About
The European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) was set up to encourage the growth of citizen science in Europe, and to support the participation of the general public in research processes – across science, social science, humanities and the arts.
ECSA is a membership association that brings together many stakeholders who want to increase the democratisation of knowledge production. We are open to both individual and organisational members; currently, our hundreds of members come from countries across the European Union and beyond.
ECSA supports its members by coordinating citizen science projects, performing research on citizen science, and exchanging experiences and capacity-building. Most of our activities are led by members, and often organised through our thematic working groups. These working groups rely on volunteers, who commit their time and expertise to our activities.
In addition to these activities, ECSA engages in research and coordination projects, and acts as a communications hub for citizen science in Europe. These tasks are led by the ECSA team, which has its headquarters in Berlin, generously provided by the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
1 Additional activities for the European Biodiversity Partnership: Biodiversa+2 Strengthening the capacity of citizen science in biodiversity observation3 Strengthening taxonomic approaches for biodiversity4 Large-scale in situ biodiversity observations for better understanding of biodiversity state, drivers of its decline and impacts of policies5 Assessing and modelling ecosystems’ dynamic processes to guide restoration activities and to improve models used for climate6 Assessing and modelling socio-economic impacts of nature restoration7 Integrated and coordinated approaches for coral reefs and associated ecosystems (mangroves and seagrass beds) conservation, restoration, and climate mitigation and adaptation8 Strengthening pathways to alternative socioeconomic models for continuous improvement of biodiversity9 Understanding the perceptions of and improving communication on the biodiversity crisis and nature restoration benefits to sustain citizen engagement and democratic governance10 Supporting the implementation of nature restoration measures for sustainable farming systems11 Living labs and lighthouses co-creating innovative solutions for forests and freshwater ecosystems restoration12 Breeding for resilience: enhancing multi-stress tolerance in crops
Fair, healthy and environment-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption
1 Additional activities for the European partnership on accelerating farming systems transition - agroecology living labs and research infrastructures2 Additional activities for the European partnership on animal health and welfare3 Overcoming the barriers for scaling up circular water management in agriculture4 Enhancing plant protein production to bolster the resilience of agricultural systems and EU self-sufficiency in plant protein used as feed5 Developing innovative phytosanitary measures for plant health - focus on systems approach for pest risk management6 Improving grassland management in European livestock farming systems7 Fostering animal breeding and genetics for climate change adaptation and mitigation, improved robustness and resilience8 Exploring the potential of controlled environment agriculture (CEA)9 Strengthening the EU crop breeding research and innovation ecosystem for competitive, resilient, and sustainable agriculture10 Diversifying aquaculture production with emphasis on low-trophic species11 Towards modern, integrated, and effective fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) systems12 Nutrition and Mental Health13 Raising citizen awareness on alternative proteins derived from biotechnology14 Nutrients produced by microbes utilising primarily CO2 from the air, with the support of biotechnology