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A Practical Approach to Assessing the Impact of Citizen Science towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen Parkinson

    (Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

  • Sasha Marie Woods

    (Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

  • James Sprinks

    (Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

  • Luigi Ceccaroni

    (Earthwatch, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

Abstract

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important global framework which provides a shared vision for a more sustainable future for all people and the planet. In the last five years, citizen science as a discipline has paid increasing attention to the SDGs and the contributions that citizen science could make towards their achievement. This paper presents a collection of 51 questions and a corresponding set of answers which can be used by citizen science projects to self-assess their impact towards the SDGs. The questions and answers were originally derived from the official UN description of the SDG targets and indicators and were refined through a workshop and series of nine interviews with citizen science project coordinators. The outcomes of the workshop and interviews reveal the challenges of assessing impacts towards the SDGs in a way which is relevant to the majority of citizen science projects. In many cases, the wording of the SDGs had to be altered to make sense in the context of citizen science. The final set of questions and answers are structured to reflect two pathways of impact: citizen science contributing to the (official) monitoring of the SDGs, and citizen science contributing to the direct achievement of the SDGs.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4676-:d:793367
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Isabel J. Bishop & Stuart Warner & Toos C. G. E. van Noordwijk & Frank C. Nyoni & Steven Loiselle, 2020. "Citizen Science Monitoring for Sustainable Development Goal Indicator 6.3.2 in England and Zambia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-15, December.
    2. 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.
    3. Daniel Dörler & Steffen Fritz & Silke Voigt-Heucke & Florian Heigl, 2021. "Citizen Science and the Role in Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-5, May.
    4. Rachel Pateman & Heidi Tuhkanen & Steve Cinderby, 2021. "Citizen Science and the Sustainable Development Goals in Low and Middle Income Country Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-24, August.
    5. 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.
    6. Miguel Ángel Queiruga-Dios & Emilia López-Iñesta & María Diez-Ojeda & María Consuelo Sáiz-Manzanares & José Benito Vázquez Dorrío, 2020. "Citizen Science for Scientific Literacy and the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in Formal Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-18, May.
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