29

Summary: community participation

in monitoring for

threatened biodiversity

Natasha M. Robinson, Sarah Legge and Benjamin C. Scheele

Community participation in monitoring programs for threatened biodiversity can
provide many benefits, including improved conservation outcomes, but is not
without its challenges. The case studies in this section provide illustrative examples
of working with various community groups: from Indigenous communities, to
local landholders and retirees and, more comprehensively, the general public. In
addition, they offer words of wisdom and encouragement to those considering
incorporating community participation into their respective monitoring programs.
This section summary provides an overview of their insights and highlights the
diversity of programs presented. However, several other chapters in this book also
present highly relevant information about community involvement in monitoring
for threatened biodiversity, especially Chapters 11, 14, 31.
Monitoring programs involving community participation can be largely
divided into two types: collaborations with Indigenous communities, and citizen
science projects that involve the general public. Across this spectrum, there is large
variety in the monitoring target (plants, birds, reptiles, mammals, ecological