2012), but clearly there is a lot of value in a dedicated and passionate workforce that works for free.įinally, CS has proven to be an invaluable tool for engaging citizens in the challenges most important to them – those in their back yard. There are costs for training of volunteers, equipment, publicity and coordination (Roy et al. A meta-analysis of 388 research projects using a total of 1.3 million volunteers found they provided in-kind value of between $0.7 to 2.5 billion annually which equates to 11 to 41% of the budget of the National Science Foundation (Theobald et al. The value of CS volunteers to Cornell University’s Project Feeder Watch is approximately $3 million per year (Dickinson, Zuckerbert, and Bonter 2010). The cost-savings value of CS can be substantial. 2015 Tulloch, Possingham, and Joseph 2013). In addition, CS is needed to provide the necessary data to track and mitigate biodiversity losses over large geographic areas and lengthy time periods (Deutsch and Orprecio 2001 Dickinson, Zuckerbert, and Bonter 2010 Pimm et al. We are in an era of budget cuts and high costs for water-quality monitoring (Hochachka, Fink, and Hutchinson 2012 Minkman, Van Overloop, and Van der Sanden 2015), CS may be the only practical and cost-effective way to document the broad ecological patterns at scales that are necessary to meet regulatory requirements. 2016 Minkman, Van Overloop, and Van der Sanden 2015). 2016) but acute scarcities of data have created problems for efficient management of water resources (Buytaert et al. Local, state and national governments have been making massive investments in ecosystem protection and rehabilitation (Gollan et al. It has not conducted a major survey since. streams were in poor condition, 25% in fair condition and 28% in good condition (Paulsen, Mayio, and Peck 2008). The agency found existing monitoring programs deficient for its purposes (Shapiro, Holdsworth, and Paulsen 2008) so it established the Wadeable Stream Assessment (WSA) which established a water quality baseline dataset by sampling 1,393 streams over a four-year period between 20. The Environmental Protection agency is charged with describing the quality of waters in the United States. Providing water resources is a key ecosystem service for humanity (Buytaert et al. and worldwide (Minkman, Van Overloop, and Van der Sanden 2015). We know that freshwater demand is increasing while its quality is being threatened by a growing population in the U.S. We hope to follow it up with recommendations for more detailed procedures and protocols to advance the quality of CS.ĭon’t we have enough scientists out there gathering data and telling us what we need to know? By way of an answer, let’s examine river/stream health as a case. This paper introduces some basic principles to help CS improve its value to the scientific and public policy communities. As CS adheres to precepts of effective science, it’s capacity to fill the gaps will be enhanced. It typically locates the rigors of scientific study in the context of pressing environmental challenges and relies on the diversity of volunteers in its implementation.Ĭitizen Science (CS) has the potential to fill huge gaps in the scientific study needed to resolve some of the most vexing problems we face globally. Like any good art, Citizen Science is a veritable stew of craftsmanship, expertise, inventiveness, and cultural awareness.
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