Policy change Change in policy and governance processes can be interpreted in a variety of ways and can have multiple meanings, including changes in institutions, formal and informal procedures, interests, alliances, and ideas. Citizen science can contribute to changes in governance processes in various ways. These include informing specific steps of the policy cycle such as problem definition, policy formation, adoption, implementation and evaluation, compliance assurance, awareness raising, and “anticipation and early warning”. Policy uptake of citizen science is defined as “the adoption by institutional actors of (some component of) the initiative and/or the performing of policy/regulatory/factual interventions expressly demanded by the initiative or, in any event, stimulated by the initiative”. Citizen science can support knowledge creation, education and communication and climate action at both individual (agency) and decision-maker levels using evidence collected through citizen science. Examples of such contributions include providing complementary evidence for environmental policies, helping to monitor and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and contributing to geospatial intelligence. Citizen science initiatives also facilitate multi-level actor interactions and communications, and help balance power relationships and build trust among stakeholders. 12