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Journal Article•DOI•

Local Participation in Natural Resource Monitoring: a Characterization of Approaches

Finn Danielsen, Neil D. Burgess1, Neil D. Burgess2, Andrew Balmford2, Paul F. Donald3, Mikkel Funder, Julia P. G. Jones4, Philip A. Alviola, Danilo S. Balete, Tom Blomley, Justin S. Brashares5, Brian Child6, Martin Enghoff, Jon Fjeldså7, Sune Holt, Hanne Hübertz, Arne Jensen, Per Moestrup Jensen8, John Massao9, Marlynn M. Mendoza, Yonika M. Ngaga10, Michael K. Poulsen, Ricardo Rueda11, Moses K. Sam, Thomas Skielboe, Greg Stuart-Hill1, Elmer Topp-Jørgensen, Deki Yonten •
World Wide Fund for Nature1, University of Cambridge2, The Lodge3, Bangor University4, University of California, Berkeley5, University of Florida6, American Museum of Natural History7, University of Copenhagen8, Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment9, Sokoine University of Agriculture10, National Autonomous University of Nicaragua11
01 Feb 2009-Conservation Biology (Wiley)-Vol. 23, Iss: 1, pp 31-42
TL;DR: A typology of monitoring categories, defined by their degree of local participation, is suggested, ranging from no local involvement with monitoring undertaken by professional researchers to an entirely local effort with monitoring undertook by local people, to help develop a protocol for monitoring in developing countries.
Abstract: The monitoring of trends in the status of species or habitats is routine in developed countries, where it is funded by the state or large nongovernmental organizations and often involves large numbers of skilled amateur volunteers. Far less monitoring of natural resources takes place in developing countries, where state agencies have small budgets, there are fewer skilled professionals or amateurs, and socioeconomic conditions prevent development of a culture of volunteerism. The resulting lack of knowledge about trends in species and habitats presents a serious challenge for detecting, understanding, and reversing declines in natural resource values. International environmental agreements require signatories undertake systematic monitoring of their natural resources, but no system exists to guide the development and expansion of monitoring schemes. To help develop such a protocol, we suggest a typology of monitoring categories, defined by their degree of local participation, ranging from no local involvement with monitoring undertaken by professional researchers to an entirely local effort with monitoring undertaken by local people. We assessed the strengths and weaknesses of each monitoring category and the potential of each to be sustainable in developed or developing countries. Locally based monitoring is particularly relevant in developing countries, where it can lead to rapid decisions

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Citations
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Journal Article•DOI•
Public Participation in Scientific Research: a Framework for Deliberate Design

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Jennifer L. Shirk1, Heidi L. Ballard2, Candie C. Wilderman3, Tina B. Phillips1, Andrea Wiggins4, Rebecca Jordan5, Ellen McCallie6, Matthew Minarchek1, Bruce V. Lewenstein1, Marianne E. Krasny1, Rick Bonney1 •
Cornell University1, University of California, Davis2, Dickinson College3, University of New Mexico4, Rutgers University5, Carnegie Museum of Natural History6
27 Jun 2012-Ecology and Society
TL;DR: Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR) as discussed by the authors ) is a popular term for participatory action research and citizen science, and it has been widely used in the literature.
Abstract: Members of the public participate in scientific research in many different contexts, stemming from traditions as varied as participatory action research and citizen science. Particularly in conservation and natural resource management contexts, where research often addresses complex social-ecological questions, the emphasis on and nature of this participation can significantly affect both the way that projects are designed and the outcomes that projects achieve. We review and integrate recent work in these and other fields, which has converged such that we propose the term public participation in scientific research (PPSR) to discuss initiatives from diverse fields and traditions. We describe three predominant models of PPSR and call upon case studies suggesting that—regardless of the research context—project outcomes are influenced by (1) the degree of public participation in the research process and (2) the quality of public participation as negotiated during project design. To illustrate relationships between the quality of participation and outcomes, we offer a framework that considers how scientific and public interests are negotiated for project design toward multiple, integrated goals. We suggest that this framework and models, used in tandem, can support deliberate design of PPSR efforts that will enhance their outcomes for scientific research, individual participants, and social-ecological systems.

1,016 citations

Cites background from "Local Participation in Natural Reso..."

  • ...In Table 4, we follow Danielsen et al. (2009) and document—for contributory, collaborative, and co-created projects—the outcomes described through empirical syntheses and case studies....

