Top

Published in:

19-12-2024 | Original Research

Multifaceted indicators for evaluating participatory research on biodiversity

Authors: Rubén Ortega-Álvarez, Alejandro Casas, Martha Patricia Lozada Ronquillo, María Luciana Santos Martínez, Alexis Mendoza-Lozana

Published in: Biodiversity and Conservation | Issue 3/2025

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

Participatory research is gaining popularity worldwide. However, there is a need of comprehensive metrics for assessing, monitoring, and guiding participatory research projects. In this study, we aimed to identify in the literature a set of multifaceted indicators that could be useful for evaluating participatory research projects in terms of sustainability. We then tested these indicators using as a case study a participatory biodiversity research project that is currently underway in Mexico. We selected 64 indicators, distributed among 11 categories, that we deemed potentially informative about the process, impact, and success of public involvement in the study of biodiversity. This set of indicators covered several aspects of socioecological systems, including environmental education, society, empowerment, economy, communication, biological conservation, and public policy. Through the assessment of the case study, we provide an example for (a) selecting, rating, and validating the identified set of indicators; and (b) generating information about the temporal trends, achievements, and actions needed to support this particular project. Our study provides valuable instruments for evaluating, comparing, managing, improving, and replicating participatory science initiatives (e.g., community-based projects, citizen science programs, participatory action research projects). The indicators that we propose could also function as policy tools to guiding funding decisions in a field that is rapidly gaining popularity across the globe. A comprehensive examination of participatory research projects could lead to better understanding, performance, and support of public inclusion in science.

previous article Patterns of extinction across Hawaiian Lepidoptera offer lessons from a diverse, neglected, and vulnerable endemic fauna

next article Historical human impact on the endangered, relict and iconic Canary Islands dragon tree (Dracaena draco (L.) L.) and its uncertain fate in the face of climate change

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Available only for authorised users

Aldasoro Maya ME, Argueta Villamar A (2013) Colecciones etnoentomológicas comunitarias: una propuesta conceptual y metodológica. Etnobiología 11:1–15

Alexandrino ER, Navarro AB, Paulete VF, Camolesi M, Lima VGR, Green A et al (2019) Challenges in engaging birdwatchers in bird monitoring in a forest patch: lessons for future citizen science projects in agricultural landscapes. Citiz Sci Theory Pract 4:1–14. https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.198CrossRef

Álvarez J, Shany N (2012) Una experiencia de gestión participativa de la biodiversidad con comunidades amazónicas. Rev Peru Biol 19:223–232. https://doi.org/10.15381/rpb.v19i2.846CrossRef

Anderson TS (2017) Baseline data of bird populations in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, Mexico: a citizen science approach. Masters Thesis. University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA

Arce-Plata MI, Herrera-Varón Y, Gutiérrez Montoya C, Londoño-Murcia MC (2020) Monitoreo comunitario de la biodiversidad en Montes de María. Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá

Arias-Quirós M, Carman EM (2017) Resultados del primer conteo de aves Tapantí-Río Macho, Costa Rica. Zeledonia 21:24–38

Athayde S, Stepp JR, Ballester WC (2016) Engaging indigenous and academic knowledge on bees in the Amazon: Implications for environmental management and transdisciplinary research. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 12:1–19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-016-0093-zCrossRef

Baxin Beltrán C, Baxin Salazar F, Málaga Temich B, Medina Mena I, Atanacio López M, Flores Gutiérrez M et al (2020) Community-based monitoring for the Tuxtla Quail-Dove Zentrygon carrikeri: a contribution to the natural history of an elusive, endangered and micro-endemic species of Mexico. Ornithol Sci 19:87–92. https://doi.org/10.2326/osj.19.87CrossRef

Begossi A, Salivonchyk S, Silvano R (2016) Collaborative research on Dusky Grouper (Epinephelus marginatus): catches from the small-scale fishery of Copacabana Beach, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. J Coast Zo Manag 19:1000428. https://doi.org/10.4172/2473-3350.1000428CrossRef

Benchimol M, von Mühlen EM, Venticinque EM (2017) Lessons from a community-based program to monitor forest vertebrates in the Brazilian Amazon. Environ Manage 60:476–483. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-017-0888-2CrossRefPubMed

Bonney R, Cooper C, Ballard H (2016) The theory and practice of citizen science: launching a new journal. Citiz Sci 1:1–4. https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.65CrossRef

