Developing Partnerships, Giving Voice to Kyrgyz and Tibetan Herders: Empowerment of Under-Represented Societies through Citizen Science

Building collaborative partnerships for conservation or sustainable development presents challenges in any socio-political context, but has proven to be particularly difficult with pastoralist societies. This could be the... [ view full abstract ]

Building collaborative partnerships for conservation or sustainable development presents challenges in any socio-political context, but has proven to be particularly difficult with pastoralist societies. This could be the result of preconceived notions about traditional practices by government or other development extension workers, or could be due to pastoralists’ distrust of external stakeholders. Either way, failure to work together with mutual respect and trust can lead to failed projects.

Two case studies are presented from the high mountains of Central Asia and the Tibetan Plateau. In Kyrgyzstan, an applied research project on adaptive governance of natural resources recently was begun with a Citizen Science (CS) approach focused on pasture and water resources. The basic premise of the project is that co-generation of knowledge can help to enhance governance systems and overcome persisting soviet mindsets predicated on an authoritarian understanding of knowledge and expertise. A second project under development in Kyrgyzstan aims to introduce CS-based field activities in rural schools for improving environmental education while generating local-level environmental data. In China, a long-term community development project with Tibetan pastoralists also has sought to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with a nature reserve, based on the co-management of wildlife populations including snow leopard. In each case, CS can provide ‘voice’ to local citizens.

Even as CS studies may differ in the disciplines or specific approaches they adopt, all can help to increase levels of community engagement and the inclusion of people and groups heretofore largely under-represented in development governance structures and decision-making processes. Adopting a CS model may not only strengthen human resources for research projects and promote awareness and outreach potential, it also can help empower marginalized participants. However to achieve this goal sufficient time must be invested in the art and process of listening and understanding, which are prerequisites for building trust.