Building plural spaces for participatory development of a

mobile application (App) based on community socio-environmental perception in Natural Protected

Areas

Carmen Maganda, Miguel Hidalgo (INECOL)Anaid Lobato (Red de Custodios, Universidad Veracruzana)Socorro Aguilar (Universidad Veracruzana)

Content

1. Description of goal 19.1

2. Collaborations and work team

3. Methodology and tools

1. Objective of the goal 19.1• To develop a participatory mobile application that provides us with access

the index of ecosystem integrity of monitored spaces, and at the same time,to contrast this information with the social-community identification of theenvironmental problems that exist in the polygons of the ANP Archipelagofrom Xalapa.

2. Collaborations and work team Instituto de Ecología, A.C. (INECOL)

Red de Custodios del Archipiélago de Bosques y Selvas de Xalapa (adults and children)

Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Xalapa

Universidad Veracruzana

3. Methodology and tools

Walks (site visits) around the territory for recognition and assessment

Conceptual methodological seminar and conferences on"Participatory environmental monitoring, development of mobileapps and environmental perception”

Supporting environmental monitoring (Tenth Program for thePromotion of Interest for the Scientific and TechnologicalCareer in Children and Youth)

These routes have the objective of know the physical area of theislands, in addition to identifying their socio-ecosystem components,and establishing contacts with local people as support for the field workroutes (monitoring, perception, App implementation) projected for theshort term. in the islands of the protected area.

Tours for the recognition of the territory

Seminar on "Participatory environmental monitoring, development of mobile apps and

environmental perception"

Vision and scope:

• Generate a collaborative space for inter, multi andtransdisciplinary dialogue around the participatory developmentof applications (Apps), for the monitoring of protected naturalareas based on the environmental perception of the communitiesthat inhabit or surround these areas.

Modules:

1) Experiences of participatory environmental monitoringin the Xalapa region and its surroundings

2) The universe of Apps on environmental monitoring

3) Challenges of environmental perception and mechanisms for its measurement

Mod.1 Experiences of participatory environmental monitoring in the Xalapa region and its

surroundings.

• This module generated a space for dialogue between experiences of participatoryenvironmental monitoring in the Xalapa region, to socialize lessons learned,methodologies and strategies implemented in the field, as well as the recognition andcollective identification of relevant environmental indicators for the communities thatinhabit these spaces.

So far ...

• Recognition of two islands of the archipelago: Riveras del Pixquiac and Luz delBarrio-Coapexpan.

• Know Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats (SWOT) in theseislands:

• Strengths: Participation of neighbors, willingness of people to train, community -academy, community work, social empowerment.

• Opportunities: Information available from government agencies, data analysis such asforest loss, density of indicator species, presence of people who can contribute to therescue of the historical memory of the islands.

• Weaknesses: lack of systematized data, provision and access of information, lack ofdisclosure of data.

• Threats: Urban and population growth, road construction, developers, landfills, waterdischarges, abuse of public data use.

Mod.2 How do we start designing or programming a mobile app?

• The adoption of the Design Thinking methodology to know the appropriatetechniques for each stage and apply them to a multidisciplinary group ofpeople.

• As a result, generate co-designs about the appearance and functionality ofthe potential mobile application.

• It is expected to program in languages such as Kotlin or frameworks suchas Android Studio.

• An experience that supports the main goal of theseminar because it empowers children to design an

environmental monitoring app in two and a half days.

First approach

Poster (left)Newspaperarticle (right)

Both years using the MIT APP Inventor Kit(also with the support of University students for field trips)

Program for the Promotion of Interest for Scientific and Technological Careers in Children and Youth

Year Project name

Technological achievement Student’s SchoolYear

2018 Program topreserve

Data stored on device(audio, photo, GPS, pedometer)

High school

2019 Supportingenvironmental monitoring

Previous data sent to web server and map generation showing species distribution

Primary school

Mod.3 How do people perceive ecosystem integrity and / or its absence, environmental

degradation?

• Perceptions offer complex clues to understanding the way in which werelate to the environment, because there are various ways of relating to theenvironment ... consumption is one.

• From the perceptions, judgments emerge and from them, attitudes arise.Identifying the socio-environmental perception of ecosystem integrity willallow us to know, in some way, social judgments and human attitudestowards Protected Areas (whether people live or transit).

Perceptions…• The study of perceptions is a pedagogical subject. Perceptions are

understood from a multiplicity of methods and approaches of differentdisciplines: philosophy, anthropology, psychology ... all this to understandthe Human-Nature relationship

• A common point among these disciplines is that perception has twocomponents, one evolutionary (knowledge, memories) and a cultural one(feelings, sensibilities, values). Perceptions offer an explanatory basis onthe well-being of and in natural environments.

• Socio-environmental or socio-ecological perceptions - they are ecologicalbecause all phenomena occur in nature, and they are social because theyconstitute an interpretive symbolic process

• Perceptions are dynamic, that is, they are constantly being constructed indifferent ways ... So measurement is a challenge, but we believe that theirmonitoring is possible.

Summary

The objective of the integrity index: assess the health of ecosystems.The GAMMA experts in remote sensing will provide us a map of theecosystem integrity index at the level of ANP polygons, for each of theislands of the archipelago.Consequently, the objective of the App will be to offer users aparticipatory/collaborative digital space to show/add their perceptionsabout the health of ecosystems, and offer information related to

a) the general assessment of perceptions of the ANP islandthat was evaluated,

b) access to the integrity index andc) the ecosystem perceptions map / ANP evaluation

FORTHCOMING STEPS

We are planning a set of tours-workshops for October-November 2019, aimed atmotor groups of the Custodian Network (or grassroots environmentalorganizations) in the islands of the ANP Archipelago.Goals: to exchange opinions on socio-environmental perceptions, explain ourresearch objectives, know their interests about a specific area or situation wherethey would be interested in generating and evaluating perception. We will informthem about the integrity index and what we want with the App, and identifycommon elements in the islands.Participative methodology: A first part would be conducted as a workshop, asecond part will develop a tour-workshop where one of our collaborators willdevelop a collective exercise of socio-environmental perception using photo / voiceamong other potential tools to be used in the App.

Thank you for your attention! If you are interested, please

follow us at:

• meta19.1.igamma@gmail.com• Social networks: #IntegralidadGamma#Custodios.Archipiélago

• carmen.maganda@inecol.mx