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Citizen Science in Germany as Research and Sustainability Education: Analysis of the Main Forms and Foci and Its Relation to the Sustainable Development Goals

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  • Katharina Schleicher

    (Center for Transformation Research and Sustainability (Transzent), Döppersberg 19, 42103 Wuppertal, Germany)

  • Constanze Schmidt

    (Center for Transformation Research and Sustainability (Transzent), Döppersberg 19, 42103 Wuppertal, Germany)

Abstract

Many citizen science projects are in the thematic area of species observation and natural environment monitoring but, in recent years, projects in other areas and disciplines have increasingly been using citizen science approaches. It is assumed that citizen science could potentially contribute to an increase in environmental awareness and to advancing knowledge about environmental change and sustainability issues. In this article, we present a review of 127 citizen science projects listed on the German platform, “Bürger schaffen Wissen”, with the aim of analysing whether the main focus of most projects is on the scientific results or on educational aspects and how citizen science projects are connected to the SDGs. The results show that many citizen science projects overlap with SDG 4 Quality Education . Of these projects, a larger proportion entail higher levels of involvement than those projects with a stronger focus on the scientific results, in which the participation of the citizen scientists is mainly standardised and at low levels. An even greater number of projects in the sample are linked to SDG 15 Life on Land and, thereby, are in line with the traditional focus of citizen science. Additionally, the analysis reveals that forms of education used in citizen science projects are much more diverse than those included in SDG 4.

Suggested Citation

  • Katharina Schleicher & Constanze Schmidt, 2020. "Citizen Science in Germany as Research and Sustainability Education: Analysis of the Main Forms and Foci and Its Relation to the Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-12, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:6044-:d:390787
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    1. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
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    1. Sasha Marie Woods & Maria Daskolia & Alexis Joly & Pierre Bonnet & Karen Soacha & Sonia Liñan & Tim Woods & Jaume Piera & Luigi Ceccaroni, 2022. "How Networks of Citizen Observatories Can Increase the Quality and Quantity of Citizen-Science-Generated Data Used to Monitor SDG Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Regina Grazuleviciene & Sandra Andrusaityte & Aurimas Rapalavicius, 2021. "Measuring the Outcomes of a Participatory Research Study: Findings from an Environmental Epidemiological Study in Kaunas City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-15, August.
    3. Nicola Moczek & Silke L. Voigt-Heucke & Kim G. Mortega & Claudia Fabó Cartas & Jörn Knobloch, 2021. "A Self-Assessment of European Citizen Science Projects on Their Contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Daniel Wuebben & Juan Romero-Luis & Manuel Gertrudix, 2020. "Citizen Science and Citizen Energy Communities: A Systematic Review and Potential Alliances for SDGs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-24, December.
    5. Ralph Sonntag & Gerard J. Lewis & Andrzej Raszkowski, 2022. "The Importance of Implementing SDGs by Small and Medium Size Enterprises: Evidence from Germany and Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-14, December.
    6. Chia-Hsiang Chen & Kuo-Wei Yen, 2023. "Developing International Collaboration Indicators in Fisheries Remote Sensing Research to Achieve SDG 14 and 17," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-22, September.

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