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Short Abstract

Citizen science is increasing enabling deeper form of public engagement. This presentation reviews co-created environmental initiatives, assessing their alignment with principles of high-quality knowledge co-production (Norström et al 2020) such as pluralism and goal-orientation.

Abstract

Citizen science initiatives have proliferated during the last decades as researchers and policy actors have discovered the need and benefits of increased public engagement. Typical citizen science data consists of citizen observations (e.g. bird species) that help to strengthen the scientific evidence-base underlying policy and management decisions. Increasingly, there are calls for more inclusive and deeper engagement with citizens, including joint problem framing, participation in research design, data analysis, testing and evaluation as well as dissemination and public engagement. In this way, citizen science becomes a form of knowledge co-production.

In this presentation, we present preliminary insights from an ongoing literature review addressing co-created citizen science. We analyse the ways in which citizen science initiatives on environmental questions have—or have not—functioned as knowledge coproduction processes and engaged citizens in interaction which scientists to jointly study environmental changes and the ways to combat sustainability challenges. We also examine how these cases fare measured by the principles for high quality knowledge co-production (Norström et al. 2020), that emphasize context-specificity, pluralism, goal-orientedness and interactivity.

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We examine a knowledge co-production process addressing contested cormorant distribution and movement data. A transdisciplinary approach integrated local and scientific knowledge, exploring how different actors ascribe meaning to this type of knowledge and its outcomes in a conflict-laden context.

Abstract

Integrating practice- and place-based knowledge of local actors into scientific processes has been approached in multiple ways. In many of these approaches, the lack of collaborative elements hinders the credibility, relevance and legitimacy of the process. Furthermore, in approaches that emphasise collaboration, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of knowledge co-production in conflict-ridden contexts. In this study, we address one of the most persistent conservation conflicts in Europe: the cormorant–fisheries conflict. This conflict is characterised by factual disputes and contested claims about the species’ impacts on fisheries, which have hindered efforts to develop collaborative, partnership-based cormorant management. This study examines a knowledge co-production process involving researchers and local actors to address one contested question, namely the distribution, abundance, and movements outside the breeding season. This question was identified as a key knowledge gap during a previous Joint Fact-Finding (JFF) process. Building on that process, stakeholder participants and researchers jointly planned a follow-up project. The data collection was both designed and implemented in a transdisciplinary manner, aiming to systematically gather practice and place-based knowledge. Key stakeholders were interviewed before and after the process to explore their perceptions of the planning, implementation, and outcomes of the joint data collection process. Particular attention was paid to how different actors ascribe meaning to this type of knowledge, its interpretations, applications, and conclusions drawn from it, and, ultimately, how the stakeholders perceive the importance and influence of place-based knowledge on the interactions between actors in a conflict-laden context.

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Drawing on a systematic map of empirical studies, we examine how collaborative and co-created citizen science (CS) contributes to environmental risk assessment and management. Co-created CS appears to deliver community benefits more often and in more diverse ways.

Abstract

In an era of systemic risks from natural and human-induced hazards, we need approaches that address such risks at different governance levels, including those at the community level. Citizen science (CS) – public participation in research – is one such approach that has the potential to benefit risk assessment and management. Building on systematic evidence synthesis methodologies, we examined the individual and collective benefits from CS to environmental risk assessment and management. From systematic search results (9277 records, WoS and Scopus), we found 133 publications dealing with the topic in-depth.

In this submission, we focus on the subsample of collaborative (n=38) and co-created CS (n=28 papers), by outlining their contributions to citizens and communities, as well as to risk management. Results indicate that co-created (and sometimes collaborative CS) typically had fewer individual outcomes reported, but increasingly more varied types of community outcomes than contributory CS. From individual outcomes, behavioural outcomes are slightly more represented in the co-created CS section, whereas scientific skills’ outcome appear more in the collaborative CS subsample. Co-created CS articles report community outcomes more frequently than contributory or collaborative CS.

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I share insights from co-creating biodiversity interventions with urban community gardeners and civil society organizations. In doing so, I want to examine how shifting roles between gardeners, scientists, and community actors foster equitable participation and transformative collaboration.

