Delivering EU BON through citizen science: the power of lay knowledge - Dr Linda Davies Imperial College London

Delivering EU BON through citizen
science: the power of lay knowledge

Dr Linda Davies
Imperial College London
l.davies@imperial.ac.uk

Making environmental monitoring more accessible

1.   What is citizen science?
2.   Citizen science relevant to EU:BON
3.   OPAL: a UK citizen science programme
4.   Impact of Citizen Science
5.   Next steps

Citizen science
(Dickinson & Bonney, 2012)

Public participation in organised research effort where
the balance between research, recruitment of new
audiences and educational goals may vary;

Shift in recent years from collecting basic data to
promoting conservation by including not just ecological
skills and knowledge but also social attitudes
(stewardship).

Who are citizen scientists?

• Societies for amateur experts formed in the 1800s
    astronomers, meteorologists, ornithologists;
• Audubon Christmas Bird Count
• RSPB Annual Garden Bird Survey
• Galaxy Zoo – classify galaxies according to their shape –
  online
• People who have used their free time to engage in the
  scientific process
• All sectors of society:
     »children and adults - experts and beginners

EU BON: Outcomes and task

1. Strategy roadmap for EU citizen science gateway for biodiversity data –
   what does that mean
2. European Biodiversity Portal to enable fast access to integrated data
   and products
3. Policy paper on strategies for data mobilization and use in conservation
4. Prototype of integrated, scalable, global biodiversity monitoring
   schemes
5. Strategies for EU-integrated national and regional biodiversity
information infrastructures
6. Sustainability plan for regional and global biodiversity information
network

Task 1.1 Assessment and evaluation of biodiversity data sources
Task 1.5 Exploring citizen science – based approaches for mobilizing
and generating biodiversity data
Task 4.4 Optimizing monitoring designs and improving their cost
efficiency
Task 4.5 Quantifying uncertainty from different sources

Driver: Convention on Biological Diversity

1. Survey and document the extent of biodiversity on
   their own territories and assist developing countries to do
   the same.
2. Promote conservation and sustainable use of land, air
   and water and recognise that people with their cultural
   and varied social needs are an integral part of
   ecosystems.
3. Improve education and public awareness about the value
   of biodiversity.

Concept

    ‘It is not only scientists and government
               that should be involved in monitoring but
                      the wider community, particularly young people.’

                         K. Mellanby (Editor) Environmental Pollution (1974)

OPAL Objectives

1. Get more people outside exploring and recording the
   world around them;
2. Develop an innovative environmental education
   programme;
3. Inspire a new generation;
4. Strengthen collaboration between the statutory, voluntary
   and community sectors;
5. Gain a greater understanding of the state of the natural
   environment.

Newcastle University

 National Centres
 Soil: Imperial       University of Central Lancashire       University of York
 Air: Imperial
 Water: University College London
 Climate: UK Meteorological Office
                                                           University of Nottingham

 Biodiversity:
 Natural History Museum (Taxonomy)
 Open University (iSPOT)       University of Birmingham

 Support Services                                                   University of Hertfordshire
 Natural History Museum
 Portal/database/media                                                Imperial College London
 Field Studies Council Imperial College London (Silwood Park)
 Schools/field packs
 National Biodiversity
 Network
 Recording software              University of Plymouth
 Royal Parks

Associates: Environment Agency, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

OPAL Natural History Societies Small Grants (NHM)

• NHM Consultation - 800+ organisations contacted
• 19% responded 81% did not
  What did they need?
     •   86% want more members
     •   More training in whole organism biology
     •   Help with recording, validation of records and uploading data to the NBN
     •   Good websites and apps
     •   Organised programme of events to bring societies together with each
         other and with the public
     •   A national body to represent societies
     •   Regular sources of funding for societies
     •   Education: taxonomy and fieldwork in schools and universities
• 96 small grants totalling £219,498.00
• Nature Groups Near You – 2013
• Taxonomy resources, publicity and events

Engaging the public

           Play video

Air & Lichen Survey
20,000 packs to schools & 20,000 through regional
network
 Activity: record lichens and invertebrates on
2-4 trees
Tree girth and tree species
Lichens: abundance score on trunk and twigs
Invertebrates identified to broad groups              Online results map
Tar spot on sycamore

           NITROGEN                                 NITROGEN
           SENSITIVE             INTERMEDIATE       TOLERANT
            LICHENS                 LICHENS          LICHENS
               +1                      0                -1

 Pollution score automatically calculated when
 data is entered into the OPAL database

OPAL Network: impact

• 750,000 people involved with OPAL
• Developed a national network
         » 2,000 schools
         » 1,000 organisations (W.I., local gov., Scouts)
•    20% participants from disadvantaged backgrounds
•    25,000+ sites surveyed over three years
•    2m visitors to OPAL websites
•    87% have learnt new skills
•    92% have learnt something new
•    84% are likely to do another survey
•    45% think differently about the environment
•    40% are likely to join an environmental group or society
•    37% would change their behaviour towards the environment

Data quality – what can we do to maximise data value

1.   Help with identification     iSPOT: Social network for species
2.   Help with recording         identification from photographs
                                 submitted online
3.   Use of photography            • 900,000 visitors+ to the website
4.   Rank expertise                • 17,000 registered users
                                   • 100,000 photographs
5.   Use numerical data            • 88% photographs identified within 24hours
6.   Online validation             • 86 natural history societies
                                   • Photographic records passed on to Societies
7.   Field validation              • Bayesian Keys - NBN mapping scheme
8.   Source / metadata
                      Indicia: Basic kit to build a wildlife recording website
                         • 500,000+ users from Plantlife to British Dragonfly Society
                           – UK & EU wide

EU BN: Question 5

Which are the most important features of the EU BON Biodiversity
Portal that would support my work as citizen scientist and motivate
me to contribute?

Make the portal accessible to all

        •   section on citizen science
        •   information suitable for all sectors of society
        •   clear signage to national networks and programmes

Conclusion: local knowledge is important

1. All sectors of society should and can be involved
   in monitoring
2. Contributing data makes people feel valuable
3. Local people are the first to notice change in their
   environment - provide them with the resources to
   monitor it
4. Technology is facilitating this ecological revolution
   but we must take society with us
5. Make EU BON accessible to all

                                                   OPAL Earthworm Records on NBN

Next steps

Eye on Earth conference - 7th March, 2013 Ireland (EEA)

Launch of European Citizen Science Association – May, 2013

Contact us: OPAL@imperial.ac.uk

Acknowledgements: OPAL partners and Big Lottery Fund