The Role of Citizen Scientist in the Emerging Scientific World: Supporting CEPA Through Advancements in Wildlife Conservation

Abstract

Recently, citizen scientists have gained recognition for engaging the public in collaboration with professional scientists in scientific actions. Citizen scientists act as an important force contributing to the Community, Education, and Public Awareness (CEPA) initiatives and promoting sustainable development. Thus, the study's objectives are to conduct a systematic review for citizen scientists in addressing the challenges of working in environmental conservation research and to address the way forward for fellow citizen scientists. We conducted a systematic literature review using the SCOPUS database in September 2023 to review the relatable article on citizen science. The result successfully extracted 118 related articles by applying a few keywords, ‘Conservation’, ‘Education’, ‘Environment’, ‘Management’, and ‘Citizen Scientist’ as a primary keyword. Notably, approximately 62% of articles published focused on environmental conservation involving animals and plants. This study also highlights the contributions of citizen scientists in conserving and monitoring biodiversity, including volunteering activities. In conclusion, this review emphasizes citizen scientists' transformative potential in supporting CEPA and offers insights into the crucial role of citizen scientists and their promising pathway toward sustainability.