Citizen science for assessing pesticide impacts in agricultural streams

The majority of central European streams are in poor ecological condition. Pesticide inputs from terrestrial habitats present a key threat to sensitive insects in streams. Both standardized stream monitoring data and societal support are needed to conserve and restore freshwater habitats. Citizen science (CS) offers potential to complement international freshwater monitoring while it is often viewed critically due to concerns about data accuracy. Here, we developed a CS program based on the Water Framework Directive that enables citizen scientists to provide data on stream hydromorphology, physicochemical status and benthic macroinvertebrates to apply the trait-based bioindicator SPEAR(pesticides) for pesticide exposure. We compared CS monitoring data with professional data across 28 central German stream sites and could show that both CS and professional monitoring identified a similar average proportion of pesticide-sensitive macroinvertebrate taxa per stream site (20 %). CS data were highly correlated to the professional data for both stream hydromorphology and SPEAR(pesticides) (r = 0.72 and 0.76). To assess the extent to which CS macroinvertebrate data can indicate pesticide exposure, we tested the relationship of CS generated SPEAR(pesticides) values and measured pesticide concentrations at 21 stream sites, and found a fair correlation similar to professional results. We conclude that given appropriate training and support, citizen scientists can generate valid data on the ecological status and pesticide contamination of streams. By complementing official monitoring, data from well-managed CS programs can advance freshwater science and enhance the implementation of freshwater conservation goals.

Automated summary

The majority of central European streams are in poor ecological condition due to pesticide inputs from terrestrial habitats, which threaten sensitive insects in streams. Standardized stream monitoring data and societal support are necessary to conserve and restore freshwater habitats. Citizen science (CS) has the potential to complement international freshwater monitoring, although data accuracy concerns exist.