Ethics within citizen science should not be treated merely as a procedural requirement or institutional approval process.

Citizen science initiatives rely heavily on trust, participation, transparency, and collaborative relationships (Shirk et al., 2012). Participants contribute not only data, but also time, lived experience, emotional labour, local knowledge, and social networks (Pandya, 2012).

As projects scale, ethical complexity often increases. Wider visibility, digital technologies, institutional partnerships, or funding relationships may introduce new tensions around:

• data governance;

• consent;

• inclusion;

• representation;

• ownership;

• and accountability.

Practitioners may find it valuable to revisit ethical considerations throughout governance and decision-making as projects evolve.

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