Wiki for Botanists: Why thematic engagement matters

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Why engage with botanists?

For the past two years, Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand (WANZ) editors Ambrosia10 and Stitchbird2 have been coordinating thematic Wiki outreach efforts on a local, regional and international scale with the botanical community. 

Why are we engaging with botanists? One of us is a botanist, and the other is a Wikipedian with considerable experience editing about biodiversity. Both of us care deeply about biodiversity and want to ensure that scientific knowledge about all native, endemic, or threatened flora are freely accessible to everyone. 

By engaging with experts in botany, our aims are to 1) improve the botanical community’s understanding of the Wiki ecosystem, 2) empower botanical experts to engage in Wiki projects and share their expertise, and 3) enrich Wiki platforms with botany-related information. 

Wikipedians who improved articles about NZ native species at the 2025 edit-a-thon. Tom Ackroyd, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

What we did

So far, we have formally organised and run the following events, which highlight our efforts with local, regional and international botanical communities:

  • A two-day New Zealand species edit-a-thon in Wellington, New Zealand in 2024 and again in 2025, co-organised with Noracrentiss with logistical support from the local Wiki community and financial support from WANZ;
Wikipedians working at the 2024 NZ species edit-a-thon. Heidi Meudt, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Attendees of the Wikidata for Botanists workshop at XX IBC 2024 Madrid, Spain. Siobhan Leachman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Who participated and why?

Those who came to our online and in-person events were a mix of enthusiasts, students and professionals from within the botanical community, comprising new editors and seasoned Wikipedians. 

All were passionate about native biodiversity and saw our Wiki events as professional and personal development opportunities to improve their digital and science communication skills. 

Most were already users of iNaturalist or had research skills in finding reliable sources and writing about biodiversity. Therefore, learning to enrich Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons with knowledge about plants, the scientists who study them, and botanical research generated by those scientists, was a straightforward and rewarding extension of their interests and skills. 

Wikipedians working at the 2025 NZ species edit-a-thon. Tom Ackroyd, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Logistics behind the scenes

We organised our projects by holding regular Zoom meetings in the lead up to each event and worked together on Google docs and sheets. Email and WhatsApp helped keep us up to date on progress and to discuss issues. All of these tools allowed us to collaborate and communicate across time zones with our international colleagues, and outside of formal meetings. 

Consistent and regular meetings ensured action points were prioritised and allocated, and all organisers actively contributed according to their skills and expertise.  We had previously worked with each other on a variety of other projects and we trusted each other’s work ethic. 

Wiki for Botanists 2025 ASBS Conference selfie. Siobhan Leachman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Why our botanical engagement matters

This Wiki outreach has multiple benefits to the botanical community, including:

  • improving access, linking and reuse of botany-related information; 
  • quantifying and illuminating botanists’ expertise and impact; and 
  • highlighting reuse of botanical content by botanical (and other) institutions. 

These benefits are felt by many – including the individuals themselves who attended our events – but also many others at the local, regional and international levels. 

The work undertaken by the organisers have helped empower the wider reuse and absorption of botanical related data and content as well as the resources generated by the organisers – including our recent Open Access Paper, “Wikidata for botanists: benefits of collaborating and sharing Linked Open Data”. 

These projects have also encouraged botanists to take up the recent IBC Madrid call to action to “strengthen the connection between plants and people, nurture mutual benefits, and enhance planetary health and resilience.” 

By engaging with the botanical community, we can together reap these benefits!

2024 NZ species edit-a-thon selfie at Ōtari Wilton’s Bush, Wellington. Mike Dickison, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Come find us at ESEAP 2026 and Wikimania 2026!

We have proposed submissions to share our Wiki for Botanists work for ESEAP 2026 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in May and Wikimania 2026 in Paris, France in July. We would love to discuss our botanical outreach projects with you at these upcoming Wiki conferences.

With our Wikidata poster at the 2024 International Botanical Congress in Madrid, Spain. Siobhan Leachman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

References

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