Thomas Egli founded the association Objectif Sciences International in 1992. Since 2011, the NGO has held ECOSOC consultative status with the UN and its mission is to carry out citizen science initiatives, particularly through scientific stays. A closer look at citizen science and its various dimensions: sustainable development, education, democracy, eco-solidarity tourism…
Laurence Dupont: Hello Thomas, you are the founder of Objectif Sciences International, an NGO created more than 30 years ago. How did this adventure begin?
Thomas Egli: At 17, I wanted to carry out scientific research, except that at that age, you are not yet a researcher because you haven’t finished your studies! Since I was really keen to conduct research, I created an association — a science club — which allowed me to carry out studies in aquatic biology on Lake Geneva, as well as in electronics, remote sensing and many other fields. We realised that the group of young people we formed could carry out very interesting studies in this way. We grew, and as our work developed, parents, as well as schools and leisure centres, took an interest in what we were doing and asked us to do the same with their children.
What is the difference between citizen science, participatory science, and participatory research?
science. This can involve citizens participating in a public meeting on research to be conducted, as well as mobile applications on which we can identify birds, insects or plants… However, the activities offered in citizen science are very low in terms of involvement. Identifying the presence of a plant on an application is certainly very important, but it only requires a single click.
Participatory research is the most engaging aspect of citizen science.citoyennes
Thomas Egli
Participatory science, on the other hand, requires greater involvement, particularly when citizens come together for a week to monitor water quality on a river. In this latter case, participants must use the equipment correctly and process the data. Then there is citizen participatory research, which goes even further. Participatory research is the most engaging aspect of citizen science. It allows citizens to conduct genuine research by being involved in every stage of the process.
The NGO you founded has developed the format of solidarity science travel. Can one truly conduct research while travelling?
Among the possibilities for conducting research, there is of course university, but that is not the only option. For adults who wish to participate in research in a field they enjoy, there is a fantastic format: the solidarity science travel format. Solidarity science travel allows participants to carry out citizen science activities within a community they wish to serve, on a subject they are passionate about. This can be in the field of biodiversity conservation — studying turtles, elephants, climate monitoring… Thanks to this travel format, it is entirely possible to practise mountaineering while studying the evolution of biodiversity in high-altitude environments! You can also study marine wildlife underwater, whether scuba diving or snorkelling, or even from a sailing boat… There are an enormous number of possibilities. It is a format suited to everyone, as it is possible to go for 3 days, 2 weeks, a month or a year, alone or in a group… This travel format is also an excellent way to learn another language!
In what way does solidarity science travel differ from more traditional eco-solidarity stays, such as those that take place in a wildlife rehabilitation centre, for example?
In eco-solidarity travel, there are several types of activities. You can care for animals, restore a forest, graft corals… In most cases, we are involved in implementing a practical solution for the protection of biodiversity. In a solidarity science stay, the traveller participates in research. Their actions consist of seeking solutions or evaluating a solution already in place… There is always an investigation and data analysis component in a participatory science trip. For example, when coral grafting has been practised for several years in an area, the citizen science component will evaluate the relevance of this action by studying various parameters such as the repopulation of the area by marine flora and fauna.
Can even a short stay be useful?
From the moment the project exists, with a schedule for the research activities, as soon as the traveller arrives, there are very specific things to do. What is interesting is that the activities carried out will serve a project of greater scope than the stay itself, yet there is still a clear beginning and end to the stay for the traveller. That is why the trips take place on specific dates.
Are these stays open to everyone?
The whole art of citizen science is making it accessible to everyone. The project is designed to be accessible to all, on several levels: intellectually, technically, and physically. On an intellectual level, travellers will be able to develop their skills, as from the very first day they will learn to follow a protocol, identify dolphins, use a microscope… The supervisors will prepare them so that they can quickly make progress on the project.
These learning activities take place during the first days or hours of the stay.our
Thomas Egli
Technically speaking, it is the same. The traveller is trained in specific techniques, such as how to handle an insect. They are also made aware of the behaviours to adopt when faced with wild animals such as sharks… These learning activities take place during the first days or hours of the stay. From a physical standpoint, there can be variations. For the same research project, there may be a more active version requiring the ability to walk on a 1,000-metre elevation gain, and a comfort version with a lesser incline. We have participants aged 70 who will choose the more active version, just as younger participants may choose the comfort version, and vice versa.
In what ways is citizen science useful to society?
They are useful to society in several ways. There are the skills acquired through the projects that travellers will use in society across various fields. There are also the successfully completed projects, which bring new solutions and knowledge. On this last point, participatory research brings real value, as the solutions found and the knowledge acquired differ from those resulting from traditional research.
The discoveries arising from participatory research differ from those coming from traditional research.
Thomas egli
In participatory research, the questioning that motivates the research comes from citizens rather than from traditional researchers. Now, the questions that come from citizens are often different from those arising from academic researchers. And since what is found depends on what is being looked for, the discoveries arising from participatory research differ from those coming from traditional research. That is very interesting.
