Vol. 3 (2022): Esferas
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Integrating citizen science and education to promote links between people and nature in urban areas

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Emilia Peñaherrera Romero
Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
Sandra Espinoza
Jardines Silvestres Quito, Programa de Aves Urbanas Quito & Colectivo Aves Quito, Quito, Ecuador
Daniela De la Torre
Reverdece, Quito, Ecuador
Daniela Espinoza
Colegio Johannes Kepler, Quito, Ecuador
Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia
Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Quito, Ecuador
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18272/esferas.v3i1.2437

Published 2022-04-04

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Keywords

  • biodiversity,
  • eBird,
  • urban ecology,
  • environmental education,
  • iNaturalist,
  • wildlife gardens,
  • SDGs,
  • Community Outreach
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Peñaherrera Romero, E., Espinoza, S., De la Torre, D., Espinoza, D., & Cisneros-Heredia, D. F. . (2022). Integrating citizen science and education to promote links between people and nature in urban areas. Esferas, 3, 112–133. https://doi.org/10.18272/esferas.v3i1.2437
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Abstract

Urban green areas can host important biodiversity and maintain natural resources and environmental services. In an increasingly urbanized world, these areas play fundamental roles in mitigating the negative impacts of urban growth and climate change and are essential for a healthy environment. A key aspect to promote the development of harmonious and lasting relationships between humans and nature in urban areas is the generation of processes that call for the reflection, reconstruction and resignification of the interactions between people and green areas and that encourage the construction of knowledge and experiences. Citizen science is an excellent strategy to promote the involvement of people in nature activities and has been used around the world as an effective tool in environmental education, with better results than traditional tools. The purpose of this article is to present activities that have been promoted by the outreach project "Celebrating Urban Nature," with the aim of promoting links between people living in urban areas and biodiversity, through the synergy between citizen science and education. In particular, we highlight two case studies carried out in schools in Quito, the first focused on the integration of citizen science and the Sustainable Development Goals and the second on the creation of learning spaces through the "Jardines Silvestres'' program.

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