Banca de DEFESA: PAOLLA DOS SANTOS ALMEIDA

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : PAOLLA DOS SANTOS ALMEIDA
DATE: 23/08/2023
TIME: 08:30
LOCAL: Remoto
TITLE:

Engagement of Volunteers in Citizen Science Project for Monitoring Plant-Visitor Interaction

KEY WORDS:

Engagement, Theory of Motivational Functions, Participatory Monitoring, Pollinators, Pollination

PAGES: 108
BIG AREA: Ciências Biológicas
AREA: Ecologia
SUBÁREA: Ecologia Aplicada
SUMMARY:

Among the contributions of citizen science to ecological science, the participatory monitoring of biodiversity, carried out by non-academic volunteers, stands out, which makes it possible to investigate phenomena on a large space-time scale. In Brazil, this practice is recent, but it has already gained many followers in the academy and in governmental and non-governmental organizations, in projects whose focus is the monitoring of biodiversity through photographic records on online platforms. However, the main challenge of these projects is the initial and ongoing engagement of volunteers. Previous studies have revealed that the strategies for engaging volunteers in citizen science projects are dependent on the socioeconomic profile and motivations of the public. The Functional Theory of Motivations, which proposes six motivational functions for individuals, establishes that strategies to stimulate volunteering are more successful when they are in accordance with the set of specific motivational functions of volunteers. Since the motivations are context-dependent, the strategies must vary according to the socioeconomic and cultural profile of the volunteers. Based on these assumptions, we compared the effectiveness of two volunteer engagement strategies, using the citizen science project for monitoring pollinators, Guardiões da Chapada, as a case study. First, we developed and applied a questionnaire to identify the socioeconomic profile and functional motivations of the project's target audience, then we designed strategies (online and face-to-face), applied and evaluated their effectiveness with records made by volunteers on the platform project, considering the following variables: number, frequency and quality of records. We identified that most of those interested in our strategies are female and their motivational profile is influenced by all motivational functions, but mainly by values related to environmental conservation. The results of this research reveal paths to be followed for greater public engagement in Citizen Science projects aimed at monitoring and conserving Brazilian biodiversity.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1095735 - BLANDINA FELIPE VIANA
Externa à Instituição - NATALIA PIRANI GHILARDI-LOPES - UFABC
Externo à Instituição - ANGELO CONRADO LOULA - UEFS