenous Peoples and local communities in Indigenous-led and community-led monitoring of local biodiversity; 


  • appointing staff responsible for citizen involvement through community-based monitoring and citizen science; 


  • promoting cooperative approaches and partnerships; 


  • creating real-time communications for community-based monitoring and citizen science (such as web portals); and co-designing guidelines and methods.


Celebrating the paper’s publication, Finn said: 


“Government agencies often have difficulties finding meaningful ways of engaging citizens in biodiversity conservation. There is a need for a ‘road map’ for stepping up citizens’ contributions to halt and reverse global biodiversity loss. This analysis of how government agencies and citizen scientists can collaborate to achieve the targets and goals of the Global Biodiversity Framework is an important first step.”

Read the full paper on Nature Sustainability now. 



More about the Journal


Launched in January 2018, Nature Sustainability is an online-only monthly journal publishing the best research about sustainability from the natural and social sciences, as well as from the fields of engineering and policy. All editorial decisions are made by a team of full-time professional editors.


 

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