The Role of Citizen Science in Meeting SDG Targets around Soil Health
1
Earthwatch Institute (Europe), Oxford OX2 7DE, UK
2
School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
3
Departments of Plant Sciences and Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK
4
UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Environmental Centre Wales, Bangor LL57 2UW, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10254; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410254
Received: 30 October 2020 / Revised: 27 November 2020 / Accepted: 4 December 2020 / Published: 8 December 2020
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Citizen Science and the Role in Sustainable Development)
Healthy soils are vital for sustainable development, yet consistent soil monitoring is scarce, and soils are poorly represented in United Nations Sustainable Development Goals targets and indicators. There is a clear need for specific ambitions on soil health, accompanying metrics, and cost-effective monitoring methodologies. In this paper, we review citizen science methods and platforms which could compliment structured soil monitoring programmes and contribute to filling this knowledge gap. We focussed on soil structure, organic carbon, biodiversity, nutrients, and vegetation cover. Each method was classified as red, amber, or green (RAG) in terms of time requirements, cost, and data reliability. Toolkits were assessed in terms of cost and requirement for specialist kit. We found 32 methods across the five indicators. Three soil monitoring methods scored green on all criteria, and 20 (63%) scored green on two criteria. We found 13 toolkits appropriate for citizen science monitoring of soil health. Three of them are free, easy to use, and do not require specialist equipment. Our review revealed multiple citizen science methods and toolkits for each of the five soil health indicators. This should pave the way towards a cost-effective, joined-up approach on soil health, informing national and international policy and supporting the move towards farmer-led, data-driven decision-making.
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Keywords:
soil health; citizen science; sustainable development goals; participatory monitoring; soil monitoring
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MDPI and ACS Style
Head, J.S.; Crockatt, M.E.; Didarali, Z.; Woodward, M.-J.; Emmett, B.A. The Role of Citizen Science in Meeting SDG Targets around Soil Health. Sustainability 2020, 12, 10254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410254
AMA Style
Head JS, Crockatt ME, Didarali Z, Woodward M-J, Emmett BA. The Role of Citizen Science in Meeting SDG Targets around Soil Health. Sustainability. 2020; 12(24):10254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410254
Chicago/Turabian StyleHead, Josephine S., Martha E. Crockatt, Zahra Didarali, Mary-Jane Woodward, and Bridget A. Emmett 2020. "The Role of Citizen Science in Meeting SDG Targets around Soil Health" Sustainability 12, no. 24: 10254. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410254
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