Abstract

I will present our transdisciplinary and participatory approach with urban community gardens in Berlin and Munich, Germany, as case presentation for your workshop. Since 2020, we as scientists have collaborated with gardeners and civil society organizations to co-create and implement pollinator-friendly interventions while integrating scientific research with practical expertise and local knowledge. Our approach emphasizes dynamic roles: in different phases, gardeners, scientists, or community actors take on leadership roles according to their expertise, thereby fostering equitable participation and shared decision-making. I will share insights on how these shifting roles influence partnerships and knowledge exchange. This case highlights practical strategies for empowering communities, bridging science and practice, and promoting urban biodiversity. By presenting our experiences, I aim to contribute to discussions on transformative citizen science, explore challenges of co-creation, and inspire future collaborative initiatives.

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This proposal discusses lessons learned in balancing methodological consistency with local adaptability within the EU-funded OneAquaHealth project, which guides citizen science activities across five European cities while fostering digital innovation and ethical sustainability.

Abstract

Citizen science can play a transformative role when designed as an equitable and reciprocal partnership between communities and researchers. The complexity and multilevel nature of citizen science require careful planning and design. A key challenge is moving beyond mere contributory models towards co-created knowledge practices that strengthen environmental stewardship and inform urban policy.

The EU-funded OneAquaHealth (OAH) project engages citizens in monitoring urban aquatic ecosystems through a co-created framework that integrates ecological indicators with human health and well-being. Across five European cities – Coimbra (Portugal), Benevento (Italy), Ghent (Belgium), Oslo (Norway) and Toulouse (France) – Local Alliances of stakeholders are bringing together citizens, policymakers, non-governmental-organizations, and researchers to co-design digital tools, and reflect on local environmental priorities. By actively contributing to monitoring, citizens are empowered to recognize ecological changes and take actions to mitigate environmental degradation in their own communities.

The project developed a structured, adaptable framework comprising 22 guidelines on recruitment, training, data collection, quality assurance, and communication, to guide citizen science across contexts. Central to this approach is the Citizen Science App, which allows participants not only to submit environmental observations but also to share perceptions of well-being, thereby linking ecosystem conditions to human health. By embedding inclusive recruitment strategies and context-sensitive adaptation, the resulting framework addresses issues of data, communication and long-term engagement.

This contribution reflects on lessons learned in balancing methodological consistency with local adaptability of the framework and on how digital and participatory innovations can foster the co-creation of knowledge and ethical sustainability.

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Diverse knowledges from peripheral regions need to be integrated into environmental policy processes. This research uses citizen science and co-research to explore two conservation conflicts in Lieksa, by building citizen-initiated research to form an epistemic partnership.

Abstract

Knowledge production via citizen science broadens existing epistemic communities and challenges expert-driven policymaking. In this research, citizen science is seen as a means for initiating research from within civil society, creating research collaboration that positions citizen as co-researcher identifying research gaps from their perspective. The two-way connection serves as a mutual learning opportunity: it deepens the researcher’s understanding about historical and contextual dependencies, while offering local community wider framing of the problems they face and a pathway for having their voices heard.

The aim of this research is to build epistemic partnership (Peltola 2022) that forms the epistemological foundation of research in specific conflict-driven case studies. The first case is about conflict known as the “rapids war” over the Ruunaa rapids in Lieksa, located in the eastern part of Finland during the 1970s and 1980s. The river was originally planned for hydropower development, but the rapids were ultimately protected. The second case focuses on a more recent wolf conservation conflict and poaching case also in Lieksa and the surrounding areas. The self-initiated qualitative material collection by the co-researcher, along with supplementary interviews, is combined with existing research to form the empirical basis for case studies.

The eastern parts of North Karelia are peripheral regions that have historically relied heavily on the use of natural resources and nowadays contribute to sustainable transformation. There is a need for diverse knowledges from these regions to be integrated into policy processes. Along with rewriting conservation histories, this can help and empower marginalized communities.

Peltola, T. 2022. Kansalaistiede ja yhteinen tiedon muodostus luontoa koskevissa ristiriidoissa. In Laakso, S. & Aro, R. Planeetan kokoinen arki. Askelia kestävämpään politiikkaan. Gaudeamus, Helsinki. 231–250.

