Your search found 32 records
1 Pedregal, B.; Laconi, C.; del Moral, L. 2020. Promoting environmental justice through integrated mapping approaches: the map of water conflicts in Andalusia (Spain). ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 9(2):130. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9020130]
Water management ; Conflicts ; Environmental factors ; Mapping ; Participatory approaches ; Collective behaviour ; Citizen science ; Communities ; Water resources ; Planning ; Geographical information systems ; Case studies / Spain / Andalusia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049988)
(1.73 MB) (1.73 MB)
Addressing environmental governance conflicts requires the adoption of a complexity approach to carry out an adaptive process of collective learning, exploration, and experimentation. In this article, we hypothesize that by integrating community-based participatory mapping processes with internet-based collaborative digital mapping technologies, it is possible to create tools and spaces for knowledge co-production and collective learning. We also argue that providing a collaborative web platform enables these projects to become a repository of activist knowledge and practices that are often poorly stored and barely shared across communities and organizations. The collaborative Webmap of Water Conflicts in Andalusia, Spain, is used to show the benefits and potential of mapping processes of this type. The article sets out the steps and methods used to develop this experience: (i) background check; (ii) team discussion and draft proposal; (iii) in-depth interviews, and (iv) integrated participative and collaborative mapping approach. The main challenge that had to be addressed during this process was to co-create a tool able to combine the two perspectives that construct the identity of integrated mapping: a data-information-knowledge co-production process that is useful for the social agents—the environmental activists—while also sufficiently categorizable and precise to enable the competent administrations to steer their water management.
2 Nigussie, Likimyelesh; Haile, Alemseged Tamiru; Gowing, J.; Walker, D.; Parkin, G. 2020. Citizen science in community-based watershed management: an institutional analysis in Ethiopia. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 25p. (IWMI Working Paper 191) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2020.207]
Watershed management ; Community involvement ; Citizen science ; Water institutions ; Hydrometeorology ; Weather data ; Climatic data ; Monitoring ; Water resources ; Water management ; Natural resources management ; Water security ; Irrigation management ; Small scale systems ; Sustainability ; Governmental organizations ; River basin institutions ; Meteorological stations ; Participatory approaches ; Stakeholders ; Data analysis ; Access to information ; Information dissemination / Ethiopia / Abbay Basin / Rift Valley Lakes Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H050043)
(1.22 MB)
The engagement of communities (non-scientists) in the collection of reliable hydrometeorological data (a citizen science approach) has the potential to address part of the data gaps in Ethiopia. Due to the high cost of establishing and maintaining gauging stations, hydrometeorological monitoring in the country tends to focus on large river basins (> 1,000 km2) with little or no consideration of small watersheds (< 100 km2). However, hydrologic data from small watersheds are critical for two main reasons: (i) measure the impacts of watershed management interventions on water resources; and (ii) inform local development plans, such as small- and micro-scale irrigation development. Therefore, this paper examines the institutional arrangements for hydrometeorological monitoring and the practices followed by the Basin Development Authority and National Meteorology Agency in Ethiopia. It is important to investigate the possibilities of embedding a citizen science approach into the data collection systems of these two organizations, as this will help to address data gaps, particularly at micro-watershed levels. Based on the assessments, there is potential to embed the approach into the institutional structure of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) for hydrometeorological monitoring in micro-watersheds, due to the following reasons: (i) MoA has a high demand for hydrometeorological data from small rivers to be used for small- and micro-scale irrigation development, and for measuring the impacts of watershed development interventions on water resources; and (ii) MoA has an institutional structure from federal to community level that supports the engagement of communities in development interventions. However, effectively embedding the citizen science approach into regular monitoring of MoA depends on the clear distribution of mandates; developing legal, ethical, methodological and quality frameworks; and developing clear data sharing and incentive mechanisms involving all partners.
