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Citizen science is a way for people from the communities and scientists to come together and look at what is happening around them and to use the information they collect to influence changes e.g. decisions, policies, research, education and environmental sensitisation.
A group of 23 persons from various organisations learnt the tools used in citizen science to assess the health of rivers during a 5-day training from 18-22 March 2024. The aim of the training was to build the capacity and empower participants on the use of citizen science within the community. The training was organised by Gaea Seychelles aiming to empower local communities to undertake environmental community-based projects to the betterment of their lives. Gaea Seychelles was assisted by its project partner GroundTruth from South Africa who shared their knowledge and expertise. University of Seychelles facilitated the training through the provision of the laboratory and equipment.
After the training, 3 participants decided to use their newly acquired skills to teach kids from the Gaea Seychelles’ Little Explorers Club at Bel-Ombre. The session was undertaken on Saturday 23rd March at Riviere Danzilles at Bel-Ombre.
The Little Explorers learnt how to use the Clarity tube to measure how clear the water is and this indicates waterbody health. The Velocity plank was used to measure the width, of the river, speed of water and depth of the river which are indicators that can be used to know the amount of water in a river.
Another tool used was the miniSASS where the Little Explorers used nets to collect animals in the river which were then identified using a chart. Shrimps, freshwater snails and prawns were some of the animals caught. They were safely released into their environment after identification. River inhabitants have different sensitivities to their environment and are good indicators of the river health. The results obtained indicated that Riviere Danzilles is in a ‘good condition’.
The Little Explorers were so excited by the session in the river and were really keen to try out the tools. All of them had a chance to use the tools. They learnt about the animals in the river and importance of rivers. The Little Explorers Club is an educational and awareness-oriented kids club which seeks to encourage children to ‘get in touch’ with nature, through an inquisitive lens and meaningful interactions. The aim is to reconnect children with nature and encourage exploration through their own eyes and experiences.
The citizen science outdoor session is being done as part of a project funded by the JRS Biodiversity Foundation to build an information system on freshwater biodiversity for better conservation and management of Seychelles’ rivers.