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Adaptation AGORA tested participatory citizen engagement across four European regions and co-developed digital tools as lasting citizen science instruments across borders. The project’s legacy highlights how co-created tools bridge science, policy, and society.

Abstract

The Adaptation AGORA project, aligned with topic 3 of the conference, explored how citizen engagement can advance climate adaptation across borders, through participatory processes and co-created digital tools. Conducted in pilots in four European regions, the project involved citizens not only in shaping local adaptation strategies but also in designing and testing digital platforms that foster ongoing community involvement. These accessible tools embody citizen science principles by facilitating continued knowledge sharing and community-driven solutions beyond the project's lifespan. A significant legacy is the sustainability and expansion of these tools, with platforms now available in multiple languages, including Italian, to promote inclusivity. The project also developed Voices of Climate Adaptation, a multimedia digital resource that combines storytelling, audio, and video to present stakeholder perspectives to non-specialist audiences, enhancing engagement and awareness. The experience underscores that citizen science in climate adaptation must go beyond data collection. It requires establishing participatory infrastructures that connect science, policy, and society, making research outputs more transparent, usable, and relevant for diverse communities. Adaptation AGORA demonstrates that co-created digital tools and strategic communication can democratize expertise, foster epistemic justice, and ensure citizen voices are central in shaping sustainable, resilient futures.

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Short Abstract

The ‘BuurtKennis' project is taking a citizen-led bottom-up approach to identifying and implementing local CS investigations for a healthy & sustainable living environment in response to the topics that neighbourhood residents indicate as most important to them.

Abstract

Given the urgency and complexity of urban issues such as climate change impacts, the energy transition, and the need for a healthy living environment, paired with the need to act collaboratively across all sectors of society to tackle these effectively, the 'BuurtKennis' project (initiated by the Citizen Science Lab at Leiden University) is establishing a bottom-up partnership between public, civil and scientific actors that: (A) engages with residents on the issues they find most locally relevant, (B) deepens this engagement into more active participation in local dialogue, and data and insight gathering via Citizen Science activities (C) aligns aggregated data with policy-making and urban planning processes such that these data and insights can lead to data-informed actions, (D) and establishes a sustained collaborative partnership between residents, citizens’ initiatives, civil society organisations, the municipality, and knowledge institutes in Leiden.

In this presentation we will describe the BuurtKennis approach and share (1) the emerging picture of which topics are most relevant in which neighbourhoods, (2) our experience of partnering with existing local grassroots initiatives for a green, sustainable and biodiverse city, and with the relevant policy and data departments of the city, (3) the neighbourhood-led approach to selecting and launching CS initiatives that can provide data and insights to inform policy, planning and local actions, and (4) our vision for embedding the resulting CS within the ‘Leiden City of Knowledge’ partnership (Leiden Kennisstad) between the Municipality and the Leiden Knowledge Institutes (and their students).

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We use citizen-generated air quality and noise data to inform participatory agent-based models of urban travel choices. In Ljubljana’s Urban Cycling Lab, cyclists map decision factors and feedback loops to co-design models supporting healthier, more sustainable transport futures.

Abstract

We work on participatory agent-based modelling (ABM) of urban mobility and environmental exposure. In Ljubljana, our Urban Cycling Lab engaged over 200 regular cyclists to measure real-time air pollution and noise exposure with portable sensors and wearables, complemented by surveys and interviews on mobility decisions. We are now moving beyond data collection to co-create models with citizens, using system mapping and feedback-loop identification to capture how perceptions of air quality, safety, and time interact with social influence and infrastructure.

Our motivation to join this workshop is to exchange and experiment with hands-on co-design methods that let non-experts shape ABM structure: identifying nodes, positive and negative feedbacks, and relative influence strengths. We want to explore how participatory modelling can empower communities to translate their lived experiences into decision-support tools for sustainable transport and healthier cities.

We can contribute experience in running sensor-based citizen science projects, translating complex exposure data into understandable modelling elements, and facilitating group model building with diverse urban travellers (cyclists, pedestrians, public transport users). We are eager to test and refine these approaches with others working on transformative, co-created citizen science.

