Earthwatch Institute

Earthwatch Institute
Formation1971
Legal statusFoundation
PurposeEnvironmental Research
HeadquartersBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Region served
Worldwide
President & CEO
Gitte Venicx
Websitewww.earthwatch.org

Earthwatch Institute is an international environmental charity.[1][2] It was founded in 1971 as Educational Expeditions International by Bob Citron and Clarence Truesdale.[3] Earthwatch Institute supports Ph.D. researchers internationally and conducts over 100,000 hours of research annually using the Citizen Science methodology. Earthwatch's mission statement states that the organization "connects people with scientists worldwide to conduct environmental research and empowers them with the knowledge they need to conserve the planet."[4] As such, it is one of the global underwriters of scientific field research in climate change, archaeology, paleontology, marine life, biodiversity, ecosystems and wildlife.[5] For over fifty years, Earthwatch has raised funds to recruit individuals, students, teachers, and corporate fellows[6] to participate in field research to understand nature's response to accelerating global change.[7]

Earthwatch Citizen Science Projects are peer-reviewed, Ph.D.-led scientific field research[8] that allow everyday citizens to join research teams around the world to collect field data in areas such as climate change,[9] wildlife conservation, rainforest ecology, marine science,[10] and archaeology.[11]

Earthwatch staff also lead in-house projects, such as their Climate Change Masterclass, a virtual education program centering on corporate sustainability,[12] Operation Healthy Air, which provides tools and training for air quality monitoring in vulnerable areas and supports action to improve air quality,[13] and Global Pollinator Watch, a partnership with iNaturalist that supports pollinator research by enabling citizen scientists to observe pollinators in their habitat. Global Pollinator Watch participants have recorded over 495,000 pollinator observations as of 2024.[14]

By paying to spend time on a project ranging from a few days to several weeks, volunteers, corporations, and foundations support critical field research both financially and by providing a workforce to collect data. Participants gain first-hand experience with science, the scientists, and the research areas.[15]

  1. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Earthwatch Institute - Our Partners". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  2. ^ "Earthwatch: About Us". au.earthwatch.org. Archived from the original on 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  3. ^ Darling, Birt (Nov 1984). "Vacation Scientists". The Rotarian. 146 (5): 18–21.
  4. ^ "Mission & Values | Earthwatch". earthwatch.org. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  5. ^ Post, Stephanie (May 6, 2014). "How to Help Endangered Animals". petergreenberg.com. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  6. ^ House, Stock (April 28, 2014). "HSBC Band". Stockhouse. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  7. ^ Priestleyy, Andrew (2014-04-23). "Shelly Beach". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  8. ^ Houtman, Nick (May 2, 2014). "The Carnivore Way". PHYS.ORG. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  9. ^ Von Hagen, Lynn; Schulte, Bruce A.; Dunning, Kelly; Steury, Todd D.; Githiru, Mwangi; Zohdy, Sarah; Lepczyk, Christopher A. (2023-08-01). "Farmer Attitudes On Climate Change, Farming Practices, and Livelihood Threats, and the Impact to Conservation in the Kasigau Wildlife Corridor, Kenya". Human Ecology. 51 (4): 685–697. doi:10.1007/s10745-023-00426-9. ISSN 1572-9915. S2CID 259906970.
  10. ^ Hore, Monique (May 8, 2014). "Palperp Dalphin Swim". Herald Sun. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  11. ^ McKenna, Arin (May 4, 2014). "Valle Caldera has rich human history". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  12. ^ "Climate Change Master Class | Earthwatch". earthwatch.org. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  13. ^ "Air Quality | Earthwatch". earthwatch.org. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  14. ^ "Global Pollinator Watch". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  15. ^ Mohn, Tonya (May 9, 2014). "Travelers Inspired to do Good". NBC News. Retrieved May 9, 2014.