Implementing Citizen Science to explore grassland ecology

Dr. Tsipe Aavik

The overall aim of the collaboration project was to successfully carry out a joint international citizen science campaign “Looking for Cowslips” involving Estonia, Germany, Latvia and Sweden. Over the course of time, the campaign was eventually carried out throughout Europe and involved thousands of people from nearly 30 European countries. Thus, the aims of the project were achieved, and even with a wider impact than was initially planned.

(1) Preparation and adaptation of the campaign materials
in German language

• Campaign materials and data insertion forms were translated into German and the web platform of the campaign was updated with German information (https://cowslip.science/de). However, as the beginning of the project was delayed, respective costs of translations and website adaption had to be largely covered from other sources.
• The advertising animation of the campaign was transferred into German (along with the voiceover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJrzIfQIgZw
• Two introductory videos were prepared to inform people about the aims of the campaign as well as about the research history of the topic of the campaign:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V71YFJFmUm0
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CqIunXYMn4

(2) Communication and advertisement of the citizen science
campaign:

• To advertise the campaign in Social Media,
  a Facebook page was created (https://www.facebook.com/LookingForCowslips) along with a German event page
  (https://www.facebook.com/events/44920253983052). The site has nearly 2000 followers. In addition, a Twitter account was made (https://twitter.com/LookforCowslips), and a
  dedicated Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/lookingforcowslips/).
• The campaign was also published in newspapers, popular science journals, radio and TV broadcasts, and blogposts throughout Europe, including Germany (e.g. https://www.wildesbayern.de/oster-spaziergang-fuer-die-wissenschaft/).
• Two seminars were carried out in spring 2021: one in Estonia (March 2021, University of Tartu, Dr. Tsipe Aavik) and the other one in Germany (April 2021, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Dr. Sabrina Träger). Both seminars had about 50 observers. However, due to Covid-19 restrictions, both seminars had to be carried out virtually via Zoom.

(3) The pan-European citizen science campaign “Looking for
Cowslips”, which took place at the time of cowslip flowering (mainly May and June 2021).

(4) Providing feedback to the citizen scientists about the first conclusions of the campaign in the second part of June 2021 via Social Media, different news channels and email to those observers who had agreed on receiving feedback.

Direct:

• Citizen scientists, who carried out cowslip observations (including schools and kindergartens and other educational institutions). From all over Europe, data from nearly 3500 locations was obtained. Considering that people usually did the observation with some company, the number of observers could be doubled to at least 7000 citizen scientists.
• Graduate and undergraduate students as well as young researchers, who gained valuable experience in science communication by preparing materials for media and social media, and giving interviews. The number of students and researchers involved in Estonia was about 5. However, from other European countries, several PhD students and young researchers helped to coordinate the project.

Indirect:

• Teachers, students (from university level), pupils and kindergarten kids who took part in numerous seminars and talks (not all have been mentioned above, e.g. Baltic Sea Project network seminar, Eco-Schools seminar for teachers, University of Tartu Youth Academy virtual lecture etc) given within the frames of the campaign in spring 2021. The estimated number of youth and teachers indirectly involved in the project is according to our estimates is at least 2000.
• In total, a collaboration with 12 environmental nongovernmental organizations from all across Europe was obtained, who spread information about the campaign in their social networks as well as in mainstream media and blog posts.
• People following media and campaign-related social media platforms on daily basis. Throughout Europe, at least 70 campaign-related media events (in the form of interviews, newspaper articles, TV broadcasts and press releases) took place, which reached thousands of people. The campaign Facebook site has about 1900 regular followers, campaign Twitter account is currently followed by 136 followers, Instagram site has 129 followers. In addition, at the peak of the campaign, we advertised the campaign more actively in Facebook and according to the Facebook statistics, campaign-related information reached to hundreds of thousands of people.