3 Nardi, F.; Cudennec, C.; Abrate, T.; Allouch, C.; Annis, A.; Assumpcao, T. H.; Aubert, A. H.; Berod, D.; Braccini, A. M.; Buytaert, W.; Dasgupta, A.; Hannah, D. M.; Mazzoleni, M.; Polo, M. J.; Saebo, O.; Seibert, J.; Tauro, F.; Teichert, F.; Teutonico, R.; Uhlenbrook, Stefan; Vargas, C. W.; Grimaldi, S. 2022. Citizens AND HYdrology (CANDHY): conceptualizing a transdisciplinary framework for citizen science addressing hydrological challenges. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 67(16):2534-2551. (Special issue: Hydrological Data: Opportunities and Barriers) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2020.1849707]
Hydrology ; Citizen science ; Community involvement ; Human behaviour ; Water management ; Participatory approaches ; Decision making ; Policy making ; Regional planning ; Information systems ; Frameworks ; Observation ; Monitoring ; Mapping ; Procedures ; Guidelines ; Technology ; Data collection ; Models
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050058)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/02626667.2020.1849707?needAccess=true&role=button
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050058.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050058.pdf
(2.09 MB) (2.09 MB)
Widely available digital technologies are empowering citizens who are increasingly well informed and involved in numerous water, climate, and environmental challenges. Citizen science can serve many different purposes, from the “pleasure of doing science” to complementing observations, increasing scientific literacy, and supporting collaborative behaviour to solve specific water management problems. Still, procedures on how to incorporate citizens’ knowledge effectively to inform policy and decision-making are lagging behind. Moreover, general conceptual frameworks are unavailable, preventing the widespread uptake of citizen science approaches for more participatory cross-sectorial water governance. In this work, we identify the shared constituents, interfaces and interlinkages between hydrological sciences and other academic and non-academic disciplines in addressing water issues. Our goal is to conceptualize a transdisciplinary framework for valuing citizen science and advancing the hydrological sciences. Joint efforts between hydrological, computer and social sciences are envisaged for integrating human sensing and behavioural mechanisms into the framework. Expanding opportunities of online communities complement the fundamental value of on-site surveying and indigenous knowledge. This work is promoted by the Citizens AND HYdrology (CANDHY) Working Group established by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS).
4 Donauer, T.; Haile, Alemseged Tamiru; Goshime, Demelash Wondimagegnehu; Siegfried, T.; Ragettli, S. 2020. Gap and opportunity analysis of hydrological monitoring in the Ziway-Shala Sub-basin, Ethiopia. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 40p. (IWMI Working Paper 192) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2020.210]
Hydrological data ; Monitoring ; River basin institutions ; Lakes ; Water levels ; Water balance ; Data collection ; Data management ; Water resources ; Water management ; Planning ; Stream flow ; Discharges ; Measurement ; Observation ; Stakeholders ; Citizen science ; Velocity ; Remote sensing ; Time series analysis ; Precipitation ; Rain ; Catchment areas ; Evapotranspiration ; Irrigation ; Socioeconomic development / Ethiopia / Ziway-Shala Sub-Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H050113)
(4.36 MB)
This working paper was prepared under a development and conservation project – Societal Development and Ecosystems Conservation in Sahelian Wetlands (SAWEL) – focusing on improving food security and nutrition in the Sahel region by helping to safeguard wetlands through ecologically sustainable agricultural water management. SAWEL is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). This paper provides an overview of the current situation with regards to hydrological monitoring in the Ziway-Shala sub-basin in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia, including details of existing river and lake gauging stations in the sub-basin. The study was jointly conducted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and Hydrosolutions through consultation with staff of the Rift Valley Lakes Basin Development Office (RVLBDO), field trips to gauging stations, inspection of data recording books and reviewing previous studies. In addition to highlighting gaps in hydrological monitoring in the Ziway-Shala sub-basin, opportunities (e.g., remote sensing and citizen science) for novel, non-traditional hydrological monitoring are also presented.
5 Chapman, D. V.; Warner, S.; Dickens, Chris. 2021. Approaches to water monitoring. In Filho, W. L.; Azul, A. M.; Brandli, L.; Salvia, A. L.; Wall, T. (Eds.). Clean water and sanitation. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. 11p. (Online first). (Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70061-8_96-1]
Water quality ; Monitoring ; Approaches ; Assessment ; Water resources ; Rivers ; Lakes ; Groundwater ; Observation ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Indicators ; Citizen science
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050315)
(0.55 MB)
6 Cardenas, M. L.; Wilde, V.; Hagen-Zanker, A.; Seifert-Dahnn, I.; Hutchins, M. G.; Loiselle, S. 2021. The circular benefits of participation in nature-based solutions. Sustainability, 13(8):4344. (Special Issue: Citizen Science for Sustainable Cities: Investigating Nature Based Solutions) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084344]
Environmental sustainability ; Natural environment ; Participation ; Citizen science ; Urban areas ; Infrastructure ; Monitoring ; Climate change ; Social aspects
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050360)
(0.59 MB) (604 KB)
Nature-based solutions (NbS) provide direct benefits to people who live in areas where these approaches are present. The degree of direct benefits (thermal comfort, reduced flood risk, and mental health) varies across temporal and spatial scales, and it can be modelled and quantified. Less clear are the indirect benefits related to opportunities to learn about the environment and its influence on personal behaviour and action. The present study, based on survey data from 1955 participants across 17 cities worldwide, addressed whether participation in NbS through two types of interactions (a passive learning experience about NbS and a more active experience based on Citizen Science) stimulates motivation and willingness to be more environmentally sustainable. Over 75% of participants improved their understanding of environmental sustainability and were highly motivated and more confident in their ability to improve sustainability in their local environment/nature. Similar percentage improvements arose from both types of activity across all cities. Those NbS that had elements of both blue and green infrastructure rated higher than those that had predominantly green NbS. Interestingly, a large percentage of the participants did not live near the NbS that were the focus of these activities. This indicated that expected spatial limitations between benefit and recipient may be overcome when dedicated programmes involve people in learning or monitoring NbS. Therefore, opportunities have arisen to expand inclusion from the immediately local to the larger community through participation and Citizen Science, with potential benefits to social cohesion and urban sustainability.
7 Prajapati, R.; Upadhyay, S.; Talchabhadel, R.; Thapa, B. R.; Ertis, B.; Silwal, P.; Davids, J. C. 2021. Investigating the nexus of groundwater levels, rainfall and land-use in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 14:100584. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2021.100584]
Groundwater table ; Rainfall patterns ; Land use ; Nexus ; Groundwater recharge ; Aquifers ; Wells ; Farmland ; Soil types ; Monitoring ; Anthropogenic factors ; Citizen science / Nepal / Kathmandu Valley
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050365)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352801X21000400/pdfft?md5=9fff18e56591ebcd4e649ddfd1a729f1&pid=1-s2.0-S2352801X21000400-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050365.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050365.pdf
(4.64 MB) (4.64 MB)
Globally, groundwater resources play a crucial role in supporting livelihoods and sustaining human health. Groundwater recharge is mainly influenced by the spatial distribution of rainfall patterns across groundwater basins and the heterogeneous distribution of geology, soil, and topographical characteristics. This study evaluates the implications of variations in rainfall and land-use on groundwater level fluctuations in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. We selected and analyzed data from thirty-five monitoring wells observed by citizen scientists from July 2017 to June 2019. Over two years, groundwater levels varied spatially from -0.11m (negative sign denotes a groundwater level higher than the ground surface) to 11.5m, with a mean of 4.24m and a standard deviation of 2.29m. Our results indicated a strong positive correlation between rainfall and groundwater levels, as the fluctuation was influenced by the rainfall of that area. The seasonal fluctuations in groundwater level showed the direct influence of monsoonal rainfall. In areas with agricultural land use, 80% of the analysed wells showed a strong and statistically significant correlation between rainfall and groundwater levels. In contrast, higher groundwater extraction rates and surface sealing limited groundwater recharge in built land uses; therefore wells across non-agricultural land-uses showed a weak correlation in most of the cases. In the northern groundwater district, we found areas with highly permeable sand and gravel have nearly constant groundwater levels (shallow in agricultural land-use and deep in built land-use) year-round and act as potential recharge zones for the aquifer. The areas with less permeable but highly porous clay and silt in agricultural land use, and show greater seasonal groundwater fluctuations. Our study highlights the ability of citizens to generate meaningful hydrogeologic datasets, and the importance of rainfall and land use planning to groundwater recharge. Understanding these complex relationships must form the basis for the sustainable management of the rapidly declining groundwater resources of the Kathmandu Valley.