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This workshop explores how large-scale citizen science programs like the Plastic Pirates can scale from data collection to co-creation, fostering education, environmental awareness, and empowerment.

Abstract

The Plastic Pirates program has engaged more than 25,000 schoolchildren and their teachers in investigating plastic pollution in rivers and coastal areas. So far, the program has primarily focused on collecting scientific data through the active participation of schoolchildren. Building on this success, the program now aims to move beyond data collection to strengthen co-creation, combining data collection with educational experiences that foster environmental awareness and empowerment among schoolchildren.

This workshop invites researchers, educators, and practitioners to explore how large-scale citizen science programs can evolve toward more participatory and co-creative formats. Using the Plastic Pirates as a case study, participants will work collaboratively to identify transferable strategies for enhancing environmental awareness and empowerment into their own initiatives.

Workshop objectives:

• Reflect on lessons learned from large-scale citizen science programs, using the Plastic Pirates as an example.

• Discover how co-creation can foster environmental awareness and empowerment in citizen science programs.

• Identify success factors and challenges for evolving contributory citizen science programs to include co-creative elements.

• Co-develop ideas and practical takeaways for participants’ own projects/ programs.

The workshop provides an interactive space to rethink the role of large-scale citizen science in promoting environmental awareness and empowerment. By bringing together different perspectives, we aim to explore how programs like the Plastic Pirates can move beyond data collection and grow into co-creative programs that generate both scientific data and societal impact.

Specifications for required space: seminar room with projector and wifi

Materials: flipcharts, markers, sticky notes

Maximum number of participants: 20

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Short Abstract

Our paper presents the URBAN PROSUMERS project, using co-creation approach to engage local residents in developing climate-neutral solutions for mobility, food, and energy. We explore residents as 'urban prosumers’ who actively produce sustainable knowledge, services, and futures in cities.

Abstract

The transition towards a more sustainable society requires a fundamental shift in the roles of individuals within communities. To address this, our paper introduces the URBAN PROSUMERS project, which employs participatory action research and co-creation methods to engage local residents and stakeholders in developing climate-neutral solutions in urban contexts, focusing on sustainable mobility, food, and energy. Conceptually, we build on the notion of ‘urban prosumers’—individuals who act as both consumers and producers—to encourage active citizen participation in creating sustainable services, solutions, and knowledge within cities and their surroundings. Our approach combines citizen science and co-creation elements to identify both the tensions and the enablers that shape sustainable urban futures. Furthermore, we consider knowledge institutions, such as universities, having a crucial societal role in encouraging citizen science for knowledge sharing and production in sustainable and just societal transition.

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The Field Atlas reimagines Amsterdam Science Park as a living landscape co-mapped by artists, residents, scientists, and more-than-human life. This bottom-up atlas challenges top-down urban planning, fostering biodiversity awareness and new ways of sharing knowledge and agency in city-making.

Abstract

The Urban Ecology Field Atlas is a participatory mapping project that reframes the Amsterdam Science Park as a living place rather than a static master-planned site. Co-created with artists, local residents, scientists, and citizen scientists, the atlas highlights hidden biodiversity and invites new green interventions from the ground up.

Unlike the 2014 top-down Master Plan that defines the area in fixed zoning terms, Field Atlas continuously evolves, reflecting the shifting urban ecology and the perspectives of those who inhabit it, human and more-than-human alike. Through a mix of digital mapping, public walks, and artistic interventions, participants reveal sites such as a informal gardens, threatened species and overlooked “wild spots.” Citizen-generated nature observations (via iNaturalist) are layered into the map, merging local knowledge with scientific data.

This approach challenges power asymmetries in urban development by positioning residents as knowledge-holders and inviting non-human actors into planning imaginaries. It also demonstrates how collaborative mapping can nurture a shared sense of place, stimulate policy dialogue on urban greening, and transform planning from an expert-led exercise into an inclusive, ongoing conversation.

The Field Atlas shows that co-created citizen science can generate more equitable knowledge production and influence future-oriented decisions in rapidly changing urban environments. It suggests new roles for mapping as a civic and ecological practice that empowers communities while widening the circle of whose voices, human or otherwise, shape our cities.