The project CSMON-LIFE aims at contributing to a new strategic Citizen Science approach in monitoring biodiversity and improving the policies for its conservation in Italy. CSMON-LIFE is one of the 47 Italian projects which were funded in the framework of the LIFE+ programme by the European Commission.
CSMON-LIFE, coordinated by the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Trieste, will promote an active cooperation among researches, policy makers and citizens, as far as monitoring, discovery and conservation of biodiversity are convened.
The project main aim is to contribute to stop the loss of biodiversity, thanks to an active involvemente of citizens. Citizen Science can be an effective mean for collecting large amounts of high quality biodiversity data, and an effective channel to spread to the wide public scientifically reliable information on the status of biodiversity, and the most relevant issues concerning its conservation. CSMON-LIFE will promote several Citizen Science initiatives focused on several critical points: climate change, alien species, endangered and rare species, and monitoring of environmental status. The project will provide to the citizens reliable information on these topics, and will involve them in collecting data on several target species. Hence, Citizen Scientists will have the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills, and also to become a sort of "meeting point" in the exchange of information between other citizens and researchers. Furthermore, the more skilled among Citien Scientists will assist researches in the the quality comtrol of data collected by other Citizen Scientists.
Citizens will be involved through several initiatives, such as conferences, public events, BioBlitzs, etc. A particular attention will be devoted to schools, with school,contests and other targeted initiatives.
CSMON-LIFE will make full use of modern digital platforms, such as smartphones, phablets and tablets, which allow to Citizen Scientists to collect georeferenced data coupled with digital images directly in the field, and send them to a central repository.

The LIFE + programme is the European Union's environment fund, for a total investment of 589.3 million Euro (282.6 million of EU contribution).
LIFE + provides the essential financial support to projects with a significant added value for the EU, which are devoted to environmental conservation, The projects funded in the framework of LIFE+ programme will provide a fundamental contribution to the conservation and enhancement of natural capital in Europe, as well as help in achieving a sustainable growth, through investment in a low carbon and resource efficient economy.
The projects funded this year, selected among those presented by researhers from all of the 28 Member States, will provide assistance in the fields of nature conservation, climate change, clean technology, environmental policies and actions related to information and communication.
The Commission has received a total of 1,468 applications for funding in response to the latest call for proposals, which closed in June 2013. Of these, 225 were selected for co-financing under the three components of the programme, namely: LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity (in which CSMON-LIFE was funded), LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance and LIFE+ Information and Communication. In total, the Italian projects funded by the European Commission are forty-seven.

University of Trieste - Dept. of Life Science