Trust helps showcase citizen science

John Muir Award recipients help bring Scottish Environment LINK's annual evening reception theme - citizen science - to life

The John Muir Trust helped showcase the impact of citizen science - and how wild places and initiatives like the Trust's John Muir Award can support people to learn about science and math - by joining other members of Scottish Environment LINK (the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment organisations) at a reception in Edinburgh.

The early June gathering held at the Scottish Parliament offered MSPs the chance to meet and celebrate the thousands of citizen scientists and projects that help protect Scotland’s environment.

Sponsored by Gillian Martin MSP and supported by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the reception was addressed by a number of speakers before and after informal marketplace opportunities to speak to the people behind initiatives.

Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment Mairi Gougeon linked the current climate emergency with biodiversity decline, urging the audience that we all have our part to play in mitigating the effects of climate change and that citizen science offers opportunities for people to take action.

Pupils from John Muir Award Provider Sunnyside Primary School travelled from the east end of Glasgow to deliver their climate emergency message to the Minister (pictured).

Hebe Carus, Policy Officer with the John Muir Trust, said: “People of all ages and backgrounds are getting involved with citizen science projects to benefit Scotland’s environment across the Trust. Whether it is volunteers monitoring habitats and species on and around wild land management areas, or John Muir Award participants getting hands-on with wild nature close to home, it has never been more important to get people out and about, engaging with our natural environment.”

Last year 19,346 young people contributed 29,848 days to Scotland’s environment through participating in and achieving their John Muir Award. One out of every four participants got involved directly with environmental citizen science. (Find out more.)

Photo courtesy of Scottish Environment LINK shows pupils and teachers from Sunnyside Primary School, and (l-r) Deborah Long Chief Officer at Scottish Environment LINK, Johan Schutten Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Mairi Gougeon Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, Joyce McMillan critic, journalist and political/social columnist, and Gillian Martin MSP.