Bridging Local Governance and Global Citizenship: Transformative Potential of Citizen Science in Higher Education for Urban Ecology

Citizen Science (CS) has not been widely embraced in research and teaching within many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Although it has recently garnered increased attention, its adoption remains limited because of persistent misconceptions, institutional resistance, and concerns about data quality, ethics, and integration into academic research. This chapter examines CS initiatives within HEIs, highlighting how these efforts support stakeholder engagement and foster global citizenship education (GCE). Focusing on the University of Siena (UNISI), this study explores how HEIs serve as intermediaries through curricular subjects, dissemination and third mission activities that promote participatory knowledge production and civic responsibility through CS. This research uses keyword searches and analyzes institutional platforms, project databases, and academic programs to map UNISI’s CS initiatives in urban ecology. The findings show the transformative potential of CS for HEIs to enhance GCE and foster connections between stakeholders within and beyond academia.