We are launching THRIVE, a European project to harmonise the use of citizen science in biodiversity observation and to ensure that the data collected reaches official systems and environmental policies.
In late September, we met in Berlin with the rest of the consortium to start working towards the project’s objectives.
THRIVE (Towards a Harmonised landscape that expands the Role of citizen science in biodIVersity & Ecosystem services monitoring) is a Horizon Europe project, coordinated by the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) and the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI), that brings together 16 European organisations to strengthen and harmonise the role of citizen science in biodiversity and ecosystem observation.
This past September, the partners met at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin. It was two and a half days of workshops, discussions and co-creation sessions, with natural history museums, citizen science specialists, collaborative biodiversity observation platforms, universities and non-governmental organisations. It was also a chance to get to know each other in person, set objectives and start working with a shared direction and shared values.
Project objectives
Europe has many citizen science initiatives that collect valuable biodiversity data, but each one uses its own tools, methods, formats and protocols to acquire, process and store information. This makes it difficult for that data to be combined, reused and taken into account when decisions are made. Keeping people involved in the long term is not easy either. THRIVE wants to change this picture and move towards a more coordinated and harmonised system, in which citizen science and biodiversity initiatives use standardised resources and follow common guidelines to make it easier to use data in research and public policy.
To achieve this, the project works on three fronts: participation, data and policy. It will do so in three phases: first mapping and analysing what already exists, then consolidating it together with the main stakeholders and, finally, scaling it up. Among its goals are making it easier for more people to take part in biodiversity observation in a harmonised way, including groups that currently face more obstacles to doing so, and creating a European network that connects those who work in citizen science, those who research biodiversity observation and protection, and the bodies that develop public policy. Training and resources will also be offered, and citizen observations will be linked to regulations such as the Habitats Directive and European nature restoration legislation. All of this will be tested in seven case studies in very different ecosystems. In addition, THRIVE will bring citizen science into schools, so that students can reconnect with science and with nature.
Ibercivis’s role
At Ibercivis, we are responsible for identifying, analysing and harmonising the tools and methodologies used to obtain and manage biodiversity data, for analysing the use of artificial intelligence-based tools, and for managing their practical deployment through the case studies. The aim is for citizen science data to be easier to acquire, share and reuse, and to be useful for the study of biodiversity and for public policy.
Our tasks include drawing up a roadmap towards harmonising the tools, protocols and standards currently used in citizen-led biodiversity observation, and developing an artificial intelligence tool that helps identify which citizen science resources can meet specific biodiversity policy needs. These activities will include co-design processes with users and professionals to ensure alignment with their real needs, as well as training on biodiversity data management in line with FAIR principles, aimed at projects, data managers and developers.