Environmental degradation poses a significant challenge to Africa's sustainable development, demanding transformative approaches to conservation efforts. The MoRe4nature project emerges as an opportunity, integrating citizen-science initiatives as key activities in environmental compliance assurance (ECA). This innovative approach empowers citizens to contribute meaningfully to sustainable natural-resource management, fostering a collaborative data and knowledge production platform, particularly in the realm of water monitoring and water literacy. MoRe4nature's socio-technical approach addresses the barriers to the uptake and utilisation of citizen-generated data in ECA, ensuring the long-term sustainability and impact of citizen science initiatives in Africa. Specifically, MoRe4nature will work with 40 cases across Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, including two FreshWater Watch cases in Sierra Leone and Zambia. FreshWater Watch in Africa (FWW), an exemplary citizen science initiative, empowers communities in Africa to monitor the health of their precious freshwater resources, providing valuable data for water quality assessments and environmental management. By harnessing the power of citizen science, FWW directly contributes to the achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, promoting access to safe water and sanitation for all. FWW is currently working with partners in Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya and is looking to support work in other African countries in the future. The ProBleu project complements MoRe4nature's and FWW’s efforts by fostering ocean and water literacy among students and teachers across and beyond Europe, including Africa. Through a comprehensive set of activities, the ProBleu project promotes ocean and water literacy, engages students in real-world ocean and water research, and enhances the sense of stewardship towards the value and challenges of oceans and waters. This initiative empowers individuals and schools to become active advocates for environmental protection and water literacy, influencing policy decisions and driving sustainable practices at local and national levels. By strengthening existing citizen science, fostering collaboration and partnerships, synergising citizen science with living labs and fab labs, and developing data validation tools, MoRe4nature, ProBleu and FWW empower citizens to become active partners in environmental protection and water literacy, safeguarding our planet for generations to come.

1. Harnessing the power of citizen
science for environmental
stewardship and water literacy in
Africa
CitSci Africa Association International Conference 2024
Nairobi, Kenya
Luigi Ceccaroni, Stephen Parkinson, James Sprinks, Sasha Woods and Steven
Loiselle (Earthwatch), Ethel Mudenda (WWF), Joan Maso (CREAF), Uta When (IHE)
Presenting today: Luigi Ceccaroni, Earthwatch, 22 February 2024

2. Menu
• The European Citizen Science Association
• A way to easily measure the impact of citizen
science
• A project about using citizen science for
environmental compliance assurance
• A project to measure water quality
• A place where to find resources about water
education
Luigi
speaking

3. Four “continental” associations
• The Citizen Science Africa Association
• The Australian Citizen Science Association
• The European Citizen Science Association
• The US Association for the Advancement of
Participatory Sciences
Luigi
speaking

4. Introduction: Why Africa is important?
• Water scarcity: 300 million people in Africa live in water-scarce
environments. This number is projected to rise significantly due to
population growth.
• Pollution: Pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources is a
widespread problem. Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and inadequate
sanitation all contribute to contaminated water.
• Biodiversity loss: Ecosystems in Africa are home to incredible biodiversity.
The destruction of habitats negatively affects species’ survival and disrupts
delicate ecosystems.
• Data gaps: Many parts of Africa lack consistent or reliable environmental
monitoring data. This hinders the ability of governments and organisations
to manage resources and combat pollution.
Luigi
speaking

5. Introduction: Why Africa is important?
Luigi
speaking

6. Introduction: Why Africa is important?
Luigi
speaking
GDP/person
•Europe:
• Luxembourg: (over $100,000)
• Germany: (around $60,000)
• Romania: (around $35,000)
•Africa:
• Kenya: (around $5,000)
• South Africa: (around $15,000)
• Nigeria: (around $6,000)
Temperature
•Sicily, Italy:
• Summer average highs: 25-30°C
• Winter average lows: 5°C - 10°C
•Tunisia:
• Summer average highs 25-30°C
• Winter average lows: 8°C - 11°C

7. Introduction: Why Africa is important?
• Water scarcity: 300 million people in Africa live in water-scarce
environments. This number is projected to rise significantly due to
population growth.
• Pollution: Pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources is a
widespread problem. Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and inadequate
sanitation all contribute to contaminated water.
• Biodiversity loss: Ecosystems in Africa are home to incredible biodiversity.
The destruction of habitats negatively affects species’ survival and disrupts
delicate ecosystems.
• Data gaps: Many parts of Africa lack consistent or reliable environmental
monitoring data. This hinders the ability of governments and organisations
to manage resources and combat pollution.
Luigi
speaking

