Data collection for monitoring and evaluation: Citizen Science-based methods are innovative and have tremendous potential in monitoring and evaluation for various reasons. First, if properly conducted, Citizen Science methods can yield a tremendous amount of monitoring data at a very low cost that may outweigh minor quality issues. Second, they establish synergies in data collection and monitoring. Third, Citizen Science methods promote a dialogue between society, scientific establishments and policymakers, which may prove beneficial for monitoring and evaluation due to new ideas, suggestions, hints, etc. Besides these monitoring and evaluation specific benefits, citizen science-based involvement raises awareness for nature conservation and empowers citizens to participate in the policy design processes.
Citizen Science-based methods are not new in the evaluation of agricultural impacts on the environment. Bird Watching and conservation NGOs’ volunteers carry out essential data collection for the Farmland Bird Index in many Member States. However, the involvement of farmers and other stakeholders like beekeepers is a relatively new concept. The measure's success will depend on the farmers’ willingness to participate and the readiness of the project to support and continuously motivate the volunteers.