Work

City Nature Challenged: Reflections on the Experience of UK City Nature Challenge Organizers

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Biodiversity is declining worldwide and it is necessary to study urban areas to understand global biodiversity changes. The City Nature Challenge, an annual 4-day citizen science event, collects biodiversity data globally. Research has been done into the motivations and barriers of participants, but a notable gap exists in examining the strategies used and challenges faced by organizers of citizen science events. We examined the experiences of seven City Nature Challenge 2024 organizers in the United Kingdom using surveys, interviews and written responses. Phenomenographic analysis identified six organizer typologies to understand the different priorities among organizers for data quality and public engagement during the City Nature Challenge, and how these priorities can influence communication strategies and project outcomes. We offer four key strategies with typology-aligned practical suggestions for effectively organizing a City Nature Challenge. We recommend further research about experiences of citizen science organizers, especially in other cultural contexts.

Source: BioScience

DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaf197

Authors: John Terenzini, Maria Turkenburg-van Diepen, Erin McDonagh, Kian Hayles-Cotton, Smriti Safaya

Institutions: University of Plymouth, University of York, Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm Environment Institute

Language: English

Topic: Species Distribution and Climate Change

Subfield: Ecological Modeling

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Life on land

Open Access status: green

Funder: Croucher Foundation