{"id":76239,"date":"2016-08-12T02:47:40","date_gmt":"2016-08-12T00:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/people-powered-science-in-africa-a-boost-for-democracy-and-knowledge-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2016-08-12T02:47:40","modified_gmt":"2016-08-12T00:47:40","slug":"people-powered-science-in-africa-a-boost-for-democracy-and-knowledge-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/people-powered-science-in-africa-a-boost-for-democracy-and-knowledge-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"People-powered science in Africa: a boost for democracy and knowledge | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

People-powered science in Africa: a boost for democracy and knowledge<\/a>: <\/p>\n

Citizen scientists have a great deal to contribute.<\/span> Mount Rainier National Park\/Flickr<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

December 1900 marked the first ever \u201cChristmas Bird Count\u201d. Its aim was to get people counting bird species rather than killing them. It\u2019s now an annual tradition. Every year on a specific day between December 14 and January 5, thousands of volunteers \u2013 ordinary people, not scientists \u2013 gather in more than 2,000 locations in the Western hemisphere to count birds.<\/p>\n

Conservation biologists use this data to assess bird populations\u2019 health and look at long-term trends.<\/p>\n

This is probably the earliest recorded example of citizen science, a phenomenon that filmmaker Geoff Haines-Stiles calls<\/p>\n

\n

\u2026science with, for and by the people.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Haines-Stiles, who produced the scientific TV series \u201cCosmos\u201d during the 1980s, is an enthusiastic fan of citizen science. \u201cIt is truly a revolution in the way science is done,\u201d he said during an online seminar organised by the Berlin Museum for Natural Science on July 18 2016. \u201cIt allows people who are not traditionally involved in doing science and gathering data, to become active contributors to real science.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is as true in Africa as it is elsewhere in the world. More and more Africans are becoming citizen scientists \u2013 and the benefits are huge both for them as individuals and for science on the continent.<\/p>\n

African initiatives<\/h2>\n

Gathering environmental data is a key focus of African citizen science.<\/p>\n

In South Africa, Kenya and Uganda, for instance, volunteers monitor and record data on everything from mangrove ecosystems to beach erosion; along with a variety of animals and insects like sea turtles, bats, owls, frogs, lizards and butterflies.<\/p>\n

Cape Citizen Science asks nature lovers to become \u201cpathogen hunters\u201d while on nature walks. This is done by recording dying fynbos plants and collecting samples of the dead plant material. From time to time, visitors to South Africa\u2019s Kruger National Park are asked to help monitor endangered species like wild dogs and cheetahs by submitting their photographs of these animals.<\/p>\n

With internet access, it\u2019s even possible to contribute to African-based citizen science projects around the globe without leaving home. Wildebeest Watch invites people to explore collective intelligence in these animals as they navigate the Serengeti. Snapshot Serengeti asks for help in sorting photos gathered by hundreds of camera traps in Tanzania\u2019s Serengeti National Park.<\/p>\n

Professor Les Underhill of the University of Cape Town\u2019s Animal Demography Unit (ADU) is a pioneer of citizen science on the continent. Over the past 25 years, his research group has integrated citizen data into ambitious research projects across southern Africa. Through this unit, data from citizen scientists are feeding into atlases and distribution maps of birds, dung beetles, frogs, scorpions, spiders, butterflies, dragonflies, lacewing moths, sea stars, mushrooms and orchids.<\/p>\n

The unit\u2019s innovative virtual museum contains more than 6,000 photographic records provided by hundreds of citizen scientists. Most of their bird ringers are amateurs, not professional scientists, who spend their own time and money to contribute valuable ringing data.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach data point the ADU\u2019s citizen scientists collect is a piece in the jigsaw puzzle of biodiversity,\u201d Underhill says. \u201cIt is our job to turn the myriad bits of raw data into information that can support conservation policy and action.\u201d<\/p>\n

The limitations of citizen science<\/h2>\n

The contribution of citizen science goes beyond gathering or unravelling data. Enthusiastic volunteers also bring their computer equipment and technological skills to assist with number crunching and data analysis. They can fill in knowledge gaps by providing scientists with extra hands, eyes, computers, cameras, smartphones and vehicles.<\/p>\n

But not everybody is convinced.<\/p>\n

\u201cCitizen science\u201d is an oxymoron.\u201d That\u2019s what Dr Rob Little, a biologist at the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, told me recently. \u201cIt is not possible to be a citizen dentist or a citizen lawyer, so why citizen scientists?\u201d he asks. \u201cBeing a scientist requires a minimum of MSc-level training.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other criticisms revolve around the quality of data collected by non-experts and the potential for conflicts of interest \u2013 ordinary people who are opposed to fracking, for instance, might get involved in projects just to gather information that supports their stance.<\/p>\n

Inclusivity is also a particular challenge when it comes to citizen science projects. It can be difficult to involve people who don\u2019t have their own transport or access to smartphones, computers and internet; or where literacy rates are low. Some initiatives in Africa are getting creative to address these problems. The Extreme Citizen Science research group in the Democratic Republic of Congo is doing some great work with communities in this regard.<\/p>\n

A powerful force for change<\/h2>\n

Despite its limitations, citizen science has an important place in Africa. It is a way of driving public engagement; of creating linkages and dialogue between science and society. It can inspire people to take an interest in science and enthuse young people about careers in science. It helps make science a part of everyday life \u2013 after all, the evidence of science\u2019s benefits is all around us.<\/p>\n

It is also a vital step towards democratising science.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

Marina Joubert does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Source:<\/strong> The Conversation \u2013 Articles (AFRICA)<\/a><\/small>
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Read more on The Conversation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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People-powered science in Africa: a boost for democracy and knowledge: Citizen scientists have a great deal to contribute. Mount Rainier National Park\/Flickr December 1900 marked the first ever \u201cChristmas Bird Count\u201d. Its aim was to get people counting bird species rather than killing them. It\u2019s now an annual tradition. Every year on a specific day […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4584],"tags":[428,5213,8890,4666,2337,18873,2011],"class_list":{"0":"post-76239","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-africa-news-2","7":"tag-africa","8":"tag-boost","9":"tag-conversation","10":"tag-democracy","11":"tag-knowledge","12":"tag-peoplepowered","13":"tag-science","14":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76239\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}