BIROn - Birkbeck Institutional Research Online

    Linking 'citizen scientists' to professionals in ecological research, examples from Namibia and South Africa

    Araya, Yoseph N. and Schmiedel, U. and von Witt, C. (2009) Linking 'citizen scientists' to professionals in ecological research, examples from Namibia and South Africa. Conservation Evidence 6 , pp. 11-17. ISSN 1758-2067.

    Full text not available from this repository.

    Abstract

    The use of trained members of the public (‘citizen scientists’) to help monitor and collect data in science-driven environmental research projects is not a new concept e.g. the Cornell bird program, USA, has been ‘partnering’ with the public since the 1960s (University of Cornell 2008). However, this concept has yet to find much following in developing countries where often the greatest need for conservation lies. We examine the effectiveness of citizen scientists (‘plant custodians’, ‘paraecologists’ and ‘eco-club volunteers’) in monitoring (e.g. species rediscovery, red list classification, range extension) and how it integrates with ecological research (e.g. ethnobotany, livestock census), citing examples from three biodiversity hotspots in Southern Africa (Namibia and South Africa). Information collected by custodians has helped to prioritise plant species that are in need of conservation attention. Paraecologists have played a key role in supporting the fieldwork of researchers. Various eco-club activities have been undertaken with schools, and a network of eco-club volunteers has been developed.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
    Depositing User: Administrator
    Date Deposited: 25 Aug 2009 10:19
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 17:00
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/5593

    Statistics

    Activity Overview
    6 month trend
    0Downloads
    6 month trend
    262Hits

    Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.

    Archive Staff Only (login required)

    Edit/View Item Edit/View Item