Citizens Turning Into Scientists: A Calling to Boost the Knowledge of the Public to Address the Environmental Crisis in the Brazilian Semiarid

Abstract

The Brazilian Semiarid Region is in a vulnerable state due to ongoing anthropogenic pressure. The lack of efficient regulation of regional economic development has resulted in deforestation, desertification, and soil salinization, threatening traditional communities, cultures and biodiversity. Although technological and scientific progress can help to address climate and environmental crises in the region, fragmented knowledge of biodiversity status and trends along with poor infrastructure to monitor environmental quality impede safeguarding ecosystem functions and cultural heritage. In this essay, we suggest a potential solution to fill knowledge gaps through citizen (or community) science. We discuss how public engagement can provide large-scale data, while raising public awareness with regard to conservation considering human and environmental aspects of the Brazilian Semiarid Region. We argue that converting laypeople into scientists through participative monitoring can efficiently increase our knowledge and public scientific literacy to support public policies to avoid biological extinctions and environmental injustice.

Keywords

Brazilian semiarid region / Caatinga / citizen science / conservation

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2025 The Author(s). Integrative Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG).