TY - JOUR

T1 - Citizen science for assessing ecosystem services

T2 - Status, challenges and opportunities

AU - Schröter, Matthias

AU - Kraemer, Roland

AU - Mantel, Martin

AU - Kabisch, Nadja

AU - Hecker, Susanne

AU - Richter, Anett

AU - Neumeier, Veronika

AU - Bonn, Aletta

N1 - Funding Information: We acknowledge the comments of two anonymous reviewers and of Leon Braat on an earlier version of the manuscript that helped to improve the paper. The study was partly supported with funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement no. 6417 , ECOPOTENTIAL).

PY - 2017/12

Y1 - 2017/12

N2 - Citizen science approaches provide opportunities to support ecosystem service assessments. To evaluate the recent trends, challenges and opportunities of utilizing citizen science in ecosystem service studies we conducted a systematic literature and project review. We reviewed the range of ecosystem services and formats of participation in citizen science in 17 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 102 ongoing or finished citizen science projects, out of over 500 screened publications and over 1400 screened projects. We found that citizen science is predominantly applied in assessing regulating and cultural services. The assessments were often performed by using proxy indicators that only implicitly provide information on ecosystem services. Direct assessments of ecosystem services are still rare. Participation formats mostly comprise contributory citizen science projects that focus on volunteered data collection. However, there is potential to increase citizen involvement in comprehensive ecosystem service assessments, including the development of research questions, design, data analysis and dissemination of findings. Levels of involvement could be enhanced to strengthen strategic knowledge on the environment, scientific literacy and the empowerment of citizens in helping to inform and monitor policies and management efforts related to ecosystem services. We provide an outlook how to better operationalise citizen science approaches to assess ecosystem services.

AB - Citizen science approaches provide opportunities to support ecosystem service assessments. To evaluate the recent trends, challenges and opportunities of utilizing citizen science in ecosystem service studies we conducted a systematic literature and project review. We reviewed the range of ecosystem services and formats of participation in citizen science in 17 peer-reviewed scientific publications and 102 ongoing or finished citizen science projects, out of over 500 screened publications and over 1400 screened projects. We found that citizen science is predominantly applied in assessing regulating and cultural services. The assessments were often performed by using proxy indicators that only implicitly provide information on ecosystem services. Direct assessments of ecosystem services are still rare. Participation formats mostly comprise contributory citizen science projects that focus on volunteered data collection. However, there is potential to increase citizen involvement in comprehensive ecosystem service assessments, including the development of research questions, design, data analysis and dissemination of findings. Levels of involvement could be enhanced to strengthen strategic knowledge on the environment, scientific literacy and the empowerment of citizens in helping to inform and monitor policies and management efforts related to ecosystem services. We provide an outlook how to better operationalise citizen science approaches to assess ecosystem services.

KW - Biodiversity

KW - Co-creation of knowledge

KW - Ecosystem service assessment

KW - Service-providing units

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85034013872&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.09.017

DO - 10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.09.017

M3 - Review article

AN - SCOPUS:85034013872

VL - 28

SP - 80

EP - 94

JO - Ecosystem Services

JF - Ecosystem Services

SN - 2212-0416

ER -