8 Goldin, J.; Mokomela, R.; Kanyerere, T.; Villholth, Karen G. 2021. Diamonds on the soles of their feet: groundwater monitoring in the Hout Catchment, South Africa. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 15(1):25-50. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/09734082211014435]
Groundwater management ; Monitoring ; Citizen science ; Participatory action research ; Water resources ; Catchment areas ; Rivers ; Stakeholders ; Farmers ; Rural communities ; Empowerment ; Sustainability ; Groundwater table ; Case studies / South Africa / Limpopo / Hout Catchment / Hout River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050493)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/09734082211014435
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050493.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050493.pdf
(4.55 MB) (4.55 MB)
With the impulse to control and order the disorderly, the threads or tributaries of affect and emotion, which mimic the meanderings of the aquifer itself, are often oversimplified or ignored. These are not anomalies of citizen science (CS) but ‘normal’ and expected ‘disconnects’ that surface when working within a multidisciplinary environment. The article adds value to current discourse on CS by reflecting on the confusing configurations and shifting allegiances that are part and parcel of CS experience. In presenting research from a current project in the Hout Catchment, Limpopo Province in South Africa, it suggests that CS is often oversimplified and does not capture the array of emotions that emerge at multiple scales around CS projects. The authors reflect on the field, which is fraught, fragile and fleeting—and on the intrusions into the field—similar itself to an aquifer with its dykes and flows. Considering CS within the frame of feminist philosophy, it is emancipatory and personally transformative with the element of ‘surprise’ that the end point is undetermined—and the process, however much ‘planned’ is unknown. CS in this instance is a powerful tool for creating virtuous cycles of inclusion and equality and promoting sustainable development through improved water literacy through a grassroot, out-of-the-classroom pedagogy.
9 Taylor, J.; Graham, M.; Louw, A.; Lepheana, A.; Madikizela, B.; Dickens, Chris; Chapman, D. V.; Warner, S. 2022. Social change innovations, citizen science, miniSASS and the SDGs. Water Policy, 24(5):708-717. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2021.264]
Social change ; Innovation ; Citizen science ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Stakeholders ; Water quality ; Monitoring / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050675)
https://iwaponline.com/wp/article-pdf/24/5/708/1050904/024050708.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050675.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050675.pdf
(0.46 MB) (475 KB)
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) describe a course of action to address poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). More specifically, SDG 6 clarifies how water quality, quantity and access are crucial to human well-being, and yet human activities are compromising water resources through over-exploitation, pollution, as well as contributing to the spread of disease. Globally aquatic ecosystems are highly threatened and concerted efforts by governments and civil society to ‘turn the situation around’ are simply not working. Human-created problems require human-centred solutions and these require different ways of thinking and acting to those behaviour patterns that are contributing to the challenges. In this paper, we first consider causal approaches to attitude change and behaviour modification that are simply not working as intended. We then explore enabling responses such as citizen science and co-engaged action learning as more tenable alternatives. SDG 6 has a focus on clean water and sanitation for all. The SDGs further clarify how the extent to which this goal can be realized depends, to a large extent, on stakeholder engagements and education. Through stakeholder engagements and educational processes, people can contribute towards SDG 6 and the specific indicator and target in SDG 6.b – Stakeholder participation. Following a three-year research process, that investigated a wide range of participatory tools, this paper explores how the Stream Assessment Scoring System (miniSASS; www.minisass.org) can enable members of the public to engage in water quality monitoring at a local level. The paper continues to demonstrate how miniSASS can contribute to the monitoring of progress towards Sustainable Development Goal Target 6.3, by providing a mechanism for data collection indicator 6.3.2. miniSASS is proving popular in southern Africa as a methodology for engaging stakeholder participation in water quality monitoring and management. The technique costs very little to implement and can be applied by children and scientists alike. As a biomonitoring approach, it is based on families of macroinvertebrates that are present in most perennial rivers of the world. The paper concludes by describing how useful the miniSASS technique can be for addressing data gaps for SDG 6.3.2 reporting, and that it can be applied in most regions of the world.
10 Di Grazia, F.; Gumiero, B.; Galgani, L; Troiani, E.; Ferri, M.; Loiselle, S. A. 2021. Ecosystem services evaluation of nature-based solutions with the help of citizen scientists. Sustainability, 13(19):10629. (Special Issue: Citizen Science for Sustainable Cities: Investigating Nature Based Solutions) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910629]
Ecosystem services ; Evaluation ; Citizen science ; Scientists ; Nutrients ; Climate change ; Rivers ; Watersheds ; Catchment areas ; Land use ; Land cover ; Precipitation ; Vegetation ; Models / Italy / Piave River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050660)
(4.78 MB) (4.78 MB)
Ecosystem services are increasingly being considered in decision-making with respect to mitigating future climate impacts. In this respect, there is a clear need to identify how nature-based solutions (NBS) can benefit specific ecosystem services, in particular within the complex spatial and temporal dynamics that characterize most river catchments. To capture these changes, ecosystem models require spatially explicit data that are often difficult to obtain for model development and validation. Citizen science allows for the participation of trained citizen volunteers in research or regulatory activities, resulting in increased data collection and increased participation of the general public in resource management. Despite the increasing experience in citizen science, these approaches have seldom been used in the modeling of provisioning ecosystem services. In the present study, we examined the temporal and spatial drivers in nutrient delivery in a major Italian river catchment and under different NBS scenarios. Information on climate, land use, soil and river conditions, as well as future climate scenarios, were used to explore future (2050) benefits of NBS on local and catchment scale nutrient loads and nutrient export. We estimate the benefits of a reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus export to the river and the receiving waters (Adriatic Sea) with respect to the costs associated with individual and combined NBS approaches related to river restoration and catchment reforestation.
11 Rathod, Roshan; Kumar, Manish; Mukherji, Aditi; Sikka, Alok; Satapathy, K. K.; Mishra, A.; Goel, S.; Khan, M. 2021. Resource book on springshed management in the Indian Himalayan Region: guidelines for policy makers and development practitioners. New Delhi, India: International Water Management Institute (IWMI); New Delhi, India: NITI Aayog, Government of India; New Delhi, India: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). 40p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2021.230]
Water springs ; Water management ; Guidelines ; Best practices ; Policies ; Technology ; Financial analysis ; Funding ; Water security ; Aquifers ; Water budget ; Groundwater recharge ; Monitoring ; Remote sensing ; Geographical information systems ; Impact assessment ; Scaling ; Data management ; Databases ; Hydrogeology ; Discharges ; Payments for ecosystem services ; Water user groups ; Civil society organizations ; Government agencies ; Stakeholders ; Participatory approaches ; Community involvement ; Citizen science ; Capacity development ; Awareness-raising ; Gender equality ; Social inclusion ; Livelihoods ; Villages ; Isotope analysis / India / Himalayan Region
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050807)
(17.8 MB)
12 Kurian, M.; Kojima, Y. 2021. Boundary science: re-imagining water-energy-food interactions in the context of a data light approach to monitoring the environment- development nexus. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. 158p.
Water resources ; Energy ; Food security ; Nexus ; Monitoring and evaluation ; Environmental management ; Governance ; Environmental policies ; Decision making ; Institutions ; Non-governmental organizations ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Wastewater management ; Water reuse ; Water supply ; Resilience ; Natural resources ; Soil erosion ; Open access ; Modelling ; Citizen science ; Social networks ; Public services
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy SF Record No: H050768)
13 Seymour, V.; Willls, B.; Wilkin, P.; Burt, P.; Ikin, E.; Stevenson, P. C. 2022. Incorporating citizen science to advance the natural capital approach. Ecosystem Services, 54:101419. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2022.101419]
Citizen science ; Natural capital ; Assessment ; Public participation ; Environmental policies ; Frameworks ; Ecosystem services ; Decision making ; Government ; Stakeholders ; Scientists ; Sustainability ; Case studies / UK
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051063)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041622000158/pdfft?md5=cb67722d5f91d3e43d807ac73ffed90f&pid=1-s2.0-S2212041622000158-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051063.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051063.pdf
(1.44 MB) (1.44 MB)
There are several frameworks which have been developed to describe the Natural Capital assessment approach. However, some of these frameworks are not fully operational in practice, and there is no unified methodology. Furthermore, calls have been made to increase the public’s awareness and understanding of Natural Capital issues. To address some of these limitations it has been suggested to incorporate citizen science methods, an approach which has been increasingly growing in the Natural Capital field. The purpose of this article is to present a framework within the context of UK environmental policy as a case study. It illustrates the practicalities and the potential of using citizen science and other forms of public engagement approaches within a pre-existing Natural Capital accounting framework. This article first reviews current UK Natural Capital assessment approaches, as well as the potential for including citizen science and public engagement approaches. Combining these approaches, the inclusion of citizen science within the Natural Capital assessment framework is explored through the development of a conceptual model. We argue that the inclusion of a citizen science approach, and other forms of public engagement within the Natural Capital assessment can support in gathering a multidimensional perspective on comprehensive Natural Capital assets, and ecosystem service benefits. Knowledge generated could then be implemented to support holistic decision-making for nature-based solutions.
