Mobilizing collective intelligence for adapting to climate change in the Arctic: The case of monitoring Svalbard’s and Greenland’s environment by expedition cruises

TY - CHAP

T1 - Mobilizing collective intelligence for adapting to climate change in the Arctic

T2 - The case of monitoring Svalbard’s and Greenland’s environment by expedition cruises

AU - Kragh, Gitte

AU - Køie Poulsen, Michael

AU - Iversen, Lisbeth

AU - Cheeseman, Ted

AU - Danielsen, Finn

PY - 2023/6

Y1 - 2023/6

N2 - Our knowledge of the status and trends in natural resources and the environment in the Arctic is limited, making natural resource management decisions difficult. One challenge is how to reach remote, uninhabited wilderness areas in order to obtain much-needed data and this is where expedition cruises can play a crucial role. Through the collective intelligence of resident communities and visitors, citizen science enables valuable data and information to be generated from local and outside sources of knowledge. This chapter outlines a citizen science pilot program of environmental monitoring by Arctic expedition cruises in Svalbard and Greenland during 2019 conducted to understand the potential this kind of environmental monitoring may have and to identify suitable approaches for enhancing data collection, management, and knowledge sharing. Four citizen science projects were piloted: two biodiversity projects, one environmental and one meteorological project. Biodiversity monitoring and recording through the eBird and Happywhale platforms were by far the most popular projects in the program, reflecting the interests of expedition cruise participants and highlighting the need to consider participant motivation and preferences in the design of such programs. Observations are more likely to be used by decision-makers in the Arctic if records are analyzed and interpreted with a view to informing decision-making processes and if the findings are communicated to decision-makers in appropriate formats. An intermediary organization that can facilitate the dialogue and knowledge transfer between citizen science programs, scientists, and decision-makers is essential to ensuring that data actually enter the decision-making processes. Mobilizing the collective intelligence of visitors, staff, and local communities can make a significant contribution to better environmental decision-making and strengthen efforts to adapt to climate change in the Arctic.

AB - Our knowledge of the status and trends in natural resources and the environment in the Arctic is limited, making natural resource management decisions difficult. One challenge is how to reach remote, uninhabited wilderness areas in order to obtain much-needed data and this is where expedition cruises can play a crucial role. Through the collective intelligence of resident communities and visitors, citizen science enables valuable data and information to be generated from local and outside sources of knowledge. This chapter outlines a citizen science pilot program of environmental monitoring by Arctic expedition cruises in Svalbard and Greenland during 2019 conducted to understand the potential this kind of environmental monitoring may have and to identify suitable approaches for enhancing data collection, management, and knowledge sharing. Four citizen science projects were piloted: two biodiversity projects, one environmental and one meteorological project. Biodiversity monitoring and recording through the eBird and Happywhale platforms were by far the most popular projects in the program, reflecting the interests of expedition cruise participants and highlighting the need to consider participant motivation and preferences in the design of such programs. Observations are more likely to be used by decision-makers in the Arctic if records are analyzed and interpreted with a view to informing decision-making processes and if the findings are communicated to decision-makers in appropriate formats. An intermediary organization that can facilitate the dialogue and knowledge transfer between citizen science programs, scientists, and decision-makers is essential to ensuring that data actually enter the decision-making processes. Mobilizing the collective intelligence of visitors, staff, and local communities can make a significant contribution to better environmental decision-making and strengthen efforts to adapt to climate change in the Arctic.

KW - Citizen science

KW - Public engagement

KW - Environmental monitoring

KW - Collective intelligence

U2 - 10.4324/9781003215929

DO - 10.4324/9781003215929

M3 - Book chapter

SP - 456

EP - 465

BT - The Routledge Handbook of Collective Intelligence for Democracy and Governance

A2 - Boucher, Stephen

A2 - Hallin, Carina Antonia

A2 - Poulson, Lex

PB - Routledge

CY - London

ER -