Data from: Developing the global potential of citizen science: assessing opportunities that benefit people, society and the environment in East Africa

1. Citizen science is gaining increasing prominence as a tool for science
and engagement but has little visibility in many developing countries,
despite being a potentially valuable tool for sustainable development. 2.
We undertook a collaborative prioritization process with experts in
conservation and the environment to assess the potential of environmental
citizen science in East Africa including its opportunities, benefits and
barriers. This provided principles that are applicable across developing
countries, particularly for large-scale citizen science. 3. We found that
there was great potential for citizen science to add to our scientific
knowledge of natural resources and biodiversity trends. Many of the
important benefits of citizen science were for people, as well as the
environment directly. Major barriers to citizen science were mostly social
and institutional, although projects should also consider access to
suitable technology and language barriers. 4. Policy implications. Citizen
science can provide data to support decision-making and reporting against
international targets. Participation can provide societal benefits,
informing and empowering people, thus supporting the United Nations’
Sustainable Development Goals. In developing countries there needs to be
innovation to develop culturally-relevant citizen science benefitting
participants and end-users. This should be supported through regional
networks of stakeholders for sharing best practice.