Making Visible More Diverse Nature Futures through Citizen Science

Abstract

As the effects of the anthropocene continue, the presence and absence of birds has become a growing concern. Citizen science provides a way to collect data about birds and their locations while also building citizen engagement with biodiversity. Recent research on citizen science has highlighted the need to move beyond monitoring projects to understand the outcomes and impacts of citizen science for social-ecological systems. Researchers have explored how science constructs certain categories and ways of knowing, people’s diverse participation experiences, and the potential changes in ecological systems as people shift their practices (or not) in response to citizen science. In this article, we draw on research from a citizen science initiative, the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey, to describe the self-reported outcomes for participants, and consequent impacts/actions for people and nature. We then use the Nature Futures Framework (NFF) to organise the outcomes and impacts to make visible the diverse values around nature that are expressed and fostered through the New Zealand Garden Bird Survey. We conclude by suggesting how citizen science can help mobilise action for more diverse nature futures.

Keywords

• citizen science
• biodiversity
• new zealand
• birds
• nature futures