Citizen science to support coastal research and management: Insights from a seagrass monitoring case study in Hainan, China

Abstract

Citizen science has an active role in coastal and marine ecosystem monitoring, including seagrass beds. However, as yet the use of citizen science in the marine environment is limited. Moreover, there are very few studies analyzing and evaluating existing successful case studies, and the need for such work to fill vast information gaps is arguably great. This study evaluates a seagrass citizen science monitoring case study conducted on the Chinese island of Hainan from three perspectives: public participation, scientific impact, and social-ecological/economic impact. It also analyzes and assesses the role of civil society organizations in the implementation of citizen science projects for the first time. Our results challenge the dominant view of citizen science as a two-party relationship between academic researchers and volunteers. The evaluation shows that the impact of the project was limited in terms of the scientific and social/ecological dimensions. Yet, the results indicate that both, researchers and civil society, benefit from taking part in citizen science initiatives, as it provides a bridge to promote the collaboration between academic institutions and civil society organizations. Finally, drawing upon the lessons learned in this case study we outline general critical features of citizen science projects that support marine conservation practice and policy.