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Short Abstract

The Catchment Systems Thinking Co-operative (CaSTCo) proves citizen science can generate credible data for decision-making. Through co-design and open standards, communities, businesses and regulators are developing a shared evidence base for improving river health. https://castco.org/roadmap

Abstract

The Catchment Systems Thinking Co-operative (CaSTCo) has spent four years demonstrating that properly resourced and coordinated citizen science can generate credible, decision-ready data for improving river health in the UK - we'll summarise the recipe for success in three minutes.

Co-designed with communities, NGOs, water companies, regulators, researchers, and technology providers, CaSTCo has built a framework of standardised robust methods, quality assurance processes, and open governance structures that allow local monitoring data to be used by water companies, regulators and catchment partnerships to target collaborative action and investment.

The CaSTCo Roadmap (https://castco.org/roadmap) sets out how this approach can be scaled: by 2035, all rivers in England and Wales could be monitored within a unified, open data system where citizen science sits alongside professional monitoring. By co-designing trust — in data, in process, and in people — CaSTCo shows how participatory science can turn information into action and shared responsibility for the health of our rivers.