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Peer-reviewed article

Investing in Citizen Science Can Improve Natural Resource Management and Environmental Protection

September 1, 2015 | Public Programs
Citizen science has made substantive contributions to science for hundreds of years. More recently, it has contributed to many articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has influenced natural resource management and environmental protection decisions and policies across the nation. Over the last 10 years, citizen science—participation by the public in a scientific project—has seen explosive growth in the United States and many other countries, particularly in ecology, the environmental sciences, and related fields of inquiry. The goal of this report is to help government agencies and other organizations involved in natural resource management, environmental protection, and policymaking related to both to make informed decisions about investing in citizen science. In this report, we explore the current use of citizen science in natural resource and environmental science and decisionmaking in the United States and describe the investments organizations might make to benefit from citizen science.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Duncan McKinley
    Author
    USDA Forest Service
  • Abraham Miller-Rushing
    Author
    National Park Service
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    University of California, Davis
  • 2014 04 25 Bonney Rick
    Author
    Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • Hutch Brown
    Author
    USDA Forest Service
  • Rebecca French
    Author
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    University of Washington
  • 2013 09 08 Me woods small
    Author
    Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • Sean Ryan
    Author
    University of Notre Dame
  • Lea Shanley
    Author
    Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
  • REVISE logo
    Author
    Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • Kristine Stepenuck
    Author
    University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • Jake Weltzin
    Author
    U.S. Geological Survey
  • Andrea Wiggins
    Author
    University of Maryland, College Park
  • Owen Boyle
    Author
    Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
  • Russell Briggs
    Author
    State University of New York
  • Stuart Chapin
    Author
    University of Alaska, Fairbanks
  • David Hewitt
    Author
    Academy of Natural Sciences
  • Peter Preuss
    Author
    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • Michael Soukup
    Author
    Schoodic Institute at Acadia National Park
  • Citation

    Publication Name: Issues in Ecology
    Volume: 19
    Resource Type: Research Products | Reference Materials | Report
    Discipline: Ecology, forestry, and agriculture
    Audience: General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals | Scientists
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Citizen Science Programs

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