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Coordinator Perceptions When Assessing the Impact of Citizen Science towards Sustainable Development Goals

Author

Listed:
  • James Sprinks

    (Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

  • Sasha Marie Woods

    (Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

  • Stephen Parkinson

    (Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

  • Uta Wehn

    (IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, 2611 AX Delft, The Netherlands)

  • Hannah Joyce

    (The River Restoration Centre, Cranfield MK4 30A, UK)

  • Luigi Ceccaroni

    (Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

  • Mohammad Gharesifard

    (IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, 2611 AX Delft, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Tracking progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires high-quality, timely, and accessible data, often in areas where data are rarely available. Problems exist due to socioeconomic variations between countries and the qualitative nature of certain indicators in their definition. Citizen science has the potential to contribute to several SDGs. However, whilst citizen science’s potential to contribute towards SDGs is well documented, limitations exist when measuring the impact that citizen science has made toward SDG progress. To better understand the issues and prospective solutions surrounding impact assessment towards SDG progress, this work presents the outcomes of semi-structured interviews with citizen science project coordinators. They reveal the complex nature of impact assessment within a citizen science context. Coordinators demonstrate greater confidence when the project is easier to relate to the SDGs, and the project methodology can objectively measure indicators. Issues exist, however, when considering SDGs with a broader, global context, those more difficult to link to project goals and when the project’s impact on them happens at timescales beyond the funding period. If the full potential of citizen-science contributions to the SDGs is to be realised, approaches are needed to fully consider practitioners’ needs and motivations.

Suggested Citation

  • James Sprinks & Sasha Marie Woods & Stephen Parkinson & Uta Wehn & Hannah Joyce & Luigi Ceccaroni & Mohammad Gharesifard, 2021. "Coordinator Perceptions When Assessing the Impact of Citizen Science towards Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:2377-:d:504068
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Barbara Adams, 2019. "Commentary on Special Issue: Knowledge and Politics in Setting and Measuring SDGs Numbers and Norms," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 10(S1), pages 157-158, January.
    2. United Nations UN, 2015. "Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Working Papers id:7559, eSocialSciences.
    3. David Griggs & Mark Stafford-Smith & Owen Gaffney & Johan Rockström & Marcus C. Öhman & Priya Shyamsundar & Will Steffen & Gisbert Glaser & Norichika Kanie & Ian Noble, 2013. "Sustainable development goals for people and planet," Nature, Nature, vol. 495(7441), pages 305-307, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Benedict Sheehy & Federica Farneti, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Sustainable Development and Corporate Sustainability: What Is the Difference, and Does It Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, May.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. Justus Henke, 2022. "Can Citizen Science in the Humanities and Social Sciences Deliver on the Sustainability Goals?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-20, July.
    5. Stephen Parkinson & Sasha Marie Woods & James Sprinks & Luigi Ceccaroni, 2022. "A Practical Approach to Assessing the Impact of Citizen Science towards the Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-26, April.
    6. Maria Panitsa & Nikolia Iliopoulou & Emmanouil Petrakis, 2021. "Citizen Science, Plant Species, and Communities’ Diversity and Conservation on a Mediterranean Biosphere Reserve," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-11, September.
    7. Irati Otamendi-Irizar & Olatz Grijalba & Alba Arias & Claudia Pennese & Rufino Hernández, 2021. "Effective Implementation of Urban Agendas through Urban Action Structures (UAS): The Case of the Basque Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-18, May.

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