The Department of Earth and Climate Science at IISER Pune hosted a meeting of groups and individuals involved in citizen science in and around the Pune district. The aim was to provide a platform for citizen scientists to network with each other and with scientists from academic institutions to help foster the growth and impact of citizen science initiatives in the Pune region.

Abstract: The newly emerging field of Citizen Science (CS), defined in the Oxford English dictionary as “scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, often in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions” is gaining rapid popularity in India, and shows considerable potential to contribute to environmental monitoring, regulation and decision-making.

Based on research conducted over a year and a half at the DST Centre for Policy Research, IIT Delhi, this presentation is the first account of its kind that documents, maps and analyses this phenomenon in the context of India. It looks at the history of Citizen Science, both globally and in India, asks what Citizen Science actually means in the Indian context, presents perspectives of co-ordinators of such projects in India, and studies how these ideas are mobilised and implemented in this landscape. We present important elements of what has happened in recent years in Citizen Science in ecology in India through a study of 17 such projects and sets the stage for what might be expected in the years to come.

About the Speaker: Pankaj Sekhsaria is Associate Professor, Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), IIT Bombay and Co-Author, First Steps - Citizen science in ecology in India (2022)

THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS OF THE SPEAKER(S) EXPRESSED IN THIS VIDEO DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OR OPINIONS OF IISER PUNE

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