Acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Australia and their connection to land, water, and culture.
Recognizes the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of the land.
Pays respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.
Acknowledges the knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in conservation and environmental management.
Learning Outcome
Upon completion, students should be able to apply citizen science principles to survey biodiversity and engage stakeholders.
Addresses the following unit of study learning outcomes:
Articulating the complex interplay of stakeholders in wildlife conservation.
Using scientific techniques to support evidence-based approaches to wildlife conservation.
Describing and appreciating varied stakeholder views in wildlife conservation decisions.
Outline
Citizen Science concepts
What Citizen Science does
Origins of Citizen Science
Citizen Science framework
Citizen Science examples
Citizen Science Concept/Definition
Integration of public outreach and generation of scientific data at different geographical scales/levels (Cooper et al., 2007).
Scientific program, overseen/supervised by scientists/researchers to engage the public to collect data (Auerbach et al., 2019; Eitzel et al., 2017; Heigl et al., 2019; McKinley et al., 2017; Nasem, 2018).
Partnership and inclusive collaboration between the public (citizen scientists) and scientists/researchers for protecting biodiversity, enhancing public capacity, using ecosystem services sustainably, and promoting socioeconomic development (Jaime Gongora).
Partnership between scientists/researchers/academia and the public to collect & analyze data and educate the public (Jordan et al. 2012; Dickinson et al. 2012; Bonney et al. 2009; Miller-Rushing et al., 2012; Cooper et al., 2007).
CS is Also Known As
Community science (Conrad and Hilchey, 2011)
Community-based management (Conrad and Hilchey, 2011)
Community-based monitoring (Conrad and Hilchey, 2011)
Community and citizen science (Ballard et al., 2017)
Crowd-sourcing (Eitzel et al., 2017)
Participatory monitoring networks (Bell et al., 2008)
Participatory, client-driven research (Ashby and Sperling, 1995)
Public participation in organized research efforts (Dickinson and Bonney, 2012)
Public participation in scientific research (Shirk et al., 2012)
Voluntary biological monitoring (Conrad and Hilchey, 2011)
Participatory and inclusive science (Jaime Gongora)
The Origins of CS
CS has recently emerged as new/recent field but is an old practice and activity by humans (e.g, rock art found Indonesia, Spain and Australia) documenting the natural word including biodiversity
Aboriginal Peoples, the World’s oldest continuous living culture and Indigenous or First Nation Peoples from other continents should be considered as the first ones who developed CS (biocultural knowledge), the were the First Naturalists.
The Origins of CS
Two-three centuries ago, almost all scientists made their living in some other profession.
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) was a printer, diplomat, and politician.
Charles Darwin (1809–1888) sailed on the Beagle as an unpaid companion to the Captain, rather than a paid naturalist.
CS has contributed to the beginning of archaeology, astronomy, and natural history, where skill in observation can be more important than expensive equipment.
The earliest CS project of this type: Christmas Bird Count by the National Audubon Society (USA) every year since 1900. Recent count: tens of thousands of observers & >63 million birds.
Today, most CSts work with professional counterparts on projects.