Bosomworth K, Gaillard E (2019) Engaging with uncertainty and ambiguity through participatory ‘adaptive pathways’ approaches: scoping the literature. Environ Res Lett 14:093007. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab3095

Branchini S, Pensa F, Neri P, Tonucci BM, Mattielli L, Collavo A, Sillingardi ME, Piccinetti C, Zaccanti F, Goffredo S (2015) Using a citizen science program to monitor coral reef biodiversity through space and time. Biodivers Conserv 24:319–336CrossRef

Camacho Sánchez JM, Velandia Salamanca JJ (2018) Aves del sendero ecológico San Francisco-Vicachá: una guía participativa para el reconocimiento de la avifauna. Tesis de Licenciatura. Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, Bogotá, Colombia

Carmichael J, Talwar S, Tansey J, Robinson J (2005) Where do we want to be? Making sustainability indicators integrated, dynamic and participatory. Community Indicators Measuring Systems. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., London, pp 178–204. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315259826-8CrossRef

Castello L, Viana JP, Pinedo-Vásquez M (2011) Participatory conservation and local knowledge in the Amazon Várzea: the Pirarucu management scheme in Mamirauá. The Amazon Várzea. The decade past and the decade ahead. Springer, pp 261–275

Chandler M, See L, Copas K, Bonde AMZ, López BC, Danielsen F et al (2017) Contribution of citizen science towards international biodiversity monitoring. Biol Conserv 213:280–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.09.004CrossRef

Constantino P, de AL, Fortini LB, Kaxinawa FRS, Kaxinawa AM, Kaxinawa ES, Kaxinawa AP et al (2008) Indigenous collaborative research for wildlife management in Amazonia: The case of the Kaxinawá, Acre, Brazil. Biol Conserv 141:2718–2729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008.08.008CrossRef

Constantino P, de AL, Carlos HSA, Ramalho EE, Rostant L, Marinelli CE, Teles D et al (2012) Empowering local people through community-based resource monitoring: A comparison of Brazil and Namibia. Ecol Soc 17:22. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-05164-170422CrossRef

Cooper CB, Hawn CL, Larson LR, Parrish JK, Bowser G, Cavalier D et al (2021) Inclusion in citizen science: The conundrum of rebranding. Science 372:1386–1388. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abi6487CrossRef

Cunha DGF, Marques JF, de Resende JC, de Falco PB, de Souza CM, Loiselle SA (2017) Citizen science participation in research in the environmental sciences: Key factors related to projects’ success and longevity. Acad Bras Cienc 89:2229–2245. https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201720160548CrossRef

Danielsen F, Burgess ND, Balmford A (2005) Monitoring matters: Examining the potential of locally-based approaches. Biodivers Conserv 14:2507–2542CrossRef

Deacon C, Govender S, Samways MJ (2023) Overcoming biases and identifying opportunities for citizen science to contribute more to global macroinvertebrate conservation. Biodivers Conserv 32:1789–1806CrossRef

Eitzel MV, Cappadonna JL, Santos-Lang C, Duerr RE, Virapongse A, West SE, Kyba CCM, Bowser A, Cooper CB, Sforzi A, Metcalfe AN, Harris ES, Thiel M, Haklay M, Ponciano L, Roche J, Ceccaroni L, Shilling FM, Dörler D, Heigl F, Kiessling T, Davis BY, Jiang Q (2017). Citizen science terminology matters: exploring key terms. Citiz Sci Theory Pr 2:1

Eschker E, Gold G, Lane MD (2017) Rural entrepreneurs: what are the best indicators of their success? J Small Bus Enterp Dev 24:278–296CrossRef

Fortmann L (2008) Participatory research in conservation and rural livelihoods: doing science together. Wiley-Blackwell, United Kingdom

Fraser EDG, Dougill AJ, Mabee WE, Reed M, McAlpine P (2006) Bottom up and top down: Analysis of participatory processes for sustainability indicator identification as a pathway to community empowerment and sustainable environmental management. J Environ Manage 78:114–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.04.009CrossRefPubMed

Galvin M, Haller T (2008) People, protected areas and global change: participatory conservation in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Europe. Geographica Bernensia, Bern

Ganzevoort W, Born RJG, Halffman W, Turnhout S (2017) Sharing biodiversity data: citizen scientists’ concerns and motivations. Biodivers Conserv 26:2821–2837CrossRef

Gunderson L, Light SS (2006) Adaptive management and adaptive governance in the everglades ecosystem. Policy Sci 39:323–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-006-9027-2CrossRef

