Engaging Schools with Long-Term Monitoring of Nature

Biodiversity-monitoring citizen science schemes provide valuable long-term monitoring data and benefit participants. There is increasing interest in engaging young people with nature. The British Trust for Ornithology's 'What's Under Your Feet?' project shows how schoolchildren can monitor soil invertebrates. Although individual projects like this are often funding- and time-limited, more generic long-term biodiversity-monitoring citizen science schemes may be equally suitable for school participation. Exemplar schemes from the UK are reviewed, and the potential advantages in school participation for teachers and students are highlighted in order to raise awareness of this potential opportunity