Science can be available to all through CS, not just a privileged few or researchers/scientists
Key Resources in the Rapid Development of SC
Mobile phones
Cameras (+cameras trap) video recordings/sound recordings
Other consumer electronic devices with recording capabilities
Electronic applications (generic and tailored)
Internet
Available and public databases and Apps to obtain data and deposit data
Some of the Apps Available to Citizen Science
Biodiversity: Multi-species (iNaturalist, NatureMapr) / specific taxa (Big City Birds, Fungimap)
Categories of CS Depending on the Public Participation
CONTRIBUTORY: CONTRIBUTING WITH DATA
COLLABORATIVE: CONSULTING, CO-DESIGNING AND CO-LEADING
CONTRACTUAL: UNDERLINED BY AGREEMENTS
Topics Covered by CS in Biological/Environmental Sciences
Aligning DNA sequences
Inventories of biodiversity
Monitoring biodiversity
Deforestation
Restoration and reforestation
Environmental monitoring
Illegal trade
Documenting population numbers and declines
Landscape ecology, macro-ecology, and climate change
Impact of climate change
Urban wildlife
Impact and sustainable practices in agriculture
Documenting species dispersal
Conservation and management
Species traits
Community composition
Ecosystem function and/or structure
Phenology (periodical cycles/events)
Invasive animal monitoring
Some Benefits of CS
Provide biodiversity/ecological data
Influence conservation and management
Address questions about abundance, distribution, behavior, and fluctuation of species, habitat loss & ecosystem changes
Be used to validate ecological models
Help to assess the impact of threats on species/biodiversity
Track population dispersal & migration rates
Evaluate ecosystems/biodiversity changes over time
Increase awareness & conservation advocacy amongst the CS/public
Influence public appreciation towards nature & conservation
Contribute to community involvement & development
Considerations for Engaging Local Communities in CS
ALIGN RESEARCH, EDUCATION & COMMUNITY NEEDS
PLAN FOR CO-MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT
ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY AT EVERY STEP
INCORPORATE MULTIPLE KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTS
DISSEMINATE RESULTS WIDELY AND SHARE CREDITS
CS Should Have a Scientific Framework
SCIENTIFIC STANDARDS
COLLABORATION
OPEN SCIENCE
COMMUNICATION
ETHICS
DATA MANAGEMENT
Define the Level of Involvement the Public Will Have
PROJECT DESIGNING
COLLECTING DATA
ENTERING DATA IN DATABASES
ANALYSING DATA
INTERPRETING RESULTS
CO-WRITING/CO-AUTHORING
PROMOTING THE PROJECT
Ten Principles of Citizen Science
Citizen science projects actively involve citizens in scientific endeavor that generates new knowledge or understanding.
Citizen science projects have a genuine science outcome.
Both the professional scientists and the citizen scientists benefit from taking part.
Citizen scientists may, if they wish, participate in multiple stages of the scientific process.
Citizen scientists receive feedback from the project.
Citizen science is considered a research approach like any other, with limitations and biases that should be considered and controlled for.
Citizen science project data and meta-data are made publicly available and where possible, results are published in an open access format.
Citizen scientists are acknowledged in project results and publications.
Citizen science programmes are evaluated for their scientific output, data quality, participant experience and wider societal or policy impact.
The leaders of citizen science projects take into consideration legal and ethical issues surrounding copyright, intellectual property, data sharing agreements, confidentiality, attribution, and the environmental impact of any activities.
Some Examples of CS
Redmap Australia (Range Extension Database and Mapping Program, https://www.redmap.org.au/) is a national citizen science project aiming to:
(i) provide an early scientific indication of climate-induced shifts in marine species distribution, and
(ii) engage the Australian public on marine climate change issues, by using their own data.
It employs an ‘opportunistic’ citizen science approach: recreational fishers and divers submit photographs of species they happen to observe or catch
Over the past decade, approximately 1000 participants have submitted photographs to the Redmap programme
They have published 25 peer-reviewed papers improving current understanding of marine climate change
In addition, thousands of people were engaged on climate change issues via Facebook, Twitter or Web-newsletter, and community events
Peace with Nature project- Charras 2020
Former guerrilla fighters enhanced their skills and knowledge on biodiversity and ecotourism
~300 flora and animal species documented for an ecotourism route
A biodiversity booklet was produced for visitors
Developed an iNaturalist project for the ecotourism route
Consolidated the Charras ecotourism initiative
Facilitated networks with research institutions, government, NGOs and industry
Future projects- community based conservation
Wrap Up
SC is the engagement and involvement of the public in scientific research
SC includes the collection and analysis of data in relation to the natural world including biodiversity, wildlife and conservation implemented by the public and usually in collaboration with scientists and field experts.
CS involves public participation and collaboration with the public to increase scientific knowledge.
Various principles and frameworks have been developed to guide good practices in CS.