Citizen Science Monitoring for Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 6.3.2 in England and Zambia

Citizen science has the potential to support the delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its integration into national monitoring schemes. In this study, we explored the opportunities and biases of citizen science (CS) data when used either as a primary or seconda...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2020-12, Vol.12 (24), p.10271
Main Authors: Bishop, Isabel J., Warner, Stuart, van Noordwijk, Toos C. G. E., Nyoni, Frank C., Loiselle, Steven
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Comparative analysis
Complementarity
Freshwater ecosystems
Indicators
Monitoring
Phosphates
Science
Scientists
Site selection
Sustainability
Sustainable development
Water quality
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Summary:Citizen science has the potential to support the delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its integration into national monitoring schemes. In this study, we explored the opportunities and biases of citizen science (CS) data when used either as a primary or secondary source for SDG 6.3.2 reporting. We used data from waterbodies with both CS and regulatory monitoring in England and Zambia to explore their biases and complementarity. A comparative analysis of regulatory and CS data provided key information on appropriate sampling frequency, site selection, and measurement parameters necessary for robust SDG reporting. The results showed elevated agreement for pass/fail ratios and indicator scores for English waterbodies (80%) and demonstrated that CS data improved for granularity and spatial coverage for SDG indicator scoring, even when extensive statutory monitoring programs were present. In Zambia, management authorities are actively using citizen science projects to increase spatial and temporal coverage for SDG reporting. Our results indicate that design considerations for SDG focused citizen science can address local needs and provide a more representative indicator of the state of a nation’s freshwater ecosystems for international reporting requirements.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su122410271