8. Introduction: Why Africa is important?
Luigi
speaking

9. Introduction: Why Africa is important?
Luigi
speaking

10. Introduction: Why Africa is important?
• Water scarcity: 300 million people in Africa live in water-scarce
environments. This number is projected to rise significantly due to
population growth.
• Pollution: Pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources is a
widespread problem. Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and inadequate
sanitation all contribute to contaminated water.
• Biodiversity loss: Ecosystems in Africa are home to incredible biodiversity.
The destruction of habitats negatively affects species’ survival and disrupts
delicate ecosystems.
• Data gaps: Many parts of Africa lack consistent or reliable environmental
monitoring data. This hinders the ability of governments and organisations
to manage resources and combat pollution.
Luigi
speaking

11. Luigi
speaking

14. A normal day in Kibera (Nairobi River)
Luigi
speaking

15. A normal day in Kibera (Nairobi River)
Luigi
speaking

16. Introduction: Why Africa is important?
• Water scarcity: 300 million people in Africa live in water-scarce
environments. This number is projected to rise significantly due to
population growth.
• Pollution: Pollution of rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources is a
widespread problem. Industrial waste, agricultural runoff, and inadequate
sanitation all contribute to contaminated water.
• Biodiversity loss: Ecosystems in Africa are home to incredible biodiversity.
The destruction of habitats negatively affects species’ survival and disrupts
delicate ecosystems.
• Data gaps: Many parts of Africa lack consistent or reliable environmental
monitoring data. This hinders the ability of governments and organisations
to manage resources and combat pollution.
Luigi
speaking

19. Africa is not just another continent
Luigi
speaking

20. Introduction
• The critical role of environmental stewardship and water literacy in
Africa's sustainable development
• Environmental degradation as a significant challenge to Africa’s progress
and its achievement of sustainable development goals
• Need for transformative, collaborative measures to reverse the situation,
and citizen science holding great promise to do this
• Citizen science fostering the role of citizens and communities to take pro-
environmental actions
• Citizen science involving the public to play an active role in data collection
and scientific inquiry
• Projects like more4nature, ProBleu, MICS and FreshWater Watch
demonstrating this approach's success
Luigi
speaking

21. The European Citizen Science Association
Luigi speaking

22. ECSA

23. A way to easily measure the impact of citizen
science: MICS
Luigi speaking

24. 24
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: making impact assessment accessible

25. 25
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: making impact assessment accessible

26. 26
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: making impact assessment accessible

27. 27
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: making impact assessment accessible

28. 28
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: making impact assessment accessible

29. 29
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: making impact assessment accessible

30. 30
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform aims to provide:
• A space to think about impact
• Resources and templates
• Guidance on impact-data collection
• An impact-oriented project description
• A quantified assessment

31. 31
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
Developing the MICS approach

32. 32
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS impact indicators
Over 200 indicators across 5 domains:

33. 33
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS impact indicators
Over 200 indicators across 5 domains:
45 indicators related to the
Sustainable Development Goals

34. 34
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS impact indicators
Over 200 indicators across 5 domains:
42 indicators derived from the ECSA
characteristics of citizen science

35. 35
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: impact report
Rule-based scores
Based on a set of rules written to combine a specific set of
impact metrics on the same theme into a single indicator.
For example, the Policy score:
• Does the project's data or findings lead to the enforcement of
existing regulations or policies?
• Which policy frameworks does the project consider?
• Does the project explicitly inform any governmental policy
process?
• Does the project have any explicit impact on external
organisational policy?

36. 36
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: impact report
Recommendations
Based on the scores from the rule-based indicators. Links
to helpful resources on the topic.
For example, the Policy recommendation:
It looks like policy influence might not be a priority for the project. Of
course, not every project can affect policy and some projects have a large
impact on governance without ever interacting with official policy. If you're
interested in the idea of citizen science as a form of socio-technical
governance you can read more in this paper
If the project is interested in influencing policy, it could find inspiration from
example projects in this report. It might not be a viable option if the project
has already started, but citizen-science projects most often have success
influencing policy when specific policies are considered in the design of the
project and policy makers are engaged from the start of the project.

37. 37
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: impact report
Machine learning scores
• A statistically-driven machine-learning
approach, learns to perform a task by
analysing patterns in data.
• Training through the indicators from 9
citizen-science projects (soon to be 20).
• Projects asked to rank their impact per
domain (and results calibrated)
(supervised learning).
• Constantly adapting. Algorithm is
retrained regularly as new projects join the
platform.

