Projects use citizen science to assess impacts of climate change
The initiatives in Peru and East Africa are among 20 supported by a UK Research and Innovation programme

One of the striking images captured by photojournalist Carey Marks demonstrating the
impact of soil erosion in Tanzania. Credit: Carey Marks/University of Plymouth
Dr Clason said:
“This project represents a really useful way of getting the data we need at the same time as improving awareness within communities. Glacial retreat has the potential to cause a range of problems in the short and long term, and understanding the threats is key for people living in their shadows. Doing a hands-on task such as this will provide that, and it is especially important for us to work with young people as we can both inspire them and encourage them to get involved now and in the future.”
Professor of Catchment Science Will Blake and Dr Claire Kelly, Senior Research Fellow in Human Geography, have also received funding for SoilSCAN (Soils, Science and Community ActioN). It will focus on rural communities in East Africa and is being conducted in collaboration with colleagues at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology in Tanzania.
The project builds on the success of the Jali Ardhi (Care for the Land) project, funded as part of UK Research and Innovation’s Global Challenges Research Fund, which showed communities are facing significant barriers when it comes to implementing soil conservation measures.
For the new initiative, researchers will work directly with communities to develop and trial a citizen science approach that overcomes barriers to crowd-sourcing soil health data.
The aim is to test the potential for using soil scanners as a tool for mapping soil characteristics at a resolution beyond that achievable in conventional research, with the ultimate objective of empowering stakeholders to create a sustainable land-use plan for the community.
Professor Blake said:
“Landscape decisions to conserve and enhance natural capital need to be informed by robust, locally-relevant data. In addition to fulfilling this need, the citizen science approach offers an exciting opportunity to give agro-pastoral communities a stake in mitigation of the soil erosion challenges that affect their everyday lives.”
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