How the National Park Service is utilizing Citizen Science to contribute to biological resource conservation and inspire the next generation of stewards

The mission of the National Park Service (NPS) mandates preservation of natural resources for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. As critical reserves for North American biodiversity, the... [ view full abstract ]

The mission of the National Park Service (NPS) mandates preservation of natural resources for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. As critical reserves for North American biodiversity, the NPS must be proactive to protect at-risk species, mitigate exotic species, and minimize spread of wildlife disease—but first, parks must know what species they have to protect. Currently, the vast majority of species in parks—primarily invertebrates, non-vascular plants, fungi, and microorganisms—remain unknown. Invasive species, climate change, and loss of habitat are the kind of unprecedented, impending threats that have the potential to wipe species out of a park, or off the face of the planet, before anyone has had a chance to discover them. The amount of resources and expertise required to conduct large scale, comprehensive biological inventories is often beyond the capacity of national park staff to take on alone. By initiating citizen science biological discovery (or BioDiscovery) efforts in national parks, the NPS has made significant progress toward identifying species in parks. As of July 2014, 114 parks have participated in citizen science biodiversity discovery, and more than 7,500 species have been identified—some previously unknown to have existed in a specific park, as well as species that are new to science.

The value of BioDiscovery in the NPS goes beyond the grand challenge of species conservation; BioDiscovery also serves to engage youth and local communities with the stewardship of their national parks. As of July 2014, 30,000 people including professional scientists, educators, students, children, families, NPS staff, and park visitors have contributed to NPS BioDiscovery. With a high emphasis on education and engaging diverse audiences and urban communities, the NPS hopes that BioDiscovery will be one of the primary mechanisms to inspire the next generation of national park and biodiversity stewards.