THRIVE - Towards a Harmonised landscape that expands the Role of citizen science in biodIVersity & Ecosystem services monitoring
from 01/09/2026 until 31/08/2029
THRIVE will deliver a systemic step change in citizen science (CS) for biodiversity and ecosystem observation towards more holistic monitoring systems in Europe. By harmonising tools and data flows, building capacity, engaging diverse communities, and embedding CS data into policy and governance, THRIVE will move beyond fragmented actions towards a coordinated, scalable, and policy-relevant approach. This step change will empower citizens, strengthen evidence-based decision-making, and accelerate Europe’s capacity to address biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, and climate change. It will enhance the CS community's contribution to co-developing solutions, sharing knowledge, and coordinating actions towards more resilient, inclusive and effective biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring in Europe.
A fundamental part of this change is the integration of nature connectedness as a unifying principle. By fostering a deeper sense of connection to nature, THRIVE will strengthen trust and collaboration among stakeholders, inspiring them to work together in shared tasks, strengthened by mutual sense of responsibility for biodiversity and ecosystems. THRIVE will transform diverse actors into active stewards of nature, united by shared values and collective responsibility for safeguarding Europe’s biodiversity and ecosystems.
Aim
THRIVE’s overarching objective is to transform the fragmented citizen science (CS) landscape into a coherent, large-scale and durable network of actors with strong capacity to contribute to initiatives in biodiversity and ecosystem observation (BEO), thus supporting official biodiversity and ecosystems monitoring (BEM) schemes and EU environmental policies. By broadening participation through refined engagement strategies and learning pathways, harmonising tools and protocols, ensuring interoperable data flows and embedding CS into long-term policy frameworks, THRIVE will scale citizen participation and deliver robust, policy-relevant data across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats. THRIVE paves the way to securing CS as a cornerstone of Europe’s biodiversity and ecosystem resilience towards effective climate adaptation and mitigation.
Towards this we will:
- Unify the biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring communities into an inclusive, pan-European network,
- Broaden participation by deploying tailored engagement strategies,
- Empower stakeholders through capacity-building and incentives,
- Connect CS data with policy needs,
- Compile best practices and interoperable tools, and
- Implement scalable methodologies through practice cases.
Guided by nature connectedness, these efforts will not only foster stronger partnerships and inspire people to act, but also deliver a durable step change in how citizen science contributes to biodiversity and ecosystem resilience across Europe and beyond.
How to participate
Join our network, more on this soon.
Needed equipment
About funding
Funding bodies: European Union’s Horizon Europe