14 Manteaw, B. O.; Amoah, A.-B.; Ayittah, B.; Enu, K. B. 2022. Climate-informed decision-making in data-poor environments: managing climate risk through citizen science networks. Frontiers in Climate, 4:835768. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.835768]
Climate change ; Decision making ; Climate services ; Risk management ; Citizen science ; Local communities ; Sustainable development ; Climatic data ; Adaptation ; Learning / Africa South of Sahara / Ghana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051267)
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2022.835768/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051267.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051267.pdf
(0.81 MB) (824 KB)
Climate change impacts have become a verifiable reality in most communities in Africa and have already shown its ruthlessness in derailing modest gains made toward sustainable development. While evidence of climate change impacts abounds, especially in key climate-sensitive sectors, not many people living in affected communities have the requisite knowledge, understanding and capacity to respond to emerging impacts. Most communities in Ghana and Africa, broadly, lack the requisite climate change knowledge resources to inform adaptation choices. Adaptation decision-making, in most cases, is reactive, speculative, and based on flawed assumptions and understandings of the climate change phenomenon. This is essentially because most countries lack the capacity to make climate-informed decisions which is also a function of the pervasive lack of efficient climate information services regime across Africa. The paucity of climate change knowledge and associated climate information services is undoubtedly an issue of institutional capacity; however, it is also a function of an enduring culture—a poor attitude toward data collection and application—in decision-making processes. Data-poor environment, or data-poverty, as implied in this work, therefore, broadly describes the absence of a data management culture in decision-making processes; however, specifically to climate change, it describes the lack of functional climate information services regime in local communities in Africa and how such omissions impede the ability of countries to make climate-informed decisions to support adaptation and resilience building. Focusing on Ghana, the paper problematizes the lack of climate information in local communities. The paper argues that Africa’s climate crisis is as much a knowledge and learning challenge which requires new and innovative learning approaches to build capacities to facilitate the making of data-driven and climate-informed adaptation decisions in local communities. The paper, therefore, foregrounds citizen-science networks as avenues for community-focused and community-based climate knowledge co-producing mechanisms.
15 Kelly, C.; Wynants, M.; Patrick, A.; Taylor, A.; Mkilema, F.; Nasseri, M.; Lewin, S.; Munishi, L.; Mtei, K.; Ndakidemi, P.; Blake, W. 2022. Soils, Science and Community ActioN (SoilSCAN): a citizen science tool to empower community-led land management change in East Africa. Environmental Research Letters, 17(8):085003. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8300]
Land management ; Communities ; Citizen science ; Soil management ; Soil quality ; Land use ; Land degradation ; Soil erosion ; Soil organic carbon ; Villages ; Indicators / East Africa / United Republic of Tanzania
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051363)
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac8300/pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051363.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051363.pdf
(2.79 MB) (2.79 MB)
Pastoralist communities worldwide face complex challenges regarding food and feed productivity. Primary production systems are under stress, nutritional choices are changing and the relationship between development and agriculture is undergoing profound transformation. Under increasing pressure from climate and land use change, East African agro-pastoral systems are approaching a tipping point in terms of land degradation. There is an urgent need for evidence-led sustainable land management interventions to reverse degradation of natural resources that support food and water security. A key barrier, however, is a lack of high spatial resolution soil health data wherein collecting such information for each individual community is beyond their means. In this context, we tested whether bridging such data gaps could be achieved through a coordinated programme at the boundary between participation and citizen science. Key outputs included a community-led trial of a hand-held soil scanner, which highlighted a range of positive benefits and practical challenges in using this technology in this context, with identification of some potential solutions; and a targeted soil organic matter and nutrient status dataset in a small catchment-based community setting. The results show that if the practical challenges can be resolved, use of portable soil scanner technology has the potential to fill key knowledge gaps and thereby improve resilience to the threat of land degradation through locally responsive farmer and community decision-making.
16 Tedla, H. Z.; Haile, Alemseged Tamiru; Walker, D. W.; Melesse, A. M. 2022. Evaluation of factors affecting the quality of citizen science rainfall data in Akaki Catchment, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Journal of Hydrology, 612(Part C):128284. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2022.128284]
Citizen science ; Rain ; Weather data ; Data quality ; Catchment areas ; Monitoring ; Principal component analysis / Ethiopia / Addis Ababa / Akaki Catchment
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051572)
(4.66 MB)
Citizen Science can fulfill the quest for high-quality and sufficient environmental data, such as rainfall. However, the factors affecting the quality of rainfall data collected by the citizen scientists are not well understood. In this study, we examined the effect of citizen scientists’ attributes on the quality of rainfall data. For this purpose, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), stepwise regression and Multiple Linear Regressions (MLR) were used. A quality control procedure was developed and applied for daily observed rainfall data collected in the summer rainy season of 2020. Attributes of the citizen scientists’ were gathered for those who collected rainfall data in the urban and peri-urban Akaki catchment which is located in the Upper Awash sub-basin, Ethiopia. We found that easy-to-detect errors, which were identified during the initial stage of quality control, formed most of the errors in the rainfall data. The PCA and the stepwise regression results revealed that four dominant attributes (education level, gauge relative location, use of smartphone app, and supervisor’s travel distance) highly affected the rainfall data quality. The MLR model using these four prominent dominant variables performed very well with R2 value of 0.98. The k-fold cross validation result showed that the developed model can be used to predict the relationships between data quality and attributes of citizen scientists with high accuracy. Hence, the PCA technique, stepwise regression and MLR model can provide useful information regarding the influence of citizen scientists’ attributes on rainfall data quality. Therefore, future studies should carefully consider citizen scientists’ attributes when engaging and supervising citizen scientists, with a comprehensive data quality control while monitoring rainfall.
17 Tedla, H. Z.; Taye, E. F.; Walker, D. W.; Haile, Alemseged Tamiru. 2022. Evaluation of WRF model rainfall forecast using citizen science in a data-scarce urban catchment: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 44:101273. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2022.101273]
Rain ; Weather forecasting ; Models ; Citizen science ; Urban areas ; Catchment areas ; Weather data ; Monitoring / Ethiopia / Addis Ababa / Akaki Catchment / Awash River Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051575)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214581822002865/pdfft?md5=22730ccbb29c100b7f9cc8989888849f&pid=1-s2.0-S2214581822002865-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051575.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051575.pdf
(9.02 MB) (9.03 MB)
Study region: The Akaki catchment is found in the Upper Awash River Basin in Ethiopia.
Study focus: Understanding the accuracy of rainfall forecasts in the data-scarce urban catchment has a multitude of benefits given the increased urban flood risk caused by climate change and urbanization. In this study, accuracy of the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model rainfall forecast was evaluated using citizen science data. Categorical and continuous accuracy evaluation metrics were used beside gauge representativeness effect.
New hydrological insights for the region: The rainfall forecasts performance accuracy is high for 1–3- days lead-time but deteriorates for 4–5-days lead-time. The WRF model captured the temporal dynamics and the rainfall amount according to the estimated KGE values. The model has relatively higher detection performance for no rain and light rain events (< 6 mm/day), but it has lower performance for moderate and heavy rain events (> 6 mm/day). Use of data from a single rain gauge misrepresents the accuracy level of the rainfall forecast in the study area. The gauge representativeness error contributed a variance of 28.08–83.33 % to the variance of WRF-gauge rainfall difference. Thus, the use of citizen science rainfall monitoring program is an essential alternative source of information where in-situ rainfall monitoring is limited that can be used to understand the “true” accuracy of WRF rainfall forecasts.
Study focus: Understanding the accuracy of rainfall forecasts in the data-scarce urban catchment has a multitude of benefits given the increased urban flood risk caused by climate change and urbanization. In this study, accuracy of the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model rainfall forecast was evaluated using citizen science data. Categorical and continuous accuracy evaluation metrics were used beside gauge representativeness effect.
New hydrological insights for the region: The rainfall forecasts performance accuracy is high for 1–3- days lead-time but deteriorates for 4–5-days lead-time. The WRF model captured the temporal dynamics and the rainfall amount according to the estimated KGE values. The model has relatively higher detection performance for no rain and light rain events (< 6 mm/day), but it has lower performance for moderate and heavy rain events (> 6 mm/day). Use of data from a single rain gauge misrepresents the accuracy level of the rainfall forecast in the study area. The gauge representativeness error contributed a variance of 28.08–83.33 % to the variance of WRF-gauge rainfall difference. Thus, the use of citizen science rainfall monitoring program is an essential alternative source of information where in-situ rainfall monitoring is limited that can be used to understand the “true” accuracy of WRF rainfall forecasts.
18 Pattinson, N. B.; Kuen, R.; Kuen, R. 2022. Artificial intelligence-based biomonitoring of water quality. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Initiative on Digital Innovation. 32p.
Water quality ; Biomonitoring ; Artificial intelligence ; Rivers ; Citizen science ; Macroinvertebrates ; Machine learning / South Africa
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051644)
(2.97 MB)
The miniSASS was developed as a citizen science tool for monitoring the health of river systems and reflecting the water quality through assessing macroinvertebrates communities. The miniSASS samples the macroinvertebrate community in a river reach and compares the community present to the expected community under ideal natural conditions. The information garnered during a survey relies heavily on the accurate identification of macroinvertebrates by lows killed citizen scientists. This leaves a potential for errors in identification which may impact the accuracy of results and, ultimately, of the river health assessment. In response, we initiated the development of a smartphone application with built-in machine-learning algorithms for the automatic, real-time identification of macroinvertebrates. This report presents our data, methodology, and preliminary results from the automated identification algorithms.
19 Babiso, W. Z.; Ayano, K. K.; Haile, Alemseged Tamiru; Keche, D. D.; Acharya, K.; Werner, D. 2023. Citizen science for water quality monitoring in the Meki River, Ethiopia: quality assurance and comparison with conventional methods. Water, 15(2):238. (Special issue: Field Methods for Water Quality Surveying) [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/w15020238]
Water quality ; Monitoring ; Citizen science ; Scientists ; Quality assurance ; Pollution ; Physicochemical properties ; Parameters ; Rivers ; Irrigation / Ethiopia / Meki River
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052097)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/2/238/pdf?version=1673577779
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052097.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052097.pdf
(2.26 MB) (2.26 MB)
A lack of water quality information for many water bodies around the world makes it difficult to identify global change and discover early signs of myriad threats to freshwater resources. This problem is widely seen in Ethiopia due to absence of regular monitoring. Citizen science has a great potential to fill these gaps in water quality data, but there is concern about the accuracy of data collected by citizen scientists. Moreover, there is a gap to engage citizen scientists in water quality monitoring, and there is still insufficient awareness of how citizen scientists can become part of a collaborative scheme. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of water quality collected by citizen scientists and characterize the water quality of the Meki River with the involvement of citizen scientists. The suitability of the river water for irrigation was evaluated using a combination of citizen science and conventional water quality data collection methods. Water temperature, turbidity, ammonia, phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, total alkalinity, total hardness, and pH were analyzed by both citizen scientists and in a conventional laboratory. The citizen scientists’ data, expressed as percent of synthetic standard solution concentrations, indicated good agreement for selected water quality parameters: 123.8 ± 24.7% for PO4 3-, 115.6 ± 6.3% for NO3 -, 105.8 ± 7.4% for pH, and 133.3 ± 23.6% for NH4 + . Thus, citizen scientists can monitor and collect water quality data accurately. From the results, the Meki River water can be used for irrigation, but pollution sources should be controlled to reduce further quality deterioration as the population increases.
20 Drechsel, Pay; Marjani Zadeh, S.; Salcedo, F. P. (Eds.) 2023. Water quality in agriculture: risks and risk mitigation. Rome, Italy: FAO; Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 192p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.4060/cc7340en]
Water quality ; Agricultural water use ; Risk reduction ; Mitigation ; Water pollution ; Sustainable Development Goals ; Goal 6 Clean water and sanitation ; Microbiological risk assessment ; Pathogens ; Monitoring ; Water reuse ; Standards ; Regulations ; Good agricultural practices ; Irrigated farming ; Irrigation water ; Crop production ; Salinity ; Contaminants ; Chemical contamination ; Heavy metals ; Parameters ; Risk management ; Risk analysis ; Human health ; Health hazards ; Wastewater treatment ; Recycling ; Aquaculture ; Livestock ; Ecology ; River basins ; Citizen science ; Farmers ; Environmental factors ; Cultural factors ; Case studies / Ghana / Bangladesh / Spain / United States of America / Australia / Tunisia / Murcia / California / Kumasi / Mirzapur / Ouardanine
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052153)
(8.61 MB)
This publication, Water Quality in Agriculture: Risks and Risk Mitigation, emphasizes technical solutions and good agricultural practices, including risk mitigation measures suitable for the contexts of differently resourced institutions working in rural as well as urban and peri-urban settings in low- and middle-income countries. With a focus on sustainability of the overall land use system, the guidelines also cover possible downstream impacts of farm-level decisions. As each country has a range of site-specific conditions related to climate, soil and water quality, crop type and variety, as well as management options, subnational adjustments to the presented guidelines are recommended. Water Quality in Agriculture: Risks and Risk Mitigation, is intended for use by national and subnational governmental authorities, farm and project managers, extension officers, consultants and engineers to evaluate water quality data, and identify potential problems and solutions related to water quality. The presented guidelines will also be of value to the scientific research community and university students.
Powered by DB/Text WebPublisher, from
