title: Studying citizen science through adaptive management and learning feedbacks as mechanisms for improving conservation.
abstract: Citizen science has generated a growing interest among scientists and community groups, and citizen science programs have been created specifically for conservation. We examined collaborative science, a highly interactive form of citizen science, which we developed within a theoretically informed framework. In this essay, we focused on 2 aspects of our framework: social learning and adaptive management. Social learning, in contrast to individual-based learning, stresses collaborative and generative insight making and is well-suited for adaptive management. Adaptive-management integrates feedback loops that are informed by what is learned and is guided by iterative decision making. Participants engaged in citizen science are able to add to what they are learning through primary data collection, which can result in the real-time information that is often necessary for conservation. Our work is particularly timely because research publications consistently report a lack of established frameworks and evaluation plans to address the extent of conservation outcomes in citizen science. To illustrate how our framework supports conservation through citizen science, we examined how 2 programs enacted our collaborative science framework. Further, we inspected preliminary conservation outcomes of our case-study programs. These programs, despite their recent implementation, are demonstrating promise with regard to positive conservation outcomes. To date, they are independently earning funds to support research, earning buy-in from local partners to engage in experimentation, and, in the absence of leading scientists, are collecting data to test ideas. We argue that this success is due to citizen scientists being organized around local issues and engaging in iterative, collaborative, and adaptive learning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Ecology and Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 59 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Sustainability, Natural Resources Building, Michigan State University, 480 Wilson Road Room 131, East Lansing, MI, 48824, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Ecology and Ecology and Evolution Graduate Program, Rutgers University, 59 Lipman Drive, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sorensen
authors.affiliation: Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 310 West Campus Drive Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mellor
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 310 West Campus Drive Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.affiliation: School of Education, Indiana University, 201 N. Rose Avenue Bloomington, IN, 47405, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hmelo-Silver
authors.affiliation: Cary Institute of Ecosystem Study, 2801 Sharon Turnpike, P.O. Box AB, Millbrook, NY, 12545, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: LaDeau
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 211-F Sondheim Hall, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Biehler
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 310 West Campus Drive Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Alycia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crall
mesh_terms: D003256:Community Participation; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D012106:Research
keywords: adaptive management; community-based conservation; compromiso público; conservación basada en la comunidad; educación; education; manejo adaptativo; participación pública en la ciencia; public engagement; public participation in science