Image: Black Wing Coalition Black Birders Week "Wings over Meadowood Part 1" by Jhoni Ada

 

Community Science vs. Citizen Science

The term “community science” is the evolution of what has been known as “citizen science”, a term that first appeared in 1989 and has since taken off. The general idea is to involve community members in a scientific endeavor that generates knowledge and understanding. Community members have the opportunity to contribute, collaborate, and even lead efforts that are meaningful for science. 

 

Historically, there has been a distinction between community science and citizen science Generally, folks have seen citizen science as being more science-focused or legitimate, with the goal for data collection being scientific advancement, and typically with a broad or global scope. Whereas, community science has been seen as primarily a localized effort for a social justice issue. 

 

Our global climate crisis has changed that. 

 

The accelerated crisis has helped organizations to understand that science no longer has the luxury to be positioned as something conducted only by professionals in institutions, focused on extraction, and at a distance from the communities most impacted by environmental and public health challenges. Organizations have since embraced the term “community science” — because community science disrupts that model. Additionally, the term “community” does a better job of communicating science resulting from collaboration rather than alienation.   

 

It’s More Than Data Collection

At its best, community science reshapes who gets to produce knowledge, whose observations matter, and how decisions about land, health, and resources are made. We do this by inviting residents, students, and local organizations to co-create research questions, gather data, and interpret the results — all grounded in lived experience. Shifting from extraction to participation changes the process and the outcomes of this important work that impacts science.

 

But…how?  

Some of the most widely used tools the Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter uses for this work include iNaturalist and eBird. iNaturalist is a digital community science platform that allows folks to record plants, animals, fungi by adding to an accessible record of life on earth — all it takes is a photo or a soundbyte. eBird is a platform that allows birders of all levels to contribute their observations that inform biodiversity research. Without these tools, it would be impossible for any single institution to amass the data that has been collected alone; this demonstrates that distributed participation is the only way to create massive datasets that help us to be proactive in the age of climate change. 

 

Our Favs 

Here at the Sierra Club Connecticut Chapter, one of our favorite parts of community science projects is the fact that it creates unique pathways for knowledge sharing, documentation, validation, and advocacy. We get the chance to use digital tools to mobilize communities to learn about their environment and use their knowledge to shape policy, action, and accountability. For example: 

 

• Last year, during the New Haven Christmas Bird Count, we had community conversations about the fluctuations in various bird species within the decade. 

• A couple of years ago, during Black Birder’s Week, Bridgeport community members learned about Monk Parakeets and ways to advocate for their nesting habitat. 

• More recently, the City of Bridgeport has called for Bioblitz to be conducted assessing the biodiversity of the city of Bridgeport. 

 

Community science also builds environmental literacy in a way that feels relevant and meaningful to frontline communities. Instead of abstract lessons about biodiversity, ecosystems, and climate change, community members get to engage directly with their environments — tracking, monitoring, and documenting the things around them. All based on the understanding that we are most likely to care for what’s in our community and what we’ve studied. 

 

“If You Want to Go Fast, Go Alone; If You Want To Go Far, Go Together” A Globally Created Proverb 

With an accelerated climate crisis (and the absence of a cloning machine to make more scientists), it is evident that we need all hands on deck. We can no longer be confined to formal credentials — rather we have the opportunity to engage diverse perspectives and create meaningful solutions. These projects take the shape of bioblitz, bird walks, community garden monitoring, etc. where people come gather, share stories, and build commonality around a shared environment. However, community science projects do have challenges which might include access to technology, technology complications, data quality, community mobilization, or even how to involve volunteers in decision making, not just data collection. Nonetheless, it is a powerful model for our future 

 

Four years ago, Glenn E. Martin, tweeted “people closest to the problem are closest to the solution but furthest from power and resources.” Unfortunately, that remains the case especially in a time of accelerating environmental change and growing inequities. However, community science begins to bring power and resources to communities who are at the frontline of the climate crisis. It is a practical and hopeful, place-based approach that builds collective knowledge. 

 

Although there is no pause button for this crisis, we have the tools to build resilience and adaptable responses — one photo and soundbyte at a time, driven by the people most connected to any particular place.

 

Jhoni Ada is Sierra Club Connecticut’s Organizer on Save Remington Woods project in Bridgeport, along with other outreach and projects within the city and Fairfield County.