The HUMANITA project aims to explore and mitigate the environmental impacts of tourism on protected areas through innovative and inclusive monitoring strategies. A central element of this approach is participatory monitoring, which actively involves citizens, students, and local communities in data collection and environmental assessment. The overarching goal is to develop a comprehensive monitoring system for nature conservation, focusing on the effects of outdoor tourism on natural assets.
Participatory approaches challenge traditional research models by fostering collaboration between practitioners and visitors. Rather than relying solely on expert-led assessments, HUMANITA embraces a citizen science framework that empowers non-experts to engage in meaningful observation and documentation. Through hands-on activities and digital tools, participants help monitor key ecological indicators such as vegetation and biodiversity, springs mapping, water quality, pollution levels, and trail erosion. These efforts are supported by mobile applications, field workshops, and educational resources designed to make data collection accessible and engaging.
Namely, the protected areas participating in the HUMANITA project have designated pilot sites that are particularly vulnerable to tourism-induced environmental pressures. Leveraging the project’s transnational framework, these sites serve as testing grounds for context-specific monitoring methodologies tailored to the distinct ecological challenges of each location. Whether tracking invasive plant species via iNaturalist, assessing erosion with drone-based LiDAR, creating a database of plant locations, or documenting spring conditions through online forms, each activity contributes to a broader understanding of tourism’s ecological footprint.
These participatory efforts also serve as platforms for dialogue, learning, and community building—bridging the gap between science and society. By building strong local partnerships, data collected through citizen science can be integrated with other datasets gathered by project partners, strengthening the overall monitoring process.
Within these efforts, the HUMANITA project developed the Report on participatory monitoring in PAs, lessons learned, and recommendations, which presents a detailed overview of the participatory monitoring that each pilot site carried out, framed in contextual features, displaying the achieved results. By comparing these diverse models, the report aims to identify transferable strategies and support the development of scalable participatory monitoring systems for protected areas (PAs). Data collected from pilot initiatives, enabled by the active participation of visitors, citizens, researchers, and students, constitute a significant source of knowledge.
This information is meant to be transitioned from internal evaluation to accessible content tailored for various target groups. The data generated by participatory monitoring are also included in the interactive data visualization tool and reported within the project website and app, informing stakeholders, supporting decision-making, and contributing to the broader impact and long-term value of the HUMANITA project.