Moving from citizen science to stewardship action through scenarios storytelling

Abstract:

Linking environmental knowledge gain to a change in pro-environmental behaviors has been a goal and a challenge in climate change-related public participation in scientific research (PPSR) projects. Projects spanning the PPSR spectrum have documented increased scientific and climate change literacy among participants. Behavioral change has been harder to achieve, particularly in the larger scale contributory programs, with the majority of participants feeling powerless to act on large scale issues covered in the PPSR projects. Scenario story development is a strategy that has risen in popularity within the climate change adaptation and planning field, and is a process of taking the information available, asking “what if?”, and articulating stories from these possible futures that can directly inform planning, decision-making, and stewardship action. We document our application of scenarios storytelling to create and prioritize pathways of stewardship action from the data collected in a youth-centered contributory PPSR project on wild berry abundance and quality across Alaska. In mini-workshops, youth used their PPSR data to imagine possible factors that would affect berry availability to their community or to animals, including possible actions that they could take as they explore the question “What do communities need to have sustainable berry resources in a rapidly changing Alaskan climate?” Youth were guided through a storytelling process to establish what matters most for the future of berry resources, analyze the data they collected and other data available, identify risks and uncertainties, and finally create narratives linking the present to various possible futures. We used student work artifacts, educator interview data and case examples to explore the linkages students made between the PPSR data they and other youth groups around Alaska collected and stewardship actions to sustain wild berries for future generations. We found that the process was highly engaging for youth, and highly valued by educators. Youth ideas for action clustered around themes of technological or agricultural innovation, strategies to reduce greenhouse gas, and preserving physical space for wild berries. In some cases, the scenarios storytelling led directly to actions taken by youth groups to address the issue.