Under the the Amazon Waters Initiative, WCS is researching existing citizen science and participatory monitoring projects in the Amazon Basin.
We are interested in learning and sharing your experience.
WCS is currently gathering information on projects that use scientific techniques and rely on the collaboration of non-scientists in the Amazon Region. We are particularly interested in an holistic approach focusing on waters, wetlands, and biodiversity, that is based on integrated river basin management. Citizen science is considered a critical part of this framework.
Your help will be invaluable to help identify local interests that can unite scientists (specialists) and the wider public (non-specialists) in citizen science endeavors.
How can you participate?
If you know or are part of a project that unites scientist and general public to monitor natural resources, please fill in the online questionnaire (below) or send information about related initiatives to gleite@wcs.org.
You can also access the database of the ongoing research and know more about the those initiatives.
The results of the questionnaire will be available to the public.
What is citizen science?
Citizen Science is a collaborative approach to unite professional scientists and general public to collect and analyze evidences relating to the environment. Citizen Science projects, as well as community-based monitoring practices, can play a major role in improving natural resource information collection and management through the cooperation of a wide array of interested actors, ranging from local rural communities to urban-based institutions concerned with the environment.
How does the citizen science approach relate to the Amazon Waters Initiative?
The conservation and research in the Amazon depends on our understanding of flooded forest ecosystems and the importance of their biodiversity, including both aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna.
The Amazon Waters Initiative understands the importance of using citizen science techniques to provide an adaptive, collaborative network for the generation of information on aquatic resources and social landscapes of the Amazon.
