Citizen science approaches for water quality measurements

Exploring Sustainable Pathways for Citizen Science Projects in China's Watershed Governance: The Case Study of Guiyang

Citizen science (CS) is increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in global environmental governance. In China, however, CS projects often face challenges, such as low public engagement, limited institutional support, and weak long-term sustainability. This study investigates Guiyang's CS initiatives in watershed governance through an action research approach, applying two analytical frameworks, a six-stage lifecycle model and a participation typology, to examine project design, implementation, and the evolution of citizen involvement. Findings show that Guiyang's CS projects, although rooted in rural communities, expanded the coverage and responsiveness of environmental monitoring by mobilizing local knowledge and activating dense community networks. A "point-to-surface" strategy, using trained civilian environmental supervisors to engage local residents, was supported by expert assistance and structured training to overcome technical and knowledge barriers. The study reveals that, by responding to environmental governance needs, embedding CS within rural social structures, and fostering adaptive capacities, these projects integrated into China's policy-driven governance model and local socio-cultural contexts. Three key drivers of sustained development were identified: responsive governance mechanisms, digital tools and a supportive policy environment. Nonetheless, persistent challenges remain, including unstable participation, uneven technical capacity, and intermittent policy support. This study illustrates how CS can be effectively localized in different governance systems and highlights new pathways for participatory environmental governance in the Global South.

Can Citizen Scientists Contribute to Trail Assessment and Monitoring Programs? An Empirical Evaluation of Data Congruence and Overall Efficacy

Citizen science has been increasingly utilized for monitoring resource conditions and visitor use in protected areas. However, the quality of data provided by citizen scientists remains a major concern that hinders wider applications in protected area management. We evaluated a prototype, citizen science-based trail assessment and monitoring program in Hong Kong using an integrated evaluative approach with a specific focus on the congruence of data collected by trained volunteers and managers. Datasets were evaluated in two ways. First, we compared differences in average values and standard deviations for measured trail indicators across all 30 sampling points. Second, we explored how result patterns characterized by the coefficients of variation and statistical significance differed for data collected by managers and volunteers at each sampling point or trail feature. Results revealed that the two trail assessment methods (one by volunteers, the other by managers) yielded incongruent data for some variables (e.g., trail width and maximum incision depth), but not others (e.g., Trail problems of erosions and multiple trail treads). Results of group interviews also revealed some possible factors that may have led to incongruent results, such as lack of experience and different perceptions between volunteers and managers in recognizing trail problems. While this study shows the potential value of citizen science-based monitoring programs, further steps are recommended to enhance the quality and usability of citizen science data to support effective trail monitoring and management.

Protists in science communication

Despite their high abundance and wide distribution in ecosystems, most protists remain unknown to the public. Although science communication approaches were developed in historical times to raise public awareness of these 'enigmatic' taxa, many aspects have not been considered in the spotlight of modern techniques. We present selected ideas and activities on how to attract the public to unicellular eukaryotes. We give examples of how protists can be included in educational work. We explain that trained non-experts can understand and teach others how to recognize protists, where they live, in which habitats they can be found, what they look like and why they are important. Consequently, members of the public can learn how environmental threats impact not only the lives of protists but also ours, e.g., by the accumulation of microplastics through an aquatic food web, up to fish used for human consumption. We suggest age-appropriate methods for application in workshops on protist recognition.

An integrated coastal ecosystem monitoring strategy: Pilot case in Naf-Saint Martin Peninsula, Bangladesh

Rapid population growth creating an excessive pressure on the marine environment and thus monitoring of marine ecosystem is essential. However, due to high technical and financial involvement, monitoring of coastal ecosystem is always challenging in developing countries. This study aims to develop an integrated coastal ecosystem monitoring system that combines scientific sampling, numerical model simulation and citizen science observations to monitor the coastal ecosystem of Bangladesh. This concept of integrated monitoring approach was piloted from January 2022 to April 2023 at the South East coastal zone of Bangladesh. Scientific sampling and numerical model simulations were performed for temperature and salinity data collection. Citizen science approach was employed to collect data on environmental conditions, fisheries, plankton, other marine resources, and plastic pollution. Numerical model simulations and citizen scientists observations of temperature and salinity showed good agreement with the scientifically collected data. In addition, citizen scientists observations on fisheries, plankton, other marine resources and plastic pollution were also in line with the existing database and previous studies. The proposed integrated monitoring approach presents a viable technique, creating a new avenue for coastal and marine ecosystem monitoring where infrastructural facilities are limited.