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Citizen Science Projects for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 28448

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luigi Ceccaroni

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Chief Guest Editor

Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK
Interests: citizen science, environmental science, artificial intelligence

Ms. Dilek Fraisl

E-Mail Website
Assistant Guest Editor

Center for Earth Observation and Citizen Science, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg 2361, Austria
Interests: SDGs; SDG monitoring; environmental monitoring; data revolution; citizen science

Dr. Stephen MacFeely

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Assistant Guest Editor

Statistics and Information Branch, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva CH-1211, Switzerland
Interests: SDGs; big data; data revolution; trade; gender; regional statistics; input-output

Mr. Stephen Parkinson

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Assistant Guest Editor

Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK
Interests: citizen science; environmental monitoring

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Humans are destabilising the global biosphere on multiple fronts. They are taking more and more resources out of the environment while pumping back into it enormous quantities of waste and poison, thereby changing the composition of the soil, the water, and the atmosphere. They are hardly even aware of the myriad ways in which they disrupt the delicate ecological balance that has been shaped over millions of years. Consider, for example, the use of phosphorus as a fertiliser. In small quantities, it is an essential nutrient for the growth of plants. However, in excessive amounts, it causes eutrophication. Modern industrial farming is based on artificially fertilising fields with plenty of phosphorus. The high-phosphorus runoff from the farms subsequently negatively impacts rivers, lakes, and oceans, with a devastating impact on marine life. A farmer growing corn in Iowa might thus inadvertently kill fish in the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of such activities, habitats are degraded, animals and plants are becoming extinct, and entire ecosystems such as the Australian Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon rainforest might be destroyed.

Citizen science has proven to be a cost-effective method to characterise changes in local environments. Based on the collaborative effort between scientists, agencies, and the general public, citizen science can fill some information gaps, providing sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. Citizen science offers the further benefit of improving the participation and understanding of local populations in managing their local environment.

The main aim of this Special Issue is to bring together studies and projects to develop and provide the means for implementing solutions to measure progress in improving environmental quality with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators, based on citizen science and involving low-income population groups, in any part of the world. Achieving the SDGs is underpinned by monitoring and reporting 169 targets through 231 unique indicators, in an evolving framework, which are used for tracking progress. To date, monitoring SDGs remains reliant mainly on traditional sources of data (i.e., censuses, surveys, administrative records), yet this could benefit from the integration of new and complementary data streams, including from citizen science and community-based monitoring (Fraisl et al., 2020; Fritz et al., 2019). The projects need to maximise the impact of citizen science monitoring by involving as many players as possible, and especially low-income communities, especially in the Global South. The projects can, for example, evaluate and test citizen science tools, methods, and technologies that measure parameters that are identified as locally and nationally relevant in various topics such as good ambient water quality, marine litter, biodiversity, and air pollution, among others. The projects should enable the involvement of as many players as possible currently using citizen science to, for example, monitor environmental quality and lead to better monitoring of SDG indicators. Projects can highlight their strong links with citizen science networking organisations in Australia, the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America, or organisations such as the World Water Quality Alliance. Available organisations to deploy the citizen science solutions should be mentioned.

The editors encourage submissions that explore citizen science projects which contribute to solving the environmental challenges related to the sustainable development goals. Examples of projects and applications of citizen science in any domain and related to any SDG are welcomed.

References

Fraisl, D., Campbell, J., See, L., Wehn, U., ….Fritz, S. (2020) Mapping citizen science contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Science of the Total Environment.
Fritz, S., See, L., Carlson, T., Haklay, M., ... West, S., (2019) Citizen Science and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Nature Sustainability, October 2019, 922-930.

Dr. Luigi Ceccaroni
Ms. Dilek Fraisl
Dr. Stephen MacFeely
Mr. Stephen Parkinson
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

participatory/participation
citizen science
environmental management
SDG monitoring
data quality
capacity development
impact assessment
costs
benefits
interoperability
standardisation
innovation

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 493 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

A Practical Approach to Assessing the Impact of Citizen Science towards the Sustainable Development Goals

by Stephen Parkinson, Sasha Marie Woods, James Sprinks and Luigi Ceccaroni

Sustainability 2022, 14(8), 4676; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084676 - 13 Apr 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2643

Abstract

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important global framework which provides a shared vision for a more sustainable future for all people and the planet. In the last five years, citizen science as a discipline has paid increasing attention to the SDGs and the contributions that citizen science could make towards their achievement. This paper presents a collection of 51 questions and a corresponding set of answers which can be used by citizen science projects to self-assess their impact towards the SDGs. The questions and answers were originally derived from the official UN description of the SDG targets and indicators and were refined through a workshop and series of nine interviews with citizen science project coordinators. The outcomes of the workshop and interviews reveal the challenges of assessing impacts towards the SDGs in a way which is relevant to the majority of citizen science projects. In many cases, the wording of the SDGs had to be altered to make sense in the context of citizen science. The final set of questions and answers are structured to reflect two pathways of impact: citizen science contributing to the (official) monitoring of the SDGs, and citizen science contributing to the direct achievement of the SDGs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Citizen Science Projects for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals)

