Imagining a better future: A 10 year Strategy for Earthwatch
Earthwatch Europe Strategy 2026
The challenge ahead:
imagining a better future
Imagine our towns and cities full of trees, with clean rivers and healthy air.
Now imagine the people who live there having the opportunity to experience nature and understand their local environment, with residents able to collect real evidence which could influence those in power to improve their local environment.
Earthwatch Europe believes citizen science can help make that future real.
We want to support more people to learn about and enjoy the nature around them, with the ability to monitor the health of their local rivers, soils and wildlife using simple and affordable tools.
Our aim is to help people collect knowledge about the nature on their doorstep and share those findings with governments, businesses and institutions, making sure decisions are based on evidence and the needs of local communities and the environment.
That is the future we want to build and pass on to the next generation.
Who we are and
what we stand for
- We are driven by people: in a polarised world, we’re proud to build a movement of local groups, schools, scientists and businesses, where everyone’s voice is valued.
- We are powered by science: we champion findings collected by people at the grassroots to spark change at the highest levels of government.
- We connect with nature: with smiles on our faces, we inspire people to get out into nature, discover what we all stand to lose, and take action.
Our aim for 2050: To be a global leader in citizen science for the natural world, improving how citizen science is carried out so the results are trusted and widely used.
We will grow a global community of scientists, ensuring that both experts and non-experts in every country where we work can take part in science and engage directly with the natural world.
By 2036 we plan to:
- Expand and improve citizen science in urban environments, freshwater and soils, developing new tools and focus areas such as marine habitats and air quality
- Grow citizen science participation to 100,000 people across 50 countries.
- Demonstrate the health and wellbeing benefits of connecting with nature and taking part in citizen science in 1,000 communities.
- Contribute findings to 100 open data projects that strengthen citizen science around the world.
- Share real-time, open-access data from at least 500 monitoring sites covering air, water, biodiversity and soil.
- Influence environmental policy through citizengenerated evidence.
What does the next three years look like?
- Expanding our freshwater monitoring to include PFAS / forever chemicals, road runoff and heavy metals.
- Leading and developing the Miyawaki Forest research project
- Rolling out soil blitzes across Europe
- Promoting citizen science linked to urban green spaces.
- Developing our citizen science programmes across Africa and monitoring progress against Sustainable Development Goals.Sustainable Development Goals.
Our aim for 2050: We want everyone, regardless of location or circumstances, to have the chance to experience and learn from nature and to be inspired by it.
In every country where we work, active groups of citizens will gather data on their local environment, and we will help communities turn that evidence into a powerful call for action.
By 2036 we plan to:
- Grow the Great UK WaterBlitz to 25,000 participants annually and expand WaterBlitz to ten European countries and pilot an international SoilBlitz programme.
- Establish a global early career scientist programme supporting 100 young environmental leaders each year across Europe, Africa and SW Asia.
- Build on our work in Oman to support more early career scientists and students in conserving biodiversity.
- Continue supporting communities in Africa to build skills and capacity in environmental monitoring and enhance knowledge of biodiversity, water quality and soil health.
- Expand outdoor learning and nature connection programmes across Europe, SW Asia and Africa, inspiring and supporting participants to influence national environmental policy.
What does the next three years look like?
- Developing new community-led investigative water testing projects building on our work in Corby and Kidlington.
- Building natural science into schools, creating a teacher support programme and accessible school resources.
- Creating tools to help communities protect local wild spaces. protect local wild spaces.
- Exploring community-based projects in botanical research and small-scale food initiatives.
- Expanding soil monitoring work in Malawi, co-designing soil monitoring models with farming communities.
Our aim for 2050: We will apply apply the 3-30-300 principle which means everyone can see at least three trees, benefit from 30% local canopy cover and live within 300 metres of high-quality green or blue space.
We will aim for every European city we work in to reach 40% green or blue space cover, and for 25% of people to be actively engaged with nature across the places where we work.
By 2036 we plan to:
- Support ten cities across the UK, Europe, Southwest Asia and Africa to reach 40% high-quality green space cover.
- Work with local authorities, businesses and landowners to improve access to green civic spaces, including tree planting and sustainable urban drainage schemes.
- Support community-led improvements to local green spaces, including converting grey infrastructure such as driveways into nature-friendly spaces.
- Develop partnerships linking nature connection and mental health, supporting at least 100,000 people.
- Ensure at least 50% of projects take place in communities facing systemic or socio-economic barriers, including marginalised or under-served groups.
What does the next three years look like?
- Working with mental health organisations to explore nature connection through programmes combining field research and wellbeing support.
- Expanding small-scale nature enhancements, including food gardens, forest gardens, wildflower meadows and wetlands.
- Planting more Tiny Forests using the Miyawaki method in areas with limited access to green space.
- Enhancing the use of citizen science as a community engagement tool in wildlife restoration projects.
- Embedding science into the Green Earth Schools programme and developing follow-up community activities linked to school grounds improvements.
Put simply,
how will we work towards this?
Building a strong community of supporters and give them a bolder and more influential voice, strengthened by our science and supported by the public.
Increasing the impact of our research and evidence by curating a bank of data and case studies that demonstrate how Earthwatch research helps solve environmental problems.
Using technology in smart and effective ways across all our work, embracing technology and AI, building online tools that help more people take part in citizen science.
Creating a strong team and a resilient organisation by making sure staff, trustees, volunteers and partners all feel included, valued and part of the same mission.
Working together to make all this happen
We want you to be part of our journey. Real change only happens when people work together. We will continue to work closely with our partners and collaborators, building strong relationships to share knowledge and add value wherever we can to help achieve shared goals and we hope you will join us.
None of this happens alone. There are many ways people can be part of it. You can become a supporter, join us as a citizen
scientist and help gather vital data, share your stories to inspire others, volunteer your time or donate to support our work.
Ultimately, Earthwatch Europe is nothing without its supporters, collaborators and citizen scientists.
Thank you for
everything you do.
You can also download and view the full version of our strategy here