Citizen science

Research is not solely the domain of scientists: amateurs, volunteers, and schools sometimes play a key role. This is particularly true in the natural sciences. Our institute boasts a tradition of citizen science: monitoring wild birds, cataloging biodiversity, observing animals in the classroom, and more. Citizen science has been on the rise since the advent of digital cameras, GPS devices, and specialized apps and websites that facilitate the sharing of data.

Ongoing projects

Become a bird ringer

Bird ringing is a tool for monitoring and observation of wild bird populations. How to become one of our ringers?

FlatwormWatch Project

The aim of FlatwormWatch is to discover with the help of citizens which species of exotic terrestrial flatworms are already present in Belgium.  

Citizen scientists in the news

A rare species of fossil crab named in honor of one of our volunteers

Paleontologists have named a new species of 85-million-year-old fossil crab, found in the Houthalen coal mine, after volunteer Patrick De Saegher. He has been digitizing historical documents for the Institute for twelve years.

Amateur paleontologists donate rich collection of fossil shark and ray teeth to our Institute

Citizen scientists have donated tens of thousands of fossil shark and ray teeth to the Institute. They were excavated at the clay quarry of Egem in West Flanders, and bear witness to the rich diversity in the shallow tropical sea around 50 million years ago in our regions.

Citizen scientists describe 31-million-year-old driftwood with attached sea life from Schelle

Amateur palaeontologists have unearthed a large piece of driftwood that ended up in the sea some 31 million years ago and around which a lot of marine life fossilized. A rare find.

New fly species described from the Jardin Massart in Brussels

Entomologists have described three new fly species. They were collected - in collaboration with citizen scientists - at the Jardin Massart on the outskirts of Brussels.

Visit BELSPO website on the Citizen Science (CS) initiatives of the Federal Scientific Institutes (FSI)

This webpage provides a single-entry point to the different Citizen Science (CS) initiatives of the Federal Scientific Institutes (FSI) with the aim of promoting and valorising CS-projects, to exchange good practices and to connect citizens with a diverse range of CS-projects spanning various disciplines.

Citizen Science (CS) | | Belspo

EU-Citizen.Science: a platform dedicated to citizen science!

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences is a member of EU-Citizen.Science. The mission of this project is to create THE online platform which will represent the reference point for citizen science. On this platform you will find:

  • Resources that are useful for citizen science practitioners
  • Projects that are engaging the public in research
  • an Events calendar

Past projects

XperiBIRD.be

DITOs

Help digitise the mite collection

Our contacts for citizen science

Carole Paleco

Carole Paleco

  • carole.paleco@naturalsciences.be
  • +32 2 627 42 65
  • 0000-0002-2981-5436

International projects & networking

research office