The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is strengthening the role of citizen science in global conservation efforts following the approval of Resolution 125, which recognizes citizen science as an important approach for collecting conservation data and engaging communities in protecting nature.
The resolution was approved during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in 2025, marking a major step toward integrating citizen and community science into conservation policies and programmes worldwide.
Citizen science allows people, communities, Indigenous groups, rangers and conservation supporters to contribute to scientific research and environmental monitoring. By involving a wider range of participants, it helps generate large-scale data while encouraging public engagement with biodiversity protection and ecosystem management.
The initiative was led by Adventure Scientists, an IUCN Member organisation, which developed and submitted the motion with support from several global conservation groups. The proposal highlighted the need for citizen science to become a cross-organisational priority across IUCN’s network rather than being limited to a single commission.
During the 2025 IUCN Congress in Abu Dhabi, 148 motions were submitted by Members, with 144 approved as Resolutions or Recommendations. Resolution 125 became part of IUCN policy and called on the Union and its Commissions to embrace citizen science as a key conservation approach.
The approval of the resolution has resulted in the creation of a cross-commission Citizen Science Task Force involving representatives from all seven IUCN Commissions. The task force is working to promote the use of citizen science through research, technology, knowledge sharing, policy development and capacity building.
Citizen science is also now reflected in IUCN’s Strategic Vision and the 2026–2029 Programme, which emphasize inclusive approaches to conservation monitoring and the importance of integrating diverse sources of knowledge, including Indigenous perspectives.
The task force has already developed resources to support conservation practitioners, including guidance materials, global case study collections and examples of successful citizen science projects. These efforts aim to help organizations use community participation to improve biodiversity monitoring and conservation decision-making.
As global environmental challenges continue to grow, IUCN Members believe citizen science can play a vital role in making conservation more inclusive, evidence-based and connected to communities. The initiative encourages experts, organizations and conservation groups to participate in citizen science programmes and contribute to the future of global nature protection.
