Volunteer Macroinvertebrate Monitoring: Tensions Among Group Goals,Data Quality,and Outcomes

Volunteer monitoring of natural resources is promoted for its ability to increase public awareness, to provide valuable knowledge, and to encourage policy change that promotes ecosystem health. We used the case of volunteer macroinvertebrate monitoring (VMM) in streams to investigate whether the quality of data collected is correlated with data use and organizers' perception of whether they have achieved these outcomes. We examined the relation between site and group characteristics, data quality, data use, and perceived outcomes (education, social capital, and policy change). We found that group size and the degree to which citizen groups perform tasks on their own (rather than aided by professionals) positively correlated with the quality of data collected. Group size and number of years monitoring positively influenced whether a group used their data. While one might expect that groups committed to collecting good-quality data would be more likely to use it, there was no relation between data quality and data use, and no relation between data quality and perceived outcomes. More data use was, however, correlated with a group's feeling of connection to a network of engaged citizens and professionals. While VMM may hold promise for bringing citizens and scientists together to work on joint conservation agendas, our data illustrate that data quality does not correlate with a volunteer group's desire to use their data to promote regulatory change. Therefore, we encourage scientists and citizens alike to recognize this potential disconnect and strive to be explicit about the role of data in conservation efforts.     

Citizen science on speed? Realising the triple objective of scientific rigour,policy influence and deep citizen engagement in a large-scale citizen science project on ambient air quality in Antwerp

Citizen science projects are increasingly recognised as catalyst for triggering behaviour change and building social capital around environmental issues. However, overview studies observe recurrent challenges in many citizen science projects in terms of combining high levels of data quality with deep citizen engagement and policy influence. This paper reports on the findings of the CurieuzeNeuzen project (www.CurieuzeNeuzen.eu), a large-scale citizen science project on air quality in Antwerp, delivering results in the three areas described above. Through CurieuzeNeuzen, 2,000 citizens studied the air quality levels in and around Antwerp in 2016 and were intensively deliberating on possible causes and solutions. Surveys were conducted at the start and towards the end of the project, with participants stating that their participation resulted in changed views and behaviour towards air pollution, mobility solutions, and city planning. The findings were picked-up academically and contributed to policy debates on air quality at city and regional level.     

Community-based Organizations and Neighbourhood Environmental Problem Solving: A Framework for Adoption of Information Technologies

Community-based organizations (CBOs) today seek improved capacity to address environmental problems in urban neighbourhoods. Many seek access to information technologies such as the Internet and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to expand information about their neighbourhood's environmental quality to support their planning and service efforts. Experience with the Internet has been bolstered somewhat by programmesto create community networks. This experience and experience with GIS in planning at the municipal and state levels reveals a set of technical, organizational and personal prerequisites that bolster successful and effective adoption of information technologies. This paper reviews these prerequisites as they pertain to CBOs and makes recommendations for transactions that could enhance CBO adoption of the Internet and GIS to address environmental problems in urban neighbourhoods. The paper concludes that a constellation of prerequisite conditions, most predominantly data availability problems, staff skill acquisition and staff retention problems, offer the greatest challenges for CBOs seeking to adopt information technologies to manage environmental problems more effectively.     

The digital frontiers of fisheries governance: fish attraction devices,drones and satellites

ABSTRACT

High seas fisheries remain one of the least transparent global production practices. Distance from shore, coupled with the highly mobile nature of fish stocks, has put attention on new monitoring, control and surveillance technologies to collect spatially referenced data on the location of fishing vessels, gears and even fish stocks and eradicate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activity. Faced with their nascent implementation, research is yet to address how these technologies are reconfiguring the roles and responsibilities of public and private actors involved in fisheries management, including who collects and controls fisheries related information. In this paper, we compare three monitoring, control and surveillance technologies that are gaining traction in fisheries; the use of private fish attraction devices in oceanic tuna fisheries, unmanned public drones for marine surveillance and global satellite monitoring of fishing vessels. In doing so, we question how different configurations of actors are structuring flows of information and with what effect on sustainability performance of high seas fisheries. We also explore how these technologies configure new (and imagined) geographies of high seas fisheries which challenge existing modes of fisheries management.     

