Cam Ly RINTZ

Developing biodindicators for rocky shores with citizen science: interactions between sciences and societies

The considerable sampling capacity of citizen science programs makes them a unique opportunity for long-term monitoring of the impacts and adaptation of coastal ecosystems to global change, while enabling the diffusion of science to citizens by involving them in the scientific process. Yet, citizen science requires an assessment of the robustness of the data collected and an adjustment of protocols. 

This thesis project addresses this issue with the national citizen science program BioLit, run by the association Planète Mer and supported by the MNHN, and more specifically the Algues Brunes et Bigorneaux (Brown algae and periwinkles) observatory. Since its creation in 2011, there has been a strong participation, and the first results have shown its relevance for the ecological assessment of rocky shores.

The objective is to develop, with the ABB observatory, bioindicators of rocky shore response to two global change drivers (pollution and climate change) through a co-construction process based on a sociological approach including citizens and politicians throughout the whole scientific process. To this end, the thesis project is divided into three parts: two parts dedicated to the development of protocols and the analysis of the effects of pollution and climate change, and a third sociological part aiming to facilitate and describe the process of co-construction of bioindicators resulting from the first two parts.