The session, titled “Seeds of Change: Participatory Science for Biodiversity and Equity“, brought together inspiring examples from around the world demonstrating how participatory science can support biodiversity conservation, social inclusion, and community-led environmental action.
Presentations showcased a diverse range of approaches. Researchers from the DAISY project explored how urban citizen science platforms such as iNaturalist can support both biodiversity monitoring and more equitable participation. Earthwatch Europe highlighted the transformative potential of initiatives such as Tiny Forest and NATALIE, while San Diego State University shared how academic libraries can act as hubs for community-driven biodiversity research. The Asia Nature Challenge team presented lessons from coordinating biodiversity monitoring across multiple countries, and the City of Surrey, Canada, demonstrated how community science is informing local government biodiversity monitoring and conservation.
Several common themes emerged across the session. Participants reflected on the growing importance of platforms such as iNaturalist, alongside persistent challenges around inclusion and participation. The “equity gap” was identified across many projects, raising important questions about who participates, who benefits, and how participatory science can become more inclusive.
A further theme was the challenge of evidencing impact. While participatory science is widely recognised for generating positive outcomes, measuring long-term changes in participants, communities, and decision-making processes remains difficult. Discussions highlighted the need for better ways to capture both personal impacts and wider system-level changes, including influences on local authorities, land managers,and community stewardship.
Together, the presentations demonstrated the growing international momentum behind participatory science as a powerful tool for biodiversity action, community engagement, and more equitable environmental decision-making.