Promoting the use of environmental data collected by concerned citizens through information and communication technologies

Public participation within environmental monitoring may contribute to increasing the knowledge on the state of the environment at the same time it promotes citizens' involvement in environmental protection. However, the use of voluntary collected data is limited due to a lack of confidence in data collection procedures. Additionally, data quality is often unknown and the data are usually dispersed and non-structured. Information and communication technologies (ICT) may promote the use of voluntary collected data through the development of a collaborative system that incorporates tools and methodologies to facilitate data collection, access and validation. Furthermore, the use of ICT may promote public involvement within environmental monitoring, since it facilitates communication among all the stakeholders. This paper analyses the role of ICT in developing a system for environmental collaborative monitoring intending to promote the use of volunteer collected data. It starts by analysing the role of volunteers within environmental monitoring and continues analysing the potential of ICT to take advantage of the benefits of using data collected by citizens. A collaborative system that allows the public to express its knowledge on the state of the environment is described. Special emphasis is given to tools that explore non-traditional types of environmental data such as images, sounds and videos in association with spatial information. To illustrate the above mentioned concepts, a case study for beach quality monitoring developed within the Senses@Watch project, is described.     

Evaluating public participation in environmental decision-making: EPA's superfund community involvement program

This article discusses an 8-year, ongoing project that evaluates the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund community involvement program. The project originated as a response to the Government Performance and Results Act, which requires federal agencies to articulate program goals, and evaluate and report their progress in meeting those goals. The evaluation project assesses how effective the Superfund community involvement program is in promoting public participation in decisions about how to clean up hazardous wastes at Superfund sites. We do three things in the article: (1) share our experience with evaluating an Agency public participation program, including lessons learned about methods of evaluation; (2) report evaluation results; and (3) address a number of issues pertaining to the evaluation of public participation in environmental decision-making. Our goal is to encourage more environmental managers to incorporate evaluation into their public participation programs as a tool for improving them. We found that written mail surveys were an effective and economical tool for obtaining feedback on EPA's community involvement program at Superfund sites. The evaluation focused on four criteria: citizen satisfaction with EPA information about the Superfund site, citizen understanding of environmental and human health risks associated with the site, citizen satisfaction with opportunities provided by EPA for community input, and citizen satisfaction with EPA's response to community input. While the evaluation results were mixed, in general, community members who were most informed about and involved in the cleanup process at Superfund sites generally were also the most satisfied with the community involvement process, and the job that EPA was doing cleaning up the site. We conclude that systematic evaluation provides meaningful and useful information that agencies can use to improve their public participation programs. However, there need to be institutionalized processes that ensure evaluation results are used to develop and implement strategies for improvement.     

Environmental democracy in action: The Toxics Release Inventory

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) created by the 1986 Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act initially received limited attention. During the early years of its implementation, the TRI has become the basis for a national experiment in voluntaristic problem solving among citizens and industry, but that process of environmental democracy hinges on citizens' ability to actually acquire, understand, and apply the new data on industrial toxic emissions. A national study of TRI-using organizations in the public and private sectors reveals that effective citizen access depends in part on the efforts of intermediary public interest groups to bridge individual needs and right-to-know data. Although the TRI has had early success as a supplement to conventional command and control regulation, questions exist about the extent to which state and federal government should or must provide special efforts to make environmental information access work for citizens.     

A protracted age of oil: pipelines,refineries and quiet conflict

This article examines the relevance of environmental justice (EJ) and climate change debates as points of articulation and mobilisation among community groups responding to a proposed refinery. It then compares media coverage of the refinery project, a bi-national pipeline and other energy and climate-related news events. The analytical frame joins the EJ paradigm with citizen mobilisation on issues of climate change and energy projects that emit greenhouse gases and that discourage development of renewable sources. Data were collected and analysed from websites, public message boards and media documents. Findings indicate that a community-based anti-refinery campaign combined local EJ struggles with climate activism, while challenging fossil fuel dependencies and calling for renewable regional energy. A climate justice community formed – yet their voices were in their blogs and websites, not in local or national media.     

Environmental Reporting by the Fortune 50 Firms

/ The extent and use of industry-reported environmental data are increasing, warranting an in-depth analysis of this information. This paper reviews the environmental reporting guidelines issued by several business and nonprofit organizations and evaluates the environmental reports published by the Fortune 50 companies, half of which publish reports. After describing the history of environmental reporting and the content of the guidelines, a comparative evaluation is made to indicate the types of companies producing reports, the topics reported, the intended audiences, the scope and depth of the material reported, and the effectiveness of the reports as communication devices. These reports are mechanisms to enhance a firm's image, public relations, and marketing and are aimed largely at concerned individuals, affected communities, and investors. Significant differences in the content and the depth of reports are seen as firms report on topics that are perceived by the public as high risks. The most complete reports are published by industries with poor or controversial public images, e.g., the chemical and timber industries. Still, no report provided information that was sufficient for comprehensive or comparative analyses of environmental performance. Recommendations are provided to increase the quality and effectiveness of environmental reporting.KEY WORDS: Communication; Environmental management; Performance reporting; Reporting; Stakeholder     

