On 11 March 2026, an international expert workshop titled “Integrating Earth Observation and Citizen Science to Support SDG 15 Progress Reporting” was held in Beijing. The meeting was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and organized by the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS).
Huadong Guo, CAS Academician and Director General of CBAS, and Mr. Zhang Yiwei, representative of NSFC delivered opening remarks. The event was conducted in a hybrid format with its focus on how to integrate Earth Observation (EO) and Citizen Science (CS) to enhance the monitoring and assessment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 – Life on Land. The event brought together experts from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Aerospace Information Research Institute, CAS(AIRCAS), the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES), CAS, the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), CAS, the Institute of Botany, CAS, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and other institutions.
Addressing current challenges in biodiversity monitoring and reporting, Dr. Dilek Fraisl, Senior Research Scholar at IIASA, introduced recent developments in the application of citizen science for global sustainable development monitoring and shared experiences in integrating citizen science with Earth observation data. Ms. Jillian Campbell, Head of Monitoring, Review and Reporting at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, discussed the data requirements and challenges associated with monitoring and reporting under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Dr. Xiaosong Li from CBAS presented recent progress in applying Big Earth Data to support SDG 15 monitoring and assessment and outlined future directions for integrating multi-source observation data.
The meeting also highlighted several practical examples of integrating Earth observation and citizen science. Prof. Zhiyun Ouyang from the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, CAS, presented research on evaluating biodiversity conservation effectiveness in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. Prof. Qinghua Guo from Peking University introduced recent advances in integrating crowdsourced observations with satellite remote sensing for large-scale vegetation type mapping. Prof. Xiubo Yu from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, discussed the application of citizen science data in biodiversity assessment, demonstrating the potential of multi-source observation data for ecological monitoring and evaluation.
During the subsequent discussions, participants exchanged views on priority SDG 15 indicators, integration approaches for Earth observation and citizen science data, data standards and uncertainty management, and ways to better support SDG reporting and biodiversity monitoring. Participants agreed that Earth observation provides global, long-term monitoring of ecosystem dynamics, while citizen science contributes species-level observations and local ecological knowledge, making the two approaches highly complementary. Integrating EO, citizen science, and in-situ observations could significantly enhance biodiversity and ecosystem monitoring capabilities.
The meeting identified several follow-up actions and collaboration opportunities. Participants proposed jointly preparing a policy brief and initiating pilot studies in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves to explore how integrated multi-source observation data can be used to assess biodiversity conservation outcomes. The participants also agreed to further promote international collaborative research and capacity-building initiatives.
The meeting provided an important platform for dialogue among international organizations and research institutions working on Earth observation, citizen science, and biodiversity monitoring. The outcomes of the meeting will contribute to advancing data-driven approaches for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals and supporting global biodiversity conservation efforts.