The first months of the new ECSA working group on citizen science in areas affected by armed conflicts
Anna Berti Suman
Aug. 11, 2025, 11 a.m.
Picture attribution: Alex E. Proimos, "Like a War Zone" (CC BY-NC 2.0 License, OpenVerse).
Earlier in May, a new ECSA working group was launched to explore and promote the use of citizen science in areas affected by armed conflicts. Anna Berti Suman (A Sud) and Doug Weir (Conflict and Environment Observatory) serve as Co-Chairs. In its first weeks, nearly 50 participants joined from countries including Iraq, Sudan, and Myanmar, representing diverse expertise and affiliations.
The group’s premise is that armed conflicts and insecurity can directly harm the environment and create socio-economic conditions that may exacerbate environmentally damaging activities. Citizen science approaches are seen as a way to collect field environmental data, improve access to environmental information, empower communities in decision-making, and contribute to wellbeing, justice, and accountability initiatives. The group will explore the intersection of citizen science and crises caused by armed conflicts, aiming to sustain open debates and advance interventions on its current and future potential.
The first working group meeting was held on June 25, focusing on introductions and next steps. Two sub-groups were proposed: the Community-building and Outreach Subgroup, and the Research, Policy, and Funding Subgroup. Upcoming goals include refining objectives, securing resources, engaging relevant stakeholders, mapping practices, and holding a series of internal and external events. The next group meeting, on August 27, will cover experiences of mapping forest losses in Sudan using citizen science approaches.
A roundtable has been accepted at ECSA2026 in Finland, titled “Exploring the potential and applications of citizen science in areas affected by armed conflicts” (Id: T0038). The roundtable will address best practices, context-appropriate methodologies, enhancing citizen science effectiveness and participant security, and legislative, judicial, evidentiary, and capacity considerations. Contributions can be proposed at: https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/ecsa2026/paper-form/p/17086.
Organizations or individuals interested in joining the working group can complete the online form: https://forms.gle/vYwkwUQ8eYa2xgdV7.
Working group page: Citizen science in areas affected by armed conflicts working group
Main author: Anna Berti Suman
Co-authors: Doug Weir, Carolina Doran