Building Biodiversity Knowledge: Mobilising Citizen Science

Abstract

AbstractSouth Africa enjoys a long history of biological exploration and documentation. However, until recently, much of this information remained inaccessible in herbaria, museums and libraries. During the 1970s and ‘80s, a strong tradition of cooperative research led to the rapid expansion of biodiversity knowledge through multidisciplinary biome and ecosystem projects, and through the preparation and publication of synthesis volumes and open access databases. Three projects – the Southern African Bird Atlas, the Red List of South African Plants, and the Custodians of Rare and Endangered Plants – are reviewed as models of cooperative citizen science initiatives, and the application of strategic opportunism in their implementation.