- Convenors:
-
Jaume Piera
(Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC))
Nancy Fockedey (VLIZ - Flanders Marine Institute)
Viviana Piermattei (Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC))
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- Discussants:
-
Garabet Kazanjian
(American University of Armenia)
Franziska Stressmann (ECSA)
Arianna Liconti (Outbe Srl Società Benefit)
- Format:
- Workshop
Short Abstract
In this workshop we will evaluate the challenges and opportunities to develop citizen science activities in marine, coastal and freshwater domains, exploring the singularities of these ecosystems compared to the terrestrial ones. We will explore strategies to maximise engagement, and inclusiveness.
Description
Blue (marine, coastal and freshwater) citizen science is emerging as a prominent approach to ocean and waters management, spatial ecology, and conservation. Participatory monitoring systems provide an essential means to expand scientific knowledge and understanding of marine, coastal and freshwater ecosystems, with thousands of volunteers participating in biodiversity monitoring, marine and freshwater litter tracking, and environmental parameter collection. The increased social engagement pursued by oceans and waters citizen science has also fostered greater public support for the conservation of these ecosystems.
Citizen science activities in the ocean and waters domains face significant barriers that hinder public participation, primarily due to the inherent complexity of marine environments compared to terrestrial ones.
In this workshop we will identify and explore the different challenges associated with these particular ecosystems, such as the increase in knowledge barriers (for example, marine organisms are generally more difficult to identify than terrestrial ones), the problems to deploy low cost devices in salty environments, or the safety and civil liability aspects for volunteers (especially in underwater activities).
We will explore the diversity of contexts in which blue citizen science is developed, from urban beaches to remote seas and freshwater bodies of the North and South, emphasising actions to address global challenges (such as global warming or biodiversity loss) with activities carried out in local projects promoted and managed by local actors, including indigenous communities.
Finally, we will evaluate strategies to maximise participation and inclusion, considering possible specific barriers for the different communities involved in this type of project.
Accepted contributions
Short Abstract
The Ocean Race integrates science, education, and policy to advance ocean conservation. Through global data collection, youth education, and advocacy for Ocean Rights, the Race demonstrates how competitive sailing can accelerate marine research and inspire worldwide stewardship.
Abstract
The Ocean Race, one of the world’s most demanding round-the-world sailing competitions, has become a pioneering platform for ocean science, education, and advocacy. Its Science Program equips racing yachts with compact, high-precision instruments that collect crucial data on temperature, salinity, CO₂, and dissolved oxygen, particularly in under-sampled regions such as the Southern Ocean. During the 2023 edition, over four million data points were gathered across 32,000 miles, complemented by surface drifters, microplastic samplers, eDNA collectors, and phytoplankton imagers—turning racing boats into “vessels of opportunity” for global ocean monitoring.
Collaborating with leading research institutes and international programs (inclusing GEOMAR, NOAA, NOC, Ifremer, VLIZ, MPI, CNRS, ICM-CSIC, MeteoFrance, Citizens Of The Sea, OceanOPS, GOOS, EU MINKE, E-SurfMar, GOOD, and SOOP), the initiative has advanced the co-development of robust, low-impact instruments suited to the extreme demands of offshore racing. The program now extends beyond the Race itself, with instruments redeployed across transatlantic regattas and private expeditions, ensuring continuity and open data flow into global observing networks.
In parallel, The Ocean Race runs a global learning program engaging youth on topics such as climate change, marine biodiversity, and plastic pollution, aligning with the UN Decade of Ocean Science. Moreover, its advocacy for the Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights aims to establish legal recognition of the ocean’s intrinsic right to thrive. Together, these actions show how a sporting event can transcend competition—uniting science, education, and governance to inspire collective responsibility for the ocean.