THE ENVIRONMENTAL DISPLAY MANAGER: A TOOL FOR WATER QUALITY DATA INTEGRATION1

ABSTRACT: The Environmental Display Manager, EDM, is a development system on an IBM 3090 mainframe at the U.S. EPA National Computer Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. EDM provides mapping, display, analysis support, and information management capabilities to workstations located across the United States, and connected to EPA through federal, state, academic, and private communications networks. Through interactive software, EDM can quickly support analyses, create maps and graphics, and generate reports that integrate millions of pieces of environmental data. The concept of EDM is to provide easy access to environmental information, to provide automated environmental analyses and reports, and then to provide data, graphics, images, text, and documents that can be used by numerous output devices, software packages, and computers. The mapping cumponent works with an electronic version of the 54,000 7.5 minute quad sheets of the U.S. Geological Survey. The software also works with a hydrographic data base of the surface waters of the United States. With the maps, a user can look at the rivers in any state, can zoom in on a small pond, and can overlay and identify particular features such as industrial waste dischargers and factories. The hydrography allows routing for modeling programs, identification of upstream and downstream components, and linkage of environmental features associated with surface waters. Alternatively, users can query data based on latitude/longitude, city name, EPA permit number, state agency and station code, river name or number, and river cataloging unit. The maps can be overlaid with roads and environmental sites such as: municipal and industrial dischargers, Superfund sites, public drinking water supplies, water quality monitoring stations, stream gages, and city locations. Retrievals from related systems can be performed for selected sites creating graphics showing water quality trends, discharge monitoring reports, and permit discharge limits.     

山东省空气质量监测“转让-经营”模式改革的思考与探索

山东省探索开展了空气质量监测"转让-经营"模式改革,在体制上科学划分监测事权,实行"谁考核、谁监测",省级环保部门负责17个设区城市环境质量的监督监测,污染源监督监测下放到市、县级环保部门;在机制上实行政府购买服务,对全省空气质量自动监测站实行"监测设备有偿转让,专业队伍运营维护,专业机构移动比对,环保部门质控考核,政府购买合格数据"的"转让-经营"模式。通过改革,监测数据质量和监测公信力得到进一步提高,有效避免了可能的行政干预,降低了监测成本,引导了环保服务业的发展,可以为其他省、市贯彻落实生态环境监测体制改革和地方监测事权上收工作提供一些参考。     

构建流域水质综合监测体系的初探

流域水质监测是流域水环境改善与污染防治的重要前提,为流域水环境管理提供了必要的技术支撑。目前环保、水利、流域管理等众多部门均承担了一定范围内的流域水质监测工作,但由于监测方法、取样断面等方面的差异,各监测机构的数据往往存在较大差异,不利于流域水质现状评价、预警预报和水环境的综合管理。本文以长江流域的跨省界断面为研究对象,对构建流域水质综合监测体系进行初探研究,对于确保流域水质安全具有重要意义。     

Volunteer Environmental Monitoring and the Role of the Universities: The Case of Citizens' Environment Watch

Universities can provide a stable home for launching collaborative community research projects. Citizens' Environment Watch (CEW), an environmental monitoring initiative based at the University of Toronto, has made significant contributions to environmental education and stewardship in Ontario, Canada. Following dramatic cuts in provincial monitoring programs, citizens and youth have used chemical parameters and biological indicators to gauge water and air quality, and to identify areas requiring remediation and pollution prevention efforts. The relationship of Citizens' Environment Watch to government agencies, funders and other grassroots environmental groups has evolved over the past 5 years as CEW attempts to remain effective without taking on the investigative and enforcement roles to support the regulatory enforcement that has been largely abandoned by government. We explore the challenges inherent in developing and maintaining a volunteer organization that carries out rigorous and useful scientific work and we outline the ability of a university to help overcome these critical challenges. Finally, we present lessons learned for the benefit of other citizen and youth monitoring projects.     

Proactive Management of Air Quality

Traditional air resource management systems have difficulty in addressing global issues, sustainable development, direct citizen participation, and integration with broad economic interests. As reactive management systems, they tend to be compliance-driven, static, and rigid. In contrast, proactive management systems are principle-driven, innovative, and flexible. Bridge scientists play a key role in supporting the transformation of raw data into wise action. Decision-makers need to integrate social values with knowledge about emissions, atmospheric processes, and potential environmental effects using the primary tools of measurements, monitoring, and modeling. The Alberta Clean Air Strategic Alliance, a unique partnership of governments, industry, and public interest groups formed in 1994, operates a comprehensive air management system that is capable of addressing air issues of greater complexity and uncertainty. Its success is measured by the satisfaction of its diverse stakeholders and by the number and scope of its initiatives.     

