Reshaping Citizen Science for Nature Connectedness and Well-being

This project addresses key research gaps in understanding which specific aspects of a citizen science project can lead to nature connections. Over 8 months, we are bringing together people from the UK and France, across the diverse disciplines of citizen science, biodiversity, education, behavioural psychology and more, to build on nascent research in this field. 

The project involves a 2-day Springboard meeting in York, a 4-day placement in York and a 4-day placement in Paris, to explore the topic of citizen science and nature connection and collaborate on new resources and funding proposals.

As well as sharing our findings through the academic literature, we will produce a good-practice guide for citizen science practitioners, to help them implement pathways to nature connection more intentionally and effectively in their projects. With these outputs, we aim to strengthen experiential environmental education pedagogy for more effective teaching and learning in both formal and informal educational settings and for public engagement with nature-based citizen science projects.

We will also leverage this burgeoning network to develop proposals for further research that considers human and environmental health.