Seeds of change: reversing the erosion of traditional agroecological knowledge through a citizen science school program in Catalonia, Spain

Benyei, Petra; Aceituno-Mata, Laura; Calvet-Mir, Laura; Tardío, Javier; Pardo‐de‐Santayana, Manuel; García-del-Amo, David; Rivera-Ferré, Marta G.; Molina-Simón, María; Gras, Airy; Perdomo-Molina, Antonio; Guadilla-Sáez, Sara; Reyes‐García, Victoria

doi:10.5751/es-11471-250219

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…Indeed, it is important to underline that the four knowledge questions tested only factual knowledge, while other types of knowledge were not represented by our questions, but are still important for conservation. Participating in citizen science may also foster a connection with, create, or improve other types of knowledge, such as indigenous and traditional knowledge (Benyei et al., 2020), which can be very useful for environmental management (Lehébel‐Péron et al., 2016). Future research should recognise and include other types and sources of knowledge by using a more comprehensive approach.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in participant behaviour and attitudes are associated with knowledge and skills gained by using a turtle conservation citizen science app

et al. 2021

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Citizen science has become a popular way to collect biodiversity data and engage the wider public in scientific research. It has the potential to improve the knowledge and skills of participants, and positively change their behaviour and attitude towards the environment. Citizen science outcomes are particularly valuable for wildlife conservation, as they could help alleviate human impacts on the environment. We used an online questionnaire to investigate the consequences of participating in an Australian turtle mapping app, TurtleSAT, on skills and knowledge gain, and test for any association between these gains and behavioural or attitudinal changes reported by the participants. One hundred and forty‐eight citizen scientists completed our questionnaire, mostly from the states of New South Wales and Victoria. TurtleSAT was the third most common source of correct answers about turtle ecology and conservation, after a talk about turtles and personal observations/research. Citizen scientists who participated more often were more knowledgeable about turtles than infrequent users. Self‐reported gains in knowledge and skills were positively linked to attitudinal and behavioural changes, such as being more aware of turtles on roads. However, behaviour and attitude changes were not related to participation rate. Respondents also reported that after learning about the current decline in turtle populations, they adopted several turtle‐friendly practices, such as habitat restoration or moving turtles out of harm's way, underlining the importance of increasing people's awareness on species declines. The reported changes in attitudes and behaviours are likely to positively impact the conservation of Australian freshwater turtles. Engagement with citizen science projects like TurtleSAT may result in participants being more interested in the natural world, by learning more about it and being more exposed to it, and therefore contributing more actively to its protection. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in participant behaviour and attitudes are associated with knowledge and skills gained by using a turtle conservation citizen science app

et al. 2021

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“…To further incentivize participation, CONECT-e was disseminated through a school program and talks at academic and nonacademic events (see Benyei, Aceituno-Mata, et al [2020] and Benyei [2020] for more details). Most of these activities targeted relatively young audiences (nineteen to twenty-three year-old agricultural school students) because the project rationale was that younger participants could act as intermediaries between the digital platform and the normally non-ICT-skilled TEK holders (i.e., elders in rural areas).…”

Section: Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Participation in Citizen Science: Insights from the CONECT-e Case Study

Benyei

Pardo‐de‐Santayana

Aceituno-Mata

et al. 2020

Science, Technology, & Human Values

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Citizen science (CS) is growing quickly, given its potential to enhance knowledge coproduction by diverse participants, generating large and global data sets. However, uneven participation in CS is still an important concern. This work aims to understand (1) participation dynamics in CS and (2) how they are shaped by participation barriers and drivers. We do so by examining participation in CONECT-e, a CS project that uses a wiki-like platform to document traditional ecological knowledge. More precisely, we analyze quantitative data on participants’ profile and activity patterns and qualitative data on barriers and drivers of participation. Our findings suggest that overcoming the education, age, and residence participation barriers is challenging even in cocreated CS projects. This is potentially due to issues of perceived self-illegitimacy and low access to information and communication technologies. Our results also point out that participants’ alliance with the project’s objectives and trust relationships with the project team are important drivers of participation in CS projects. Finally, we also highlight the need to think beyond participation as single actions and rather consider participation diversity in CS as functional diversity in ecosystems, with participants performing a diverse set of interconnected tasks or functions.

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“…This discontinuation of transmission is related to asymmetries in power relations that are based on the colonial perspective that indigenous communities are underdeveloped, and that expert knowledge must be preferred over lay knowledge. Therefore, this knowledge may be lost or the communities' ability to manage the natural resources in their region reduced [59].…”

Section: Citizen Science Addressing Biocultural Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study of a citizen science program aimed at documenting traditional agroecological knowledge showed that students who conducted interviews with older genera-tions increased the students' access to traditional agroecological knowledge, counteracted stigmatization, and led to a revaluation of the biocultural patrimony of a community, thus overcoming the devaluation of traditional agroecological knowledge systems in favor of expert knowledge systems [59]. However, only if this knowledge is put into action, i.e., agricultural practice, it can be further imparted.…”

Section: Citizen Science Addressing Biocultural Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, the students accessed traditional agroecological knowledge by talking to older generations or researching digital sources (and less by talking to fellow students). Therefore, the author argues for "contextualized and intergenerational school activities [that] could result in both horizontal knowledge transmission through fellow students and vertical or oblique knowledge transmission through interactions with elders" [59].…”

Section: Citizen Science Addressing Biocultural Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Knowledge Translation and Its Interrelation with Usability and Accessibility. Biocultural Diversity Translated by Means of Technology and Language—The Case of Citizen Science Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals

Heinisch

2020

Sustainability

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Translation plays an important role in all areas of human activity. Despite its primary role of overcoming language barriers, it is used as an analogy for activities that require transfer, mediation, or negotiation of meaning. Knowledge translation is a concept that links knowledge to action, which is also at the heart of citizen science. Several studies have highlighted the ways in which citizen science can contribute to the definition, monitoring and implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although these studies emphasized the importance of data contributions for SDG reporting and monitoring purposes, this paper applies the concept of knowledge translation to citizen science for achieving the SDGs based on the conceptual framework provided by translation studies. Knowledge translation, citizen science, and the SDGs have their focus on actions and negotiations in common. Citizen science can, thus, be regarded as a mediator between science and the SDGs or a mediator between the public and policymakers. Exemplified by biocultural diversity, this paper analyzes the application of knowledge translation to the SDGs in and through citizen science. Citizen science guided by the SDGs requires different forms of knowledge ((and) translation) that are usable, accessible, and meaningful.

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Seeds of change: reversing the erosion of traditional agroecological knowledge through a citizen science school program in Catalonia, Spain

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Changes in participant behaviour and attitudes are associated with knowledge and skills gained by using a turtle conservation citizen science app

Changes in participant behaviour and attitudes are associated with knowledge and skills gained by using a turtle conservation citizen science app

Participation in Citizen Science: Insights from the CONECT-e Case Study

Knowledge Translation and Its Interrelation with Usability and Accessibility. Biocultural Diversity Translated by Means of Technology and Language—The Case of Citizen Science Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals

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