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  • ...…education and empowerment† Likely a slower process|; outcomes more aligned with social change than with scientific precision|; projects designed primarily by citizens have fewer opportunities for building trust, community, and social outcomes across stakeholder groups‡ * Danielsen et al. (2009)....

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  • ...…terms, such as volunteer biological monitoring (Lawrence 2006); community science (Carr 2004, Wilderman et al. 2004a); community-based monitoring (Danielsen et al. 2009); and participatory monitoring (Bell et al. 2008), all of which we argue can be considered public participation in scientific…...

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  • ...Although Wilderman et al. (2004b), Lawrence (2006), Danielsen et al. (2009), and others use different terms to label their models, they differentiate models similarly by degrees of practice....

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  • ...…of PPSR outcomes, across varied fields of practice and research, have similarly considered the degree of individuals’ participation in the research process to be closely related to outcomes (Lawrence 2006, Cooper et al. 2007, Wilderman 2007, Fernandez-Gimenez et al. 2008, Danielsen et al. 2009)....

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Journal Article•DOI•
Connecting Diverse Knowledge Systems for Enhanced Ecosystem Governance: The Multiple Evidence Base Approach

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Maria Tengö1, Eduardo S. Brondizio2, Thomas Elmqvist1, Pernilla Malmer1, Marja Spierenburg3 •
Stockholm University1, Indiana University2, VU University Amsterdam3
22 Mar 2014-AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment
TL;DR: This work presents the multiple evidence base (MEB) as an approach that proposes parallels whereby indigenous, local and scientific knowledge systems are viewed to generate different manifestations of knowledge, which can generate new insights and innovations through complementarities.
Abstract: Indigenous and local knowledge systems as well as practitioners’ knowledge can provide valid and useful knowledge to enhance our understanding of governance of biodiversity and ecosystems for human well-being. There is, therefore, a great need within emerging global assessment programs, such as the IPBES and other international efforts, to develop functioning mechanisms for legitimate, transparent, and constructive ways of creating synergies across knowledge systems. We present the multiple evidence base (MEB) as an approach that proposes parallels whereby indigenous, local and scientific knowledge systems are viewed to generate different manifestations of knowledge, which can generate new insights and innovations through complementarities. MEB emphasizes that evaluation of knowledge occurs primarily within rather than across knowledge systems. MEB on a particular issue creates an enriched picture of understanding, for triangulation and joint assessment of knowledge, and a starting point for further knowledge generation.

754 citations

Cites background or methods from "Local Participation in Natural Reso..."

  • ...Keywords Local knowledge Indigenous knowledge Complementarity Validation Ecosystem assessments Co-production of knowledge...

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  • ...However, in the science-practice realm there are many emerging initiatives that use approaches similar to a MEB, see for example Danielsen et al. (2009, 2014), Rist et al. (2011), and Shirk et al. (2012), see also Box 2....

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  • ...Co-production of knowledge is part of many cases of co-management (e.g., Armitage et al. (2011)), community-based management (e.g., Ballard et al. (2008)), and participatory natural resource monitoring (Danielsen et al. 2009)....

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Journal Article•DOI•
The future of citizen science: emerging technologies and shifting paradigms

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Greg Newman1, Andrea Wiggins2, Alycia Crall1, Eric Graham3, Sarah Newman4, Kevin Crowston5 •
Colorado State University1, University of New Mexico2, University of California, Los Angeles3, National Ecological Observatory Network4, Syracuse University5
01 Aug 2012-Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the future of citizen science in terms of its research processes, program and participant cultures, and scientific communities, and offer recommendations to help prepare project managers for impending challenges.
Abstract: Citizen science creates a nexus between science and education that, when coupled with emerging technologies, expands the frontiers of ecological research and public engagement. Using representative technologies and other examples, we examine the future of citizen science in terms of its research processes, program and participant cultures, and scientific communities. Future citizen-science projects will likely be influenced by sociocultural issues related to new technologies and will continue to face practical programmatic challenges. We foresee networked, open science and the use of online computer/video gaming as important tools to engage non-traditional audiences, and offer recommendations to help prepare project managers for impending challenges. A more formalized citizen-science enterprise, complete with networked organizations, associations, journals, and cyberinfrastructure, will advance scientific research, including ecology, and further public education.