Interesting, even transgressive in the academic world…
IThere is something transgressive in terms of skill acquisition, in the “We are capable of” mindset. Non-scientific citizens who carry out scientific research will realise that they are completely legitimate in asking questions and seeking to understand. By the end of their experience, they will allow themselves to form an opinion and will have learned the art of constructive debate that welcomes opposing views. When one allows oneself to have an opinion, one then develops the relational habit of knowing how to share that opinion and taking on board the opinions of others. Citizens gain in autonomy as a result.
Can citizen science serve as a foundation for democratic life?
Participatory research is very useful for democracy. So much so that today, it is considered a tool to support government policies in favour of sustainable development. Citizen science makes it possible to carry out sustainable development projects while involving citizens throughout the entire process.
This means that citizens are taking power.
Thomas Egli
Technically speaking, we are talking about a bottom-up approach. Unlike projects imposed on citizens by decision-makers and carried out by consulting firms, it is the citizens who choose the projects and lead them. This means that citizens are taking power. The other element that acts at a democratic level is the impact of citizen science on decision-making. At a certain point, having information enables one to make decisions. There are many fields in which, for the time being, choices are not made on the basis of scientific evidence. Yet the choices made by citizens, at the level of a municipality or a country, can differ depending on whether they are made on the basis of scientific information or not.
From an educational standpoint, is citizen science not more inclusive than the school system?
There are as many types of intelligence as there are people. From the moment school only addresses two or three types of intelligence, we are not off to a good start — it is complicated. The advantage of citizen science is that it allows learning through practice and addresses all types of intelligence. A project carried out in real life makes it possible to include everyone. A teacher, whether in primary school, secondary school or university, who decided to run a citizen science project, would find that they could achieve all of the year’s curriculum objectives through the project alone, without any formal lessons. What I am putting forward has been compared and measured — it is very impressive!
It is a way of acquiring very high-level knowledge!
Thomas Egli
Citizen science makes it possible to step outside of school to learn. Anyone who has decided to learn something outside of school can choose to do so through citizen science. It is a way of acquiring very high-level knowledge! We have seen seven-year-old children grasp university-level concepts without even realising it. Every year, we welcome people on our stays who are accountants, department managers, and so on… Some come back every year, either to the same project or to a new one. They come out of these adventures having learned an incredible amount of knowledge — far more than they would have acquired by attending evening classes for a year!
Beyond the positive impact on sustainable development, does citizen science have an emancipatory dimension?
Yes, particularly in terms of the image one has of oneself and the value one attributes to oneself. These stays are very interesting in terms of personal development. When people realise what they have been capable of, when they see what has been achieved through their actions and their capacity for discernment, it opens an enormous number of doors! Citizen science can also be very powerful for team building. A company can very easily send employees on an eco-solidarity trip. When a team goes on a project such as monitoring wolves, lynx, or snow leopards, they work on group cohesion, trust, pushing personal boundaries, and project management… all through an activity that is in line with corporate social responsibility (CSR).
How do you envision the tourism of tomorrow?
The question I ask myself is whether citizen science will merge with what is being done in the field of solidarity and ecological travel. I would say that citizen science is what is needed for sustainable tourism, from the moment it promotes participatory tourism, whether or not a scientific project is involved. It is important that the tourism of tomorrow be regenerative. At a certain point, instead of consuming and destroying, we will build and participate in a project.
It is always a wonderful adventure to return from a trip where one has participated in regenerating a forest.
Thomas Egli
Citizen science stays fulfil this objective. It is always a wonderful adventure to return from a trip where one has participated in regenerating a forest, rather than passively following a guide who inadvertently destroys it along the way. Sustainable tourism has much to gain from citizen science. However, this requires work to democratise the concept and set aside the fear that people have towards science — even if it means no longer using the term “scientific travel” in order to reach more distant audiences.
Does eco-solidarity travel make sense when a long-haul flight is required to reach the project location?
The question of the carbon cost of trips that claim to be eco-solidarity travel is indeed a valid one. Take the snow leopard project, for example. The snow leopard is a big cat found across 12 countries in Central Asia that needs to be protected. To date, there are associations, including the NGO Objectif Sciences International, that invite residents of Kyrgyzstan to carry out actions in their own country to protect the snow leopard. However, this is not enough. More people need to be mobilised to successfully carry out the study and conservation projects for this big cat. In this sense, these trips have a real positive impact on the protection of living species. That said, this should not allow us to turn a blind eye to the carbon footprint associated with the journey, which must be offset with effective solutions.
Offering eco-solidarity travel close to home.
Thomas Egli
We must also offer eco-solidarity travel close to home, as these represent local solutions to global problems. Just as we have an increasing number of Kyrgyz people committing to snow leopard monitoring projects in Kyrgyzstan