Abstract
CO>SEA_Collaboratorium for Socio-Environmental Analysis of the Ocean is a newly established research group conducting engaged action-research and participatory transformative practices. It aims to reconceptualise and practicize the material-semiotic nature of societal assemblages in relationship with the Ocean, through transdisciplinary exploration, documentation, engagement and creative and grassroot techniques. Therefore, our presentation strarts with the video-reportage “Blue Kinship: Documenting Ocean Relationships” and, while participants enjoy the hands-on photo exhibition “An Intimate Connection: Society and the Ocean in Water Photography”, we present lessons learned from EU projects we lead—SeaPaCS, FishArt, Tentacular Thinking, and PartArt4OW—through semantic mapping and open questions. We wonder whether and how genuine openness to creative, innovative practices beyond traditional academic approaches, along with transdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration, can advance theoretical and methodological development in the new field we are defining of Marine Social Geography and Visual Research. Specifically, we explore how creative methods, especially those combining video-photographic research, complement and challenge scientific investigation, influence research contexts, and enrich participatory practices. This is particularly relevant at the liminal land/sea interface, in the turbulent materiality and fluid spatiality of the open ocean.
Short Abstract
The Citizens4Water platform has gone live in pre-launch (www.citizens4water.org). By the conference, the platform should be tested and filled with input. In this workshop we would like to hightlight the platform to the community, and gather input on the long term vision for the platform.
Abstract
The Flemish knowledge center for citizen science, Scivil, is developing a global repository of citizen science initiatives in freshwater management and hydrology. This repository will (a) allow policy makers to consolidate knowledge from existing water management and hydrology projects from around the world, (b) facilitate researchers and project initiators to develop new or optimize current citizen science projects in water management and hydrology, and (c) identify gaps in current citizen science water management and hydrology practices.
The repository will be in the form of an online platform created for and by the community of actors working citizen science and water and will be embedded in the UNESCO IHP-IX program. It is created using a co-creative approach to make sure it offers an added value for those that will be using it. Throughout a series of workshops, different needs from the community have been captured and are used as a basis for the development of the platform.
With our participation in the workshop, we would like to showcase the platform to the European citizen science community. Additionally, if possible we can take this opportunity to gather input from the community on their projects and on potential opportunities and barriers they see to benefit from the platform on the longer term.
Short Abstract
Plastic Pirates Belgium engages youth in monitoring plastic pollution across Europe. The project highlights challenges in sustaining engagement, ensuring data quality, and fostering inclusivity, offering lessons for more equitable and impactful blue citizen science.
Abstract
Plastic Pirates Belgium is a citizen science initiative engaging young people in monitoring plastic pollution across European rivers and coastlines, thereby linking local action to continental-scale insights. While the project has demonstrated the power of collective effort, it also illustrates key challenges that resonate broadly within blue citizen science.
First, sustaining participant motivation over time requires balancing educational benefits with real impact, ensuring that young citizens feel their contributions matter beyond the sampling moment. Second, achieving and maintaining quality data suitable for purpose (i.e., litter monitoring) in a project spanning diverse cultural, language and educational contexts requires robust protocols, teachers’ support, and clear quality-control mechanisms supervised by experts. Finally, fostering inclusiveness remains a priority: participation must be accessible across linguistic, socioeconomic, and geographic barriers to truly represent Europe’s diverse context.
This contribution will reflect on the strategies employed and lessons learned from Plastic Pirates Belgium while inviting discussion on how the broader blue citizen science community can collectively address these three intertwined challenges. By confronting issues of engagement, data quality, and inclusivity, the project seeks to inform more sustainable and equitable citizen science practices for ocean and freshwater stewardship.
Short Abstract
Exploring the use of cost-effective and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) participatory technologies for long-term water quality monitoring to enhance coastal management and promote citizen engagement in urban marine environments.
Abstract
My motivation to participate in this workshop arises from the need to strengthen blue citizen science approaches that connect participatory monitoring, digital innovation, and environmental management. Through my work in the PITACORA project (ParticIpatory Technologies for sustAinable COastal monitoRing in urban Areas), I explore how Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and low-cost technologies can support long-term monitoring and improve data availability for informed coastal management, especially in urban coastal waters.
Our approach integrates citizen observations via participatory platforms such as MINKA, enabling communities to contribute valuable data aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The KduPRO instrument, developed at the Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), exemplifies this approach—an open, modular system measuring underwater irradiance, now being adapted with multispectral sensors for use in participatory contexts.
In the roundtable, I aim to contribute by sharing practical insights and challenges related to:
- deploying low-cost instruments in saline and dynamic environments,
- ensuring data quality and scientific reliability in citizen science, and
- fostering sustained public engagement through inclusive and co-created monitoring initiatives.