Haklay M (2015) Citizen science and policy: a European perspective. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington DC

Hecker S, Haklay M, Bowser A, Makuch Z, Vogel J, Bonn A (2018) Citizen science: innovation in open science, society and policy. University College London, LondonCrossRef

Heigl F, Dörler D (2017) Public participation: time for a definition of citizen science. Nature 551:168CrossRefPubMed

Heigl F, Kieslinger B, Paul KT, Uhlik J, Dörler D (2019) Toward an international definition of citizen science. PNAS 116:8089–8092CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Jackson L, van Noordwijk M, Bengtsson J, Foster W, Lipper L, Pulleman M et al (2010) Biodiversity and agricultural sustainagility: from assessment to adaptive management. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2:80–87CrossRef

Jiguet F, Devictor V, Julliard R, Couvet D (2012) French citizens monitoring ordinary birds provide tools for conservation and ecological sciences. Acta Oecol 44:58–66CrossRef

Kalibo HW, Medley KE (2007) Participatory resource mapping for adaptive collaborative management at Mt. Kasigau, Kenya. Landsc Urban Plan 82:145–158CrossRef

Kelly R, Fleming A, Pecl GT, Von Gönner J, Bonn A (2020) Citizen science and marine conservation: a global review. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 375:20190461CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

King MF, Renó VF, Novo EMLM (2014) The concept, dimensions and methods of assessment of human well-being within a socioecological context: a literature review. Soc Indic Res 116:681–698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-013-0320-0CrossRef

Lozada Ronquillo MP (2017) Experiencias en el monitoreo comunitario de aves en la Reserva de la Biosfera Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz. Experiencias de monitoreo de aves en el corredor ecológico de la Sierra Madre Oriental. Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas, Universidad de Guadalajara, México, pp 105–118

Lundmark S (2018) Design project failures: Outcomes and gains of participation in design. Des Stu 59:77–94

Mendoza-Lozana A (2022) Evaluación del potencial para el desarrollo de aviturismo sustentable en una comunidad del Alto Balsas de Guerrero, México. Bachelors Thesis, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma México, México

Monge-Nájera J, Seas C (2018) Citizen science and roadkills: trends along project lifespan and comparison of tropical and temperate projects. UNED Res J 10:61–66. https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v10i1.2042CrossRef

Monzón Alvarado CM, Zamora Rendon A, del Vázquez Pérez A S (2020) Integrating public participation in knowledge generation processes: Evidence from citizen science initiatives in Mexico. Environ Sci Policy 114:230–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.08.007CrossRef

Nana T, Lu F (2013) Adaptive management decision of agroforestry under timber price risk. J Econ 19:162–173CrossRef

Neupane PR, Gauli A, Mundhenk P, Köhl M (2020) Developing indicators for participatory forest biodiversity monitoring systems in South Sumatra. Int Rev 22:464–484. https://doi.org/10.1505/146554820831255542CrossRef

Ortega-Álvarez R, Casas A (2022) Public participation in biodiversity research across Latin America: Dissecting an emerging topic in the Neotropics. Environ Sci Policy 137:143–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.08.016CrossRef

Ortega-Álvarez R, Sánchez-González LA, Rodríguez-Contreras V, Vargas-Canales VM, Puebla-Olivares F, Berlanga H (2012) Birding for and with people: Integrating local participation in avian monitoring programs within high biodiversity areas in Southern Mexico. Sustainability 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/su4091984

Ortega-Álvarez R, Sánchez-González LA, Berlanga H (2015) Plumas de multitudes, integración comunitaria en el estudio y monitoreo de aves en México. CONABIO, Distrito Federal, México

Pander J, Geist J (2013) Ecological indicators for stream restoration success. Ecol Indic 30:106–118CrossRef

Paz Acosta DA (2018) Análisis de las manifestaciones culturales del Programa de Monitoreo Comunitario de Aves en la Reserva de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, México. Bachelors Thesis, Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México, México

Pettibone L, Vohland K, Bonn A, Richter A, Bauhus W, Behrisch B et al (2016) Citizen science for all: A guide for citizen science practitioners. Bürger Schaffen Wissen (GEWISS) publication, German Centre for integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig. Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Leipzig, Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Germany

Reed MS, Fraser EDG, Dougill AJ (2006) An adaptive learning process for developing and applying sustainability indicators with local communities. Ecol Econ 59:406–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.11.008CrossRef