38. 38
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: resources and guidance

39. 39
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: resources and guidance

40. 40
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: resources and guidance

41. 41
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools
The MICS platform: resources and guidance

42. Website: mics.tools
about.mics.tools
Twit : @MICSproject
Facebook: MICS Project
LinkedIn: MICS Project
Contacts
Luigi Ceccaroni (coordinator)
lceccaroni@earthwatch.org.uk
Measuring Impact of Citizen Science
mics.tools 42
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824711.
Have a go yourselves! https://mics.tools

43. A project about using citizen science for
environmental compliance assurance
Luigi speaking

44. more4nature: citizen science for
environmental compliance assurance
• Innovative approach to integrating citizen science into environmental
compliance assurance (ECA) processes
• Transformative vision, seeing citizens as agents for monitoring and assuring
compliance with environmental laws and regulations
• more4nature empowers citizens, fosters data collaboration, and improves
data utilization for sustainable resource management.
• Focus on Africa: many case studies are in Africa
• Empowering local communities to actively contribute to natural-resource
management
• Providing a collaborative ecosystem for knowledge and data
production, especially in water monitoring
Luigi
speaking

45. A project to measure water quality
Luigi speaking

46. FreshWater Watch (FWW): empowering
communities through water monitoring
• Community-focused initiative for monitoring freshwater health
• Citizens using kits to test water quality (phosphates, nitrates, turbidity) and submit
data, providing a localised view of water problems, empowering communities to be
part of the solution
• Data with direct alignment with UN SDG 6.3.2, and collaboration with the UN
(WWQA, GEMS/Water)
• Open data, but barriers to participation due to the cost of the kits
• Zambia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and South Africa with expansion
on the horizon (Nigeria?)
• FreshWater Watch in Africa as a strong model for impactful citizen science projects
on the continent.
• FreshWater Watch also supporting education and environmental awareness,
driving long-term behaviour change
Luigi
speaking

52. ProBleu: citizen science in education
Luigi speaking

53. ProBleu: the concept
• Alongside empowering monitoring tools, need for a deep understanding of
our water systems
• Cultivating a strong understanding and connection to water environments
• Opportunities for students, fostering a generation of environmental stewards
• Empowering African youth (with direct funding in Morocco and Tunisia) to
contribute to water quality protection
• ProBleu working directly with teachers and students to raise awareness of
the complexities of water-related issues
• Emphasis on hands-on activities and student-led projects to spark curiosity
and build an emotional connection to marine and freshwater resources
Luigi speaking

54. ProBleu: objectives
• To improve ocean and water literacy across school
communities
• To “change” environmental education
• To foster broad societal responsibility towards
oceans and waters
• To encourage the related societal change
• And to do all this with citizen science in mind
Luigi speaking

56. ProBleu: the context
• A mission to “Restore Ocean and Waters by
2030”
• To reverse the degradation of oceanic,
coastal and inland waters by:
• Protecting and restoring ecosystems
• Preventing and eliminating pollution
• Making the blue economy circular
Luigi speaking

57. ProBleu: the context
• The success of this “mission” will also depend
on:
• Ocean and water literacy
• The resultant environmental stewardship
Luigi speaking

58. And what about Africa?
• Direct funding in Tunisia and Morocco
• Educational resources
• Citizen-science tools for education
• Interaction with scientists in the field
• Models and gamification platforms to allow students to
explore the consequences of decision-makers’ actions
• Example: interactive simulations enabling
participants to test alternative clean-up vs. pollution
scenarios
Luigi speaking

59. The way forward
Luigi speaking

60. Synergy and collaboration
• Creating synergy among all environmental initiatives
• Strengthening data validation practices to maximise reliability
• Building on established successes
• Sharing resources and insights to foster growth and a wider reach
• Success often hinging on teamwork; these projects offering the
opportunity to join forces (Nairobi River, Diamonds…)
• Collaboration building stronger communities and a resilient model
for the future
• Shifting the initiative from Europe/US to Africa
Luigi
speaking

61. Call to action
Luigi speaking

62. Expanding citizen science in Africa
• Citizen science as a key to unlocking community participation and
sustainable impact for the continent’s environmental concerns
• Need for investment in supporting existing efforts, expanding their
reach
• Strengthen capacity and infrastructure
• Policy initiatives recognising and valuing citizen-generated data
• Policy makers, NGOs, and all interested parties and actors recognising
the powerful force that citizen science represents.
• Collaboration and support paramount in driving forward citizen
science, ultimately preserving Africa's environment for future
generations
• Let’s work together to make it happen!
Luigi
speaking

63. Harnessing the power of citizen
science for environmental
stewardship and water literacy in
Africa
Luigi Ceccaroni
lceccaroni@earthwatch.org.uk
+44 7384724384
+254 712 567164