Amateur naturalists needed to monitor natural world

[DavidBrown]

This is an interesting opinion piece by a scientist about the need for amateur naturalists and citizen scientists to monitor the natural world. He uses the recent example of massive insect declines in Germany that was documented by an entomology club there as an example.

Opinion | The Silence of the Bugs

 

[Najade]

Twenty years ago in summer our garden would be full of butterflies and now it's rare to see more than one every now and then. I can't even remember the last time I've seen an Aglais io.

 

[The Speeding Carnotaurus]

Twenty years ago in summer our garden would be full of butterflies and now it's rare to see more than one every now and then. I can't even remember the last time I've seen an Aglais io.

Same has happened here, I used to see a few Monarch Butterflies every day in spring/summer

 

[Buldeo]

Good article. I agree wholeheartedly with much of it.

On a narrow point: I dislike the term "citizen scientist". Like "citizen journalist", it's expected that you'll do the work and not be reimbursed for it.

 

[lintworm]

On a narrow point: I dislike the term "citizen scientist". Like "citizen journalist", it's expected that you'll do the work and not be reimbursed for it.

So not that different from "real" scientists...

 

[DavidBrown]

So not that different from "real" scientists...

Not different at all...

 

[Mr. Zootycoon]

So not that different from "real" scientists...

Not different at all...

I was tempted to use the "like"-button but there's nothing likeable about this at all.

When I read a book or watch a documentary based on wildlife the common sentence "there's little known about this animal" (or someting along those lines) always struck me. Given that there are so few career opportunities in field biology I fear much of it will remain unknown for a long time, possibly until it is too late.