Introduction (1 minute)
Citizen science, as indicated in its name, is an activity that contributes to science in general. You have now discovered through the previous sections that it can be applied in every domain of science and throughout any step of the scientific process. This section will now provide you with an overview of the benefits that citizen science can bring to other aspects of society, besides the production of science.
With practical examples, we will go through different aspects of our society that can be impacted by citizen science projects or results.
First, of course, scientific studies can take a great benefit from citizen science to gather data or to conduct experiments. Also, society itself and local communities can find in citizen science a tool to improve citizen’s lives. Then, interactions between citizen science and policy are mutual, as citizen science brings tools and pieces of evidence that policymakers can use in their activities, and policies are crucial to support citizen science activities. Finally, we will explore together how citizen science raises awareness about environmental or global issues.