The contribution of citizen science volunteers to river monitoring and management: International and national perspectives and the example of the MoRPh survey

Abstract

AbstractThe contribution of citizen scientists to worldwide environmental monitoring has increased rapidly, particularly over the last two decades, as initiatives have become increasingly wide ranging in scope and style.River monitoring and assessment faces many challenges, especially over the longer‐term. Difficult decisions are being made over what can be measured and where. Citizen scientists are helping address these challenges by providing information on properties of river ecosystems, in particular biotic and water quality indicators, at lower cost and higher spatial and temporal coverage than would otherwise be possible and by contributing to data interpretation especially through their local knowledge. A notable deficit, however, has been the monitoring of physical characteristics and outcomes of physical interventions.Furthermore, the development of frameworks, such as the catchment partnership approach in the United Kingdom, within which volunteers, non‐governmental organisations, charities, and statutory bodies collaborate to improve understanding of river environments and decision making, is facilitating the engagement needed to support a new generation of integrated citizen science surveys.Within the United Kingdom, citizen scientists use the Modular River Survey to record river habitat data at a range of spatial scales to monitor physical changes and complement biological monitoring, notably the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative and associated “Riverfly Plus” surveys. They also collect geomorphological data and provide data for restoration appraisal. We present and analyse Modular River Survey data to illustrate how such new generation, multiscale, multipurpose monitoring methods can extract maximum value from the ever‐increasing citizen river science approach.