On 20 and 21 October, the Life-Nitrazens consortium met in Valladolid to review the first citizen science campaign. Ibercivis, which leads the project’s communication and dissemination, presented results that already exceed expectations.
The consortium of the European LIFE-NITRAZENS project held its ordinary General Assembly, corresponding to Month 14 of the project, hosted by the Fundación Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León (FPNCyL) and coordinated by the University of Burgos (UBU). Representatives of the 11 partner organisations from Spain and Portugal, including the Ibercivis Foundation, met to assess the milestones reached after the first water sampling campaign and to coordinate the next steps in the fight against nitrate pollution.
Ibercivis, leading communication and citizen engagement (WP7)
As leader of the Communication and Dissemination work package (WP7), the Ibercivis Foundation presented the indicators for the first 14 months of the project:
- Over 8,400 visits to the project website (life-nitrazens.eu), more than 84% of the target set for the whole three-year project.
- 48 appearances in national and local media in Spain and Portugal.
- A consolidated community network: Ibercivis has created and runs active WhatsApp communities in the pilot areas to coordinate volunteers and ambassadors in real time.
Closing Campaign 1: from citizen collection to analytical validation
One of the main topics of the assembly was the evaluation of the first water sample collection campaign, carried out with citizens, local ambassadors and node managers in the pilot areas of the Duero and Ebro basins. The University of Burgos and CITA Aragón presented the sampling protocol, supported by the Geonity App, and its path to the laboratories, which ensures scientific accuracy and traceability. These results will feed the first official campaign report (Deliverable D2.5).
Open data, good agricultural practices and replicability
- Governance Data Platform (WP3): OSOIGO showed progress on the interactive web platform that will let the public map and consult validated data on the quality of groundwater, springs and the supply network. Innovalia presented the federated data space, which will prevent nitrate information from remaining isolated in silos and will enable secure, interoperable and transparent exchange.
- Good Agricultural Practices and Awareness (WP4 and WP5): CITA Aragón and FPNCyL presented the design of participatory workshops on sustainable soil nutrition for farmers and irrigation communities, as well as educational initiatives in schools to promote efficient fertiliser use.
- Replicability and sustainability (WP6): the University of Coimbra, Águas do Centro Litoral, the Municipality of Soure and ABOFHBM highlighted the excellent reception of the citizen science protocols in the Mondego basin. This cross-border deployment lays the foundations for the replicability plan and the After-LIFE Plan, coordinated by UC and UBU.
Next steps: returning results and Campaign 2
- Online accountability events to return the nitrate data to Campaign 1 volunteers: 28 October for the Ebro basin and 10 November for the Duero basin.
- Launch of Campaign 2: preparing the kits and logistics for the second major sampling call, between autumn and winter.
- First Policy Brief: transferring the scientific evidence to river basin authorities and the competent public administrations.
“The strong involvement of local communities in this first campaign shows that citizen science is an indispensable tool for improving transparency and water governance in the European Union.”
Join Campaign 2
At Ibercivis we continue to support the network of volunteers and ambassadors. If you want to know what water flows from your tap, well or river, join as a volunteer or ambassador and we will assign you to your nearest Node.
You can read the original news on the Life-Nitrazens website (in Spanish). Life-Nitrazens is funded by the European Union (project ID 101215633).