Considerations for using alternative technologies in nutrient management on Cape Cod: Beyond cost and performance

Mitigating non-point source nitrogen in coastal estuaries is economically, environmentally, logistically, and socially challenging. On Cape Cod, Massachusetts, nitrogen management includes both traditional, centralized wastewater treatment and sewering as well as a number of alternative technologies. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 37 participants from governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as related industries to identify the barriers and opportunities for the use of alternative technologies to mitigate nitrogen pollution. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed using content analysis and rhetorical analysis. Cost and technical capacity to reduce nitrogen were the most discussed considerations. Beyond those, there were a slew of additional considerations that also impacted whether a technology would be installed, permitted, and socially accepted. These included: maintenance and monitoring logistics, comparisons to sewering, co-benefits, risk/uncertainty, community culture, extent of public engagement, permitting/regulatory challenges, and siting considerations. The insights about these additional considerations are valuable for transferring to other coastal areas managing nutrient impairments that may have not yet factored in these considerations when making decisions about how to meet water quality goals.     

Trust in Citizen Science Research: A Case Study of the Groundwater Education Through Water Evaluation & Testing Program1

Thornton, Teresa and Jessica Leahy, 2012. Trust in Citizen Science Research: A Case Study of the Groundwater Education Through Water Evaluation & Testing Program. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 48(5): 1032‐1040. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752‐1688.2012.00670.x Abstract: Data collected by citizen scientists, including K‐12 students, have been validated by the scientific community through quality assurance/quality control tests and publication of results in peer‐reviewed journal articles. However, if citizen science data are to be used by local communities, research is needed to determine which factors contribute to local community member trust in citizen science data, and how to increase the benefits and use of citizen science programs. This article describes the Groundwater Education Through Water Evaluation & Testing (GET WET!) program that employs middle and high school students, state and local government employees, environmental nongovernmental organization leaders, business representatives, college faculty and students, and other volunteers as citizen scientists to create a database of groundwater quality for use as a baseline for local water resources management. Data were gathered through semi‐structured interviews pre‐ and post‐involvement from 40 participants in this citizen science program conducted in five states in the northeastern United States. Results indicate that factors of trust are largely based on interpersonal trust and familiarity. We conclude with recommendations and future research that may improve local community member willingness to trust citizen science data generated by students.     

多中心治理下公众参与大气污染防治路径探析

动员全社会力量保护环境,积极推动公众参与环保工作,是解决环境保护问题的根本途径。运用多中心治理理论分析,发现政府治污理念陈旧、制度不健全、公众责任意识淡漠、环保社会组织弱小等,是我国大气污染治理中公众参与度低的主要原因,因此提出转变观念、完善机制、加强教育、支持和引导环保社会组织,促进公众参与的多元治理模式的形成,真正推动大气环境质量的改善。     

Beyond the Requirements: Improving Public Participation in EIA

Virtually every environmental planner at some time deals with environmental impact assessment (EIA). Public participation is required in most environmental impact assessment programmesaround the world. However, citizen involvement is often reduced to a procedural exercise instead of a substantive process to include the public in environmental decision making. This paper examines public participation in EIA and provides ways to improve its effectiveness. We first examine the rationales for public involvement and its institutionalization through EIA. Next, we analyse the shortcomings and strengths of common approaches to public involvement. Our analysis, supported by two case studies, suggests that going beyond the minimum requirements can benefit the public, the project proponent and the final plan. We conclude with practical steps to improve public participation programmes in environmental planning and decision making.     

Assessment of the critical factors in ımplementing ISO 14001:2015 environmental management systems for developing countries: A case study for Sri Lanka

ISO 14001:2015 is an international standard that specifies the requirements of environmental management systems (EMS). This study assessed the influence of top management commitment, applications of compliance and other requirements, operational control, monitoring and measurements, resource management and improvements as critical factors on successful implementation and the operation of the ISO 14001:2015, by considering organizations in Sri Lanka as a case study. A data collection was conducted via questionnaires and structured interviews from stakeholders who are directly responsible for the EMS such as environmental managers, quality mangers and general managers of the organizations, who are certified with ISO 14001:2015, and comparisons were undertaken. The statistical analysis of the critical factors has shown a significant positive effect on both large‐scale organizations and export‐oriented organizations on EMS implementation. Furthermore, the results indicate that the EMS adoption has created significant positive impacts on efficient energy and resource consumption within organizations.     

EPA's Environmental Technology Verification Program: An Evaluation of a Public‐Private Process

The Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) was started by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October 1995 to generate independent and credible data on the performance of innovative technologies that have the potential to improve protection of public health and the environment. The purpose of this program is to help organizations, industries, businesses, states, communities, and individuals make better‐informed decisions when selecting new environmental technologies. The program has now been in existence for six years and the following article presents, for the first time, the results achieved to date and the program's future operating plans. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.