521 citations

The future of citizen science: emerging technologies and shifting paradigms. Front Ecol Environ

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Greg Newman, Andrea Wiggins, Alycia Crall, Eric Graham, Sarah Newman, Kevin Crowston 
01 Jan 2012

513 citations

Cites background from "Local Participation in Natural Reso..."

  • ...Research questions can be formed through top-down (scientist-driven) or bottom-up (community-driven) processes (Danielsen et al. 2009)....

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  • ...Some projects involve participants in a single step of the research process, whereas others involve participants in multiple ways (Danielsen et al. 2009; Dickinson et al. 2012; Miller-Rushing et al. 2012)....

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Journal Article•DOI•
Can citizen science enhance public understanding of science

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Rick Bonney1, Tina B. Phillips1, Heidi L. Ballard2, Jody W. Enck1•
Cornell University1, University of California, Davis2
01 Jan 2016-Public Understanding of Science
TL;DR: This work finds limited but growing evidence that citizen science projects achieve participant gains in knowledge about science knowledge and process, increase public awareness of the diversity of scientific research, and provide deeper meaning to participants’ hobbies.
Abstract: Over the past 20 years, thousands of citizen science projects engaging millions of participants in collecting and/or processing data have sprung up around the world. Here we review documented outcomes from four categories of citizen science projects which are defined by the nature of the activities in which their participants engage - Data Collection, Data Processing, Curriculum-based, and Community Science. We find strong evidence that scientific outcomes of citizen science are well documented, particularly for Data Collection and Data Processing projects. We find limited but growing evidence that citizen science projects achieve participant gains in knowledge about science knowledge and process, increase public awareness of the diversity of scientific research, and provide deeper meaning to participants' hobbies. We also find some evidence that citizen science can contribute positively to social well-being by influencing the questions that are being addressed and by giving people a voice in local environmental decision making. While not all citizen science projects are intended to achieve a greater degree of public understanding of science, social change, or improved science -society relationships, those projects that do require effort and resources in four main categories: (1) project design, (2) outcomes measurement, (3) engagement of new audiences, and (4) new directions for research.

505 citations

Cites background from "Local Participation in Natural Reso..."

  • ...…parts of the scientific process (Bonney et al., 2009; Shirk et al., 2012), the degree of local participation in natural resource monitoring (Danielsen et al., 2008), the “ownership” of projects by their participants (Haklay, 2013), or project goals and uses of technology (Wiggins and…...

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References
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Book•
Bird Census Techniques

[...]

Colin J. Bibby, Neil D. Burgess, David A. Hill
26 Oct 1992
TL;DR: Purpose and design in counting birds census errors territory mapping methods line transects point contacts catching and marking counting individual species counting colonial flocking and nesting birds distribution studies description and measurement of bird habitat chapter summaries and points to consider.
Abstract: Purpose and design in counting birds census errors territory mapping methods line transects point contacts catching and marking counting individual species counting colonial flocking and nesting birds distribution studies description and measurement of bird habitat chapter summaries and points to consider.

3,236 citations

"Local Participation in Natural Reso..." refers background in this paper

  • ...In category 5 schemes local people bear all the costs....

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  • ...…an externally driven approach in which professional researchers from outside the study area set up, run, and analyze the results from a monitoring programme that has been funded by a remote agency (e.g., Goldsmith 1991; Sutherland 1996; Thompson et al. 1998; Bibby et al. 2000; Spellerberg 2005)....

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  • ...…are vulnerable to bias due to the spatial or temporal coverage of monitoring, a lack of experienced observers, methods changing over time, and results reflecting observer perceptions (Bibby et al. 2000; Danielsen et al. 2005a), although methods exist to circumvent such biases (Greenwood 2007)....

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Book•
Sacred Ecology: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Resource Management

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Fikret Berkes
03 Feb 1999
TL;DR: In this article, a knowledge-practice-belief complex of traditional ecological knowledge is proposed to deal with the topic of traditional knowledge specifically in the context of natural resource management, and a diversity of relationships that different groups have developed with their environment is explored.
Abstract: This book deals with the topic of traditional ecological knowledge specifically in the context of natural resource management. An issue of today is how humans can develop a more acceptable relationship with the environment that supports them. Growing interest in traditional ecological knowledge is perhaps indicative of two things: the need for ecological insights from indigenous practices of resource use; and the need to develop a new ecological ethic in part by learning from the wisdom of traditional knowledge holders. This book explores both of these ideas together by treating traditional ecological knowledge as a knowledge-practice-belief complex. This complex looks at traditional knowledge at four interrelated levels: local knowledge (species specific); the resource management system; social institutions; and worldview (religion, ethics, and defined belief systems). Divided into three parts that deal with concepts, practices and issues, respectively, the book examines many traditional knowledge systems. It discusses the usefulness of traditional ecological knowledge in terms of providing an understanding, not merely information, which is complementary to scientific ecology. At the same time, the book explores a diversity of relationships that different groups have developed with their environment, using extensive case studies.

