Putting the spotlight on the biggest issues in gardening today
BY LIZ POTTER Liz Potter is a leading gardening journalist and editor
Citizen science takes strides to save nature
April has been designated
Citizen Science Month, in recognition of the contribution members of the public make to scientific enquiry. In particular, amateur wildlife recording is on the rise: there are at least 44 projects to take part in this year
(bit.ly/citizensciencecalendar), organised by universities, museums, conservation charities and government departments. Much of this is fired by the urgent need to map Britain’s biodiversity and monitor the spread of invasive pests and diseases.
“Citizen science is a method where anyone can get involved in answering a specific scientific question without formal training,” explains Sammy Mason, Science Communicator at the University of Edinburgh. “This usually means collecting data, or analysing it, as part of an organised research project, collaborating with scientists at a university.”
“There are all sorts of levels of citizen science, from one-off counting the birds in your garden, such as the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, to wandering around recording interesting bees or flowers using a smartphone app,” explains Professor Dave Goulson, co-founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and founder of citizen science group Buzz Club.
“Using apps such as iNaturalist or iRecord you can upload a photo and have the subject verified by a network of experts. The picture can then be added to a database, mapping the distribution of different species. It’s a really valuable activity and you can dip in and out as you see fit.”
Other schemes may require greater commitment. For the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Professor Goulson and his PhD student Leanne Casey started the BeeWalk, where people walk a specific route monthly, identifying and counting bees. “It’s only been going 15 years but already it’s the only long-term data set in the world on wild bee populations,” says Professor Goulson.
Many schemes feed into the National Biodiversity Network’s searchable map. “We collate data from 170 UK organisations,” says CEO Lisa Chilton. “Were it not for us, that information would sit in individual spreadsheets across the UK. Data is no good if it’s not doing anything.”
Remarkably, the vast majority of
