Want to join science? The role of the public in monitoring and researching the ecosystem

Scientists play a key role in environmental research and in advicing governments on sustainable utilization of natural resources. But the public can help them with data collection. For this, a bridge must be built between science and the society. Experience shows that it can result in multiple effects that extend far beyond the knowledge enhancement as such, not least in the form of attitudes, environmental literacy, responsible behavior and increased skills in the care of nature.

Cooperation of this kind is known in this country. BirdLife Iceland and the Icelandic Glaciological Society are good examples of this. However, more experience has been gained from collaboration between the public and scientists abroad. It goes by various names “Citizen science”, “co-generation of knowledge” and “social learning” are good examples of this. Developments have been rapid and accordingly, governments in several countries have devised policies, foundations, established books to strengthen the foundations and provided guidance on how best to achieve and, non the least, accelerate this important revolution in the acquisition, dissemination and utilization of knowledge.

This experience the Nordic Region in Focus, United Nations University Land Restoration Training Programme, Icelandic Environment Association, BirdLife Iceland, Center for Arctic Policy studies and Environmental and Natural Resources at the University of Iceland wish to bring to Iceland. Therefore will these partners hold a seminar on this topic at the Nordic House in Reykjavik.

Project presentations:

• Simon Leed Krøs, Project Manager Biodiversitet Nu in Denmark.
  The project is under the auspices of the Danish Naturfredningsforening and has enabled thousands of Danes to record information about the country’s nature. These are the sister organizations of Landvernd who are behind the project.
• PâviâraK Jakobsen, Attu Natural Resources Council in West Greenland.
  The Attu Natural Resources Council was awarded the Nordic Council Environment Prize 2018 for a hard work where hunters are activated to record information on the biosphere that can be used in marine management.

Following the speeches there will be panel discussions which will be held with the participation of Icelandic natural scientists, who are: Kristinn Haukur Skarphéðinsson ecologist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History and Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir, professor in plant ecology at the University of Iceland.