Abstract

Globally distributed and numbering in the hundreds, ecomuseums and their networks bring natural and cultural heritage together in ways that can shine light on regional and global issues. To assess whether ecomuseums are facilitating biodiversity conservation through citizen science, we administered a brief survey through recognized ecomuseum experts and a number of online platforms and analyzed the responses using qualitative methods. We found that while ecomuseums around the world are focusing on initiatives that are relevant to their geographical and cultural setting, only some are contributing to biodiversity conservation through citizen science initiatives. For the global ecomuseum community to play a larger role in this area, additional investments and opportunities for networking and data sharing will be required, along with mandates that reflect the breadth and flexibility of the ecomuseum model.