OPAL is a research and education program that aims to encourage collaboration to address major environmental challenges by empowering individuals to contribute to environmental protection. It involves partnerships between universities and research centers to conduct multi-disciplinary research projects. Community scientists and local groups are engaged to conduct research and education projects at a local level. Regional committees coordinate efforts and a national program unites the work while continuing to develop new resources and training. Key findings show that OPAL has successfully motivated more people to explore nature outdoors, contributed to scientific research, and raised environmental awareness.
2. OPAL Concept
• Major environmental challenges facing society today:
o Convention on Biological Diversity
o Convention on Climate Change
o Agenda 21
• Governments alone cannot resolve the problems;
• Everyone has a role to play;
• What is that role?
• OPAL set out to provide more opportunities for people to make a real
contribution to environmental protection;
• OPAL designed and delivered a research and education programme for
people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds;
• Invited participants to share their findings with others
• Collectively such local knowledge is very powerful
3. Partnership
Strong leadership, clear management structure, firm budgetary controls
Vision, confidence, flexibility, room for innovation, trust
Newcastle University
Industrial pollution and plants
Research Centres University of Central Lancashire
University of York
Mammals & insects
Soil: Imperial Social science
Air: Imperial
Water: University College London University of Nottingham
Heathlands
Biodiversity: Natural History Museum University of Birmingham
Urban ecology
Open University University of Hertfordshire
Climate: UK Meteorological Office Orchards
Imperial College London (Silwood Park)
Imperial College London
Support Services
Road pollution and vegetation
Urban Heat Island
Natural History Museum University of Plymouth
Field Studies Council Moors
Royal Parks
National Biodiversity
Network
Associates: Environment Agency, Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
4. Multi-disciplinary team
1. Clearly defined expectations:
Aims and Objectives of the programme
Deliverables with timelines and performance criteria per partner
Beneficiary targets : web, media, general public (organisations,
schools)
Milestones: achievements
2. Regular contact - sharing best practice, identifying issues,
developing national programme
4 partners meetings per annum (rotated)
9 staff meetings per annum
training and other events
partners website, newsletter
3. Strong central support systems (management, comms, branding, website)
4. National programme to unite all partners and maintain momentum
Launch of a new product every six months
Training and support
Experts working in the community
Feedback to participants
5. OPAL Networking
LOCAL LEVEL
Community scientist and local education and research projects:
•directly with local people
•existing local voluntary groups: wildlife trust, BTCV, Girl Guides, W.I.
•local authorities: park rangers
•Local charities or local branches of national charities (NAS)
REGIONAL LEVEL
Lead academic :
•Regional committee: local authorities, government agencies,
voluntary and community group leaders
NATIONAL LEVEL
Co-ordinator: national programme: developing the resources, training the
regions, distributing materials, managing enquiries, data entry.
Web team: website manager and software engineer and database manager
Communications officer: proactive and reactive media strategy
Schools officer: national schools programme
Advisory Board: LWEC, Defra, Environment Agency, Community
representatives
OPAL Management: Direction and management to time, performance and
budget
6. Good practice and lessons learned
Staff: Time to build trust
Commitment and enthusiasm
Resilience to change
Flexibility and willingness to adapt to local need
Organisations:
work with existing organisations at the local level
support their events
adapt programmes to meet their needs
design exciting activities – live animals, games
respect different needs and cultures
manage expectations
Programme:
fun, bite-size, high quality, innovative, hi tech
not curriculum focused
to appeal to a young teenager or adult new to environment
plain English
local and national support systems
H&S – balanced
Management:
maintain close contact with partners and staff
manage issues as they arise – tightening where they do not deliver
7. OPAL Key findings
• More people are spending time outdoors exploring and recording local nature
• Through OPAL communities are becoming more aware of local nature
• High quality resources and sound science engender confidence
• New knowledge and skills so they can name local wildlife and have a purpose to go out
• Enjoy finding out for themselves
• Not everyone wants to share their findings
• no computer
• didn’t finish the survey
• just enjoy being outside
• did not think their work was good enough
• too busy to enter data
• takes too long
• Data from over 25,000 sites has been submitted
• More people understand science and the importance of research
• People want to make their contribution and to have their contribution recognised
• Being part of a national research programme is a key motivating factor
• Mutually beneficial to science, government, community
• Brings benefits for health, education and the environment