1,698 citations

"Local Participation in Natural Reso..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Because many of these schemes are informal and exist within traditional societies that are located far from research institutions, there is little scientific documentation of the results (Berkes 1999)....

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Journal Article•DOI•
Monitoring of biological diversity in space and time

[...]

Nigel G. Yoccoz, James D. Nichols1, Thierry Boulinier2•
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center1, Pierre-and-Marie-Curie University2
01 Aug 2001-Trends in Ecology and Evolution
TL;DR: This work reviews recent developments in methods and designs that aim to integrate sources of error to provide unbiased estimates of change in biological diversity and to suggest the potential causes.
Abstract: Monitoring programmes are being used increasingly to assess spatial and temporal trends of biological diversity, with an emphasis on evaluating the efficiency of management policies. Recent reviews of the existing programmes, with a focus on their design in particular, have highlighted the main weaknesses: the lack of well-articulated objectives and the neglect of different sources of error in the estimation of biological diversity. We review recent developments in methods and designs that aim to integrate sources of error to provide unbiased estimates of change in biological diversity and to suggest the potential causes.

1,242 citations

Journal Article•DOI•
Money for nothing? A call for empirical evaluation of biodiversity conservation investments.

[...]

Paul J. Ferraro1, Subhrendu K. Pattanayak•
Georgia State University1
11 Apr 2006-PLOS Biology
TL;DR: The field of conservation policy must adopt state-of-the-art program evaluation methods to determine what works, and when, if it is to stem the global decline of biodiversity and improve the effectiveness of conservation investments.
Abstract: The field of conservation policy must adopt state-of-the-art program evaluation methods to determine what works, and when, if we are to stem the global decline of biodiversity and improve the effectiveness of conservation investments.

1,204 citations

Journal Article•DOI•
Monitoring for conservation.

[...]

James D. Nichols1, Byron K. Williams2•
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center1, United States Geological Survey2
01 Dec 2006-Trends in Ecology and Evolution
TL;DR: It is argued that monitoring should not be viewed as a stand-alone activity, but instead as a component of a larger process of either conservation-oriented science or management, which would lead to substantial increases in the efficiency and usefulness of monitoring results in conservation.
Abstract: Human-mediated environmental changes have resulted in appropriate concern for the conservation of ecological systems and have led to the development of many ecological monitoring programs worldwide. Many programs that are identified with the purpose of 'surveillance' represent an inefficient use of conservation funds and effort. Here, we revisit the 1964 paper by Platt and argue that his recommendations about the conduct of science are equally relevant to the conduct of ecological monitoring programs. In particular, we argue that monitoring should not be viewed as a stand-alone activity, but instead as a component of a larger process of either conservation-oriented science or management. Corresponding changes in monitoring focus and design would lead to substantial increases in the efficiency and usefulness of monitoring results in conservation.

1,113 citations

Related Papers (5)
A review of citizen science and community-based environmental monitoring: issues and opportunities

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01 May 2011-Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Cathy Conrad, Krista G. Hilchey
Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management

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01 Oct 2000-Ecological Applications
Fikret Berkes, Johan Colding, Carl Folke
Public Participation in Scientific Research: a Framework for Deliberate Design

[...]

27 Jun 2012-Ecology and Society
Jennifer L. Shirk, Heidi L. Ballard, Candie C. Wilderman, Tina B. Phillips, Andrea Wiggins, Rebecca Jordan, Ellen McCallie, Matthew Minarchek, Bruce V. Lewenstein, Marianne E. Krasny, Rick Bonney 
A new dawn for citizen science.

[...]

01 Sep 2009-Trends in Ecology and Evolution
Jonathan Silvertown
Citizen Science: A Developing Tool for Expanding Science Knowledge and Scientific Literacy

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01 Dec 2009-BioScience
Rick Bonney, Caren B. Cooper, Janis L. Dickinson, Steve Kelling, Tina B. Phillips, Kenneth V. Rosenberg, Jennifer L. Shirk