Reed MS, Vella S, Challies E, de Vente J, Frewer L, Hohenwallner-Ries D, Huber T, Neumann RK, Oughton EA, Sidoli del Ceno J, van Delden H (2018) A theory of participation: what makes stakeholder and public engagement in environmental management work? Restor Ecol 26:S7–S17

Rios Vázquez A (2020) El potencial del campesino-cazador para el monitoreo comunitario de fauna silvestre en una comunidad maya de Campeche. Masters Thesis. Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mérida, Yucatán, México

Rist L, Campbell BM, Frost P (2012) Adaptive management: where are we now? Environ Conserv 40:5–18. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892912000240CrossRef

Rosas-Rosas OC, Hernández-Saint Martin AD, Olvera-Hernández JI, Guerrero-Rodríguez JD, Aceves-Ruiz E, Tarango Arámbula LA (2015) Monitores comunitarios para la conservación e investigación participativa en áreas naturales protegidas. Agro Prod 8:56–61

Rotman D, Hammock J, Preece J, Hansen D, Boston C, Bowser A, He Y (2014) Motivations affecting initial and long-term participation in citizen science projects in three countries. In iConference 2014 Proceedings, pp:110–124. https://doi.org/10.9776/14054

Santos-Martínez ML, Málaga-Temich B, Lozada Ronquillo MP (2015) El monitoreo de aves y la participación social en la Reserva de la Biosfera los Tuxtlas: movilización para su conservación. Plumas de multitudes, integración comunitaria en el estudio y monitoreo de aves en México. CONABIO, México, pp 49–70

Silvano RAM, Hallwass G (2020) Participatory research with fishers to improve knowledge on small-scale fisheries in tropical rivers. Sustainability 12:4487. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114487CrossRef

Silverton J (2009) A new dawn for citizen science. Trends Ecol Evol 24:467–471CrossRef

Smith C, Felderhof L, Bosch OJH (2007) Adaptive management: Making it happen through participatory systems analysis. Syst Res Behav Sci 24:567–587. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.835CrossRef

Stone J, Barclay J, Simmons P, Cole PD, Loughlin SC, Ramón P et al (2014) Risk reduction through community-based monitoring: the vigías of Tungurahua, Ecuador. J Appl Volcanol 3:11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13617-014-0011-9CrossRef

Suškevičs M, Storie J, Kilvits C, Külvik M (2024) What is the scientific evidence on the linkages between citizen science engagement levels and protected areas’ governance outcomes? A systematic map and qualitative synthesis. J Nat Conserv 82:126712CrossRef

Swanson SS, Ardoin NM (2021) Communities behind the lens: A review and critical analysis of Visual Participatory Methods in biodiversity conservation. Biol Conserv 262:109293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109293CrossRef

Velázquez A, Cué-Bär EM, Larrazábal A, Sosa N, Villaseñor JL, McCall M et al (2009) Building participatory landscape-based conservation alternatives: A case study of Michoacán. Mexico Appl Geogr 29:513–526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2008.11.001CrossRef

Vohland K, Land-Zandstra A, Ceccaroni L, Lemmens R, Perelló J, Ponti M, Samson R, Wagenknecht K (2021) The Science of Citizen Science. Springer, SwitzerlandCrossRef

Xuan X, Liu B, Zhang F (2021) Climate change and adaptive management: case study in agriculture, forestry and pastoral areas. Land 10:832. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10080832CrossRef

Title: Multifaceted indicators for evaluating participatory research on biodiversity
Authors: Rubén Ortega-Álvarez
Alejandro Casas
Martha Patricia Lozada Ronquillo
María Luciana Santos Martínez
Alexis Mendoza-Lozana
Publication date: 19-12-2024
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Biodiversity and Conservation / Issue 3/2025
Print ISSN: 0960-3115
Electronic ISSN: 1572-9710
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-024-03002-9

MaxEnt modeling for habitat suitability assessment of threatened Dipterocarpus species in the Indian East Himalayas

Original Research

Biotic homogenization and functional restructuring of bee communities in northern France: implications for conservation priorities

Original Research

Aquatic ecosystem indices, linking ecosystem health to human health risks

Open Access
Review Paper

Non-native vegetation encroachment drives trophic turnover in island nematodes

Open Access
Original Research

Continuous forests and non-IBA forest patches provide a safe haven for the tropical bird community in highly fragmented urban landscapes

Original Research

Conserving saproxylic flagship species by complementing 150 years of natural history with citizen science data—the case of the stag beetles (Lucanidae, Coleoptera) of Portugal

Open Access
Original Research