I hope to exchange experiences and learn from other initiatives addressing similar challenges in marine, coastal, and freshwater contexts, contributing to a broader reflection on how DIY technologies and participatory networks can empower communities toward sustainable ocean and water stewardship.
Short Abstract
Following a workshop implemented for DANUBE4all at the CS4Water Conference on "Co-creating tools for collective action", ZSI can provide insights into mapped barriers towards implementing CS4Water for different stakeholder groups, and their prioritization by a diverse group of participants.
Abstract
As part of the first CS4Water Conference (June 2025 in Delft), ZSI together with Pulsaqua implemented a workshop for the HEU-funded mission project DANUBE4all. For this workshop, we invited participants to reflect on the barriers encountered when doing citizen science in relation to aquatic ecosystems. Beyond showcasing the DANUBE4all project and the toolbox in development within the project, the workshop aimed to exchange experiences and leverage the wisdom of the crowd in order to collaboratively gain a better understanding of barriers for CS4Water. These barriers were also prioritized to allow for follow-up activities to work on solutions. ZSI can introduce these barriers and solutions in a structured way and support the workshop planning, implementation and on-site facilitation, or provide any other kind of support for this workshop.
Short Abstract
Citizen science can enhance awareness of the ecological value of riparian vegetation. Through the RiVe method, citizens help monitor riparian forests, reduce management biases, and support more sustainable and evidence-based river management policies.
Abstract
Rivers are natural connectors, linking mountains to plains and rural landscapes to urban areas—if they are allowed enough space to maintain their ecological functions. Despite the well-established importance of riparian vegetation for river health, biodiversity, and landscape stability, no European directive, including the Water Framework Directive (WFD), currently requires a mandatory assessment of riparian ecosystems.
In many countries, the management of riparian vegetation remains affected by misconceptions and biases, leading to unsustainable or counterproductive interventions. Citizen science offers an effective way to address this issue by engaging local communities in monitoring activities that combine environmental education, data collection, and advocacy for sustainable management practices.
This contribution presents preliminary results from the RiVe methodology, a participatory approach designed to assess the structure and ecological condition of riparian forests through citizen-based observations. The collected data were used to evaluate riparian vegetation health, identify pressures, and enhance public understanding of these transitional ecosystems.
The findings suggest that citizen participation not only improves the knowledge base on riparian zones but also fosters dialogue between citizens, researchers, and policymakers. Ultimately, this approach may contribute to highlighting the ecological and social relevance of riparian vegetation, promoting its integration into river management and restoration policies.
Short Abstract
The ProBleu project develops educational resources promoting water literacy through open schooling and citizen science. This study examines how schools integrate citizen science activities, analyses the platforms used, and evaluates changes in pupils' participation and literacy.
Abstract
The EU Mission “Restore our Ocean & Waters” (Mission Ocean) aims to protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity by preventing and eliminating pollution of oceans, seas, and water, thanks to integrated research, innovation, investment, and citizen participation. Ocean and water literacy among children and adolescents is essential for fostering informed environmental stewards and supporting the long-term goals of the Mission. The ProBleu project (Promoting Ocean and Water Literacy in School Communities), funded under the Horizon Europe programme (Project No. 101113001), develops educational resources and tools that promote knowledge of aquatic ecosystems through Open Schooling methodologies incorporating citizen science (CS) projects. This paper examines how ProBleu-funded school projects integrate CS components and contribute to Mission Ocean objectives. Using content analysis of school projects and an online survey of pupils, we (1) compare how schools across Europe and beyond design CS activities, (2) analyse which citizen science platforms and tools they use, and (3) evaluate schoolchildren's participation and literacy change. We also include a coarse descriptor of school-led dissemination (user-generated content) as a contextual factor. This indicator is used only as a control variable to explore associations with pupils’ perceived engagement. The results highlight diverse pathways through which CS supports environmental education, demonstrating its potential to enhance scientific engagement and civic responsibility while identifying challenges in sustaining meaningful youth involvement in science. Keywords: CS in schools; EU Mission; Restore our Ocean & Waters.