A New Platform to Build and Support Citizen Science Projects in Biodiversity

Citizen science (CS) refers to the active participation of non-professional scientists in scientific research, where they contribute to data collection, analysis, and problem-solving (e.g. Jansen et al. (2024)). It has gained traction in recent years as a means to democratise science and enhance large-scale environmental monitoring, particularly in biodiversity and ecosystem research (Danielsen et al. 2024). The widespread use of mobile phones, together with built-in geolocation features, has facilitated the development and use of mobile applications for CS (Hognogi et al. 2023). However, their development and use require substantial effort, including the need for IT expertise to develop and maintain the app, the infrastructural costs associated with data collection and management, private information security, and the increasing demand for generating Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable data (Wilkinson et al. 2016). In this context, LifeWatch Italy (Tarallo et al. 2025) has developed a CS Platform*1, a comprehensive online resource designed to support every stage of a CS project, from project development to data collection and management. The CS Platform could help overcome the current fragmentation of CS initiatives in Italy by providing a unified framework for managing and sharing information, enhancing understanding of key environmental issues such as biodiversity loss and the spread of alien species.