Digital tools for empowering citizen science-based conservation

Citizen science is emerging as a highly interesting resource for all fields of academic research as an inexpensive source of raw data. However, the potential of citizen science can go much beyond the populating of data sets and can extrapolate into becoming a decision-turning force at regional or even at global scale. The controversial phenomenon of social networking, when properly channeled by properly designed digital tools, can be used to increase knowledge and awareness on urgent conservation issues. Thousands or millions of app users, united through a common interest in nature conservation and empowered by access to an easy communication channel, can have a major influence in political stakeholders. It is the aim of our session to explore this potential, by the sharing of results and experiences of already ongoing projects or by the presentation of new and under development tools.