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17 pages, 948 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Networks of Citizen Observatories Can Increase the Quality and Quantity of Citizen-Science-Generated Data Used to Monitor SDG Indicators

by Sasha Marie Woods, Maria Daskolia, Alexis Joly, Pierre Bonnet, Karen Soacha, Sonia Liñan, Tim Woods, Jaume Piera and Luigi Ceccaroni

Sustainability 2022, 14(7), 4078; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074078 - 30 Mar 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3321

Abstract

There is a growing acknowledgement that citizen observatories, and other forms of citizen-generated data, have a significant role in tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This is evident in the increasing number of Sustainable Development Goals’ indicators for which such data are already being used and in the high-level recognition of the potential role that citizen science can play. In this article, we argue that networks of citizen observatories will help realise this potential. Drawing on the Cos4Cloud project as an example, we highlight how such networks can make citizen-generated data more interoperable and accessible (among other qualities), increasing their impact and usefulness. Furthermore, we highlight other, perhaps overlooked, advantages of citizen observatories and citizen-generated data: educating and informing citizen scientists about the Sustainable Development Goals and co-creating solutions to the global challenges they address. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Citizen Science Projects for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals)

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22 pages, 4426 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Citizen Science and the Sustainable Development Goals: Building Social and Technical Capacity through Data Collection in the Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

by Genevieve Rigler, Zoi Dokou, Fahad Khan Khadim, Berhanu G. Sinshaw, Daniel G. Eshete, Muludel Aseres, Wendale Amera, Wangchi Zhou, Xingyu Wang, Mamaru Moges, Muluken Azage, Baikun Li, Elizabeth Holzer, Seifu Tilahun, Amvrossios Bagtzoglou and Emmanouil Anagnostou

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3647; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063647 - 20 Mar 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3178

Abstract

Engaging youth and women in data-scarce, least developed countries (LDCs) is gaining attention in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) arena, as is using citizen science as a multi-faceted mechanism for data collection, engendering personal empowerment and agency. Involving these populations in citizen science is a powerful synergy that simultaneously addresses the Leave-No-One-Behind promise in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, yet most citizen science takes place in the Global North, and attention to LDCs is needed. This article highlights a four-year, four-location, hydrology-focused, interdisciplinary citizen science initiative (CSI) in the Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia. Through a systematic evaluation, we explore scientific applications of the hydrologic data, as well as the social dimensions in the CSI, towards building a social and technical capacity that supports the SDGs at the local and international scale. In the CSI, Ethiopian high school students received training from local university faculty and graduate students, collecting river stage and groundwater level measurements, and farmers conducted soil resistivity measurements using a novel sensor technology developed for the study area. We found the datasets to be ample for use to locally validate regional groundwater models and seasonal forecasts on soil moisture and streamflow. We conducted written interviews with the students, which revealed their ability to perceive benefits of engagement in the CSI, as well as recognize their increased individual technical capacity. An analysis of the hydrological data demonstrates the readiness of the datasets to be used for evaluating water-related interventions that facilitate the SDGs, broadly, by building synergies between individuals and institutions. As such, we map how both the hydrologic data and experiences of the citizen scientists support the SDGs at the Goal and Target-level, while forging new social and technical pathways. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Citizen Science Projects for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals)

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14 pages, 732 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Ecosystem Approach in Addressing Sustainable Development Goals through Citizen Science in Lithuania

by Monika Mačiulienė and Eglė Butkevičienė

Sustainability 2022, 14(4), 2155; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042155 - 14 Feb 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2701

Abstract

This article presents an overview of the ecosystem of citizen science development in Lithuania and its potential to address United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). As citizen science is still in the early development stage in Lithuania, this case study is an example of ecosystem analysis in the period of early citizen science adoption. This article highlights the holistic analysis of the different components of this ecosystem, focusing on the three major dimensions at different levels—content, actors and processes. A conceptual model for the analysis of the citizen science ecosystem was developed based on the theoretical assumptions of Systems Theory and Service Science. The model was tested with empirical data. The empirical findings are based on 30 interviews with representatives of different stakeholder groups. Summarizing the analysis of the citizen science ecosystem in Lithuania and its potential for SDGs achievement, it can be stated that the first signs of a co-creative processes in the citizen science ecosystem have already emerged. Currently, in Lithuania, the main potential of citizen science concentrates on contributing to Goal #15: Life on Land, with some potential also for contributing to Goals #4, #10 and #11 and others. However, in order to use citizen science for addressing SDGs more comprehensively, there is a need for greater involvement of different stakeholders in citizen science, both in promoting citizen science activities and in ensuring data quality and that these activities are implemented in accordance with research ethics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Citizen Science Projects for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals)

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16 pages, 4969 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fine-Granularity Urban Microclimate Monitoring Using Wearable Multi-Source Sensors

by Jinjing Ren, Runfa Li, Fengshuo Jia, Xinhao Yang, Yusheng Luo, Chenglin Wu, Wei Wang and Yuan Yang

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 14062; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132414062 - 20 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2387

Abstract

With the development of urbanization, the environment is the key to the safety of residents’ life and health and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Urban environmental changes and microclimate problems have attracted widespread attention. For the SDGs, monitoring the urban microclimate more accurately and effectively and ensuring residents’ environmental health and safety is particularly important when designing applications that can replace the traditional fixed-point urban environment or pollution monitoring. Based on the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System platform, this paper proposes a fine-granularity urban microclimate monitoring method using wearable multi-source (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and other air pollutants) sensors innovatively, which includes the satellite position function by adopting the satellite pseudo-range differential positioning technology, environmental data perception through the embedded system and wireless transmission, as well as the GIS data processing and analysis system. The wearable sensor acquires position and service information data through the satellite positioning system and acquires environmental parameters through integrated mobile multi-source sensors. The data are cached and wirelessly transmitted to the cloud server for digital processing. The urban microclimate is evaluated and visualized through algorithm and map API. Mobile monitoring can be flexibly applied to complex and diverse urban spaces, effectively realizing all-weather, all-directional, and accurate microclimate monitoring of urban environmental quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Citizen Science Projects for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals)

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24 pages, 5047 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Citizen Science and the Sustainable Development Goals in Low and Middle Income Country Cities

by Rachel Pateman, Heidi Tuhkanen and Steve Cinderby

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9534; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179534 - 24 Aug 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4332

Abstract

Progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is monitored using a set of targets and indicators. Gaps in official datasets have led to calls for the inclusion of data generated through citizen science (CS) and allied approaches. Co-benefits of CS mean these approaches could also contribute to localising, defining, and achieving the SDGs. However, mapping of current and potential contributions is needed, as well as an understanding of the challenges these approaches present. We undertake a semi-systematic review of past and current CS projects and assess them against dimensions of CS—spatial, temporal, thematic, process, and management—and their value for the SDGs set out by Fritz et al. in 2019, focusing on low and middle income country (LMIC) cities as key environments in the battle for sustainability. We conduct interviews with project leaders to further understand the challenges for CS in these contexts. We find opportunities for projects to monitor and achieve a wide range of goals, targets, and indicators. However, we find fewer projects in low income countries when compared with middle income countries. Challenges include balancing local needs with national monitoring requirements and a lack of long-term funding. Support is needed for LMICs to achieve the potential of CS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Citizen Science Projects for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals)

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15 pages, 287 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measuring the Outcomes of a Participatory Research Study: Findings from an Environmental Epidemiological Study in Kaunas City

by Regina Grazuleviciene, Sandra Andrusaityte and Aurimas Rapalavicius

Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9368; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169368 - 20 Aug 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2085

Abstract

The achievement of a sustainable urban environment and health for all requires the engagement and greater awareness of local communities on issues of environment and health. This HORIZON2020 CitieS-Health study presents the outcomes of the environmental epidemiological research on the participants’ acquisition of new skills and knowledge as well as on health behaviour. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1062 residents of Kaunas city, Lithuania, from 2019 to 2021. We analysed the associations between the neighbourhood environmental quality scores and health issues, and the self-reported ratings on the acquired knowledge measured using a Likert rating scale. About 42.7% of the participants acknowledged that participation in the research study improved their data collection and interpretation skills, and 58.8% of them stated that the participation improved their knowledge on the links between environmental quality and health. The participants with increased knowledge more often rated their health as “good”, had a significantly lower diastolic blood pressure, and regularly visited the natural environment. The high impact of participatory research was associated with a higher scoring of the neighbourhood environmental quality, higher physical activity, and a beneficial effect on health. The study provides scientific evidence that improving the neighbourhood environment would promote increased physical activity, such as reaching green spaces by walking, and might benefit the society. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Citizen Science Projects for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals)

21 pages, 5955 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Citizen Science for Transformative Air Quality Policy in Germany and Niger

by Robert Lepenies and Ibrahim Sidi Zakari

Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3973; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073973 - 2 Apr 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4126

Abstract

How can citizen science projects advance the achievement of transformative air quality-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Germany and Niger? We investigate the promise of using citizen-generated data (CGD) as an input for official SDG monitoring and implementation in a multidisciplinary project, based on activities undertaken in Niger and Germany ranging from surveys, action research, policy and legislative analysis and environmental monitoring in Niamey and Leipzig, respectively. We critically describe and evaluate the great potential, but very limited actual use of CGD sources for these global goals in both contexts from technical and policy perspectives. Agenda 2030 provides an opportunity to tackle indoor and outdoor air quality in a more integrated and transformative perspective. However, we find this agenda to be remarkably absent in air quality policy and monitoring plans. Likewise, we find no meaningful links of existing citizen science initiatives to official air quality policy. We propose how SDGs-aligned citizen science initiatives could make major contributions to environmental and health monitoring and public debate, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This however requires researchers to more strategically link these initiatives to policymakers and policy frameworks, such as SDG indicators and the governance structures in which they are embedded. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Citizen Science Projects for Environmental Challenges and Sustainable Development Goals)

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