D2.1 Riparian Ecotone Citizen Science

This work is part of OTTERS - citizen science for water stewardship" - WP2 "The large body of EU projects and programs with citizen science experience as well as recent publications on the topic will be surveyed to identify insights, lessons learned, and knowledge gaps with respect to the three broad issues outlined in the WP Objectives section above. The review will focus on identifying factors that can contribute to greater effectiveness of CS in participatory researchers and innovation. It will see if there are novel ways in which CS can contribute to such research. The project and literature survey will also focus on understanding how much we know and understand (and gaps in knowledge) about the effectiveness of CS in changing behaviour of people (esp., young ones) toward more marine and freshwater ecosystems. Does engaging in CS increase ocean literacy and agency? Does it make people behave more responsibly? What evidence is cited for such behavioural change? Finally, the project and literature
survey will look into experiences, opportunities, and challenges of engaging special stakeholders. The reviews will be
summarised into 3 draft white papers"

This work focuses on the ecosystem services of riparian corridors, from geomorphology to vegetation dynamics, as well as policy and management implications. A special focus is devoted to the public's perception and the media description of riparian zones, with the case study being the Emilia-Romagna flooding of May 2023.