Earthwatch

Earthwatch is a global, non-profit, private, research organisation dedicated to conducting environmental research related to citizen science. Earthwatch has delivered a unique citizen-science model for over forty years to empower individuals, students, teachers, and corporate fellows to contribute to critical field-research to understand nature’s response to change. Earthwatch’s work supported hundreds of PhD researchers across dozens of countries, conducting over 100,000 hours of research annually. Earthwatch’s mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. To achieve its mission, Earthwatch works with multiple partners (universities, schools, businesses and other environmental organisations) to develop robust and impactful citizen-science programmes that contribute to solving ecological challenges while providing an engaging experience that builds commitment to action. Earthwatch has centred its activities on marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystem research by training and engaging more than 20,000 citizen scientists, including thousands of teachers.

Earthwatch’s scientific team comprises seventeen scientists with experience in national, European and international research programmes on citizen science, and ecosystem monitoring and management. Earthwatch scientists participate in citizen-science--focused working groups and regularly organise and contribute to international conferences (ECSA’s 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024; CSA’s 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023), events and workshops (World Water Week 2017, 2018 and 2019) to promote and improve citizen science. Earthwatch coordinated the European project “MICS” and is a partner in various EU H2020 and Horizon Europe projects, such as “ProBleu”, CROPS”, “CHEERS”, “ILIAD”, and “RURALITIES”.