Managing citizen science projects well is fundamental in generating quality data essential for enhancing knowledge and fostering conservation practice and policy. From recruiting volunteers to evaluating results and outcomes, each component of a citizen science project is an important ingredient for success. Citizen science managers therefore need to be well prepared to implement their projects well- while keeping volunteers they work with motivated– in order to realize their anticipated project goals. Building this capacity is the focus of this second Citizen Science in for Conservation Africa workshop to be hosted by the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi. The 4-day workshop will have a key emphasis on using citizen science results to influence conservation decisions.
The workshop targets participants of the first workshop (in April) giving them a platform to present results of their citizen science projects. The workshop offers a transformative experience in response to the participants needs. Building on the participants’ existing knowledge and expertise, the workshop will strengthen capacity in among others, engaging citizen scientists, communicating results, and streamlining project protocols to maximize data quality. This will allow the managers to develop and implement sustainable citizen science projects in the longer term.
“This follow up workshop will be a great opportunity for the participants to identify emerging issues in their data and enhance their skills in the overall management of their citizen science projects. It will be a much-needed effort in producing citizen science managers who can provide high-quality data and information in areas relevant to policymakers” says TBA Director DR Rosie TrevelyanThe training workshop is organized by the Tropical Biology Association as part of the activities under the Citizen Science in for Conservation Africa – CISCA; CISCA is collaboration led by the Tropical Biology Association and involving University of Cambridge, the British Trust for Ornithology, the National Museums of Kenya, and the Kenya Bird Map Committee with funding from the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. The workshop also involves A Rocha Kenya, who together with the Nature Kenya, and the Tropical Biology Association, and the museum’s founded the Kenya Bird Map project. The next and final event under this project will be a stakeholder forum to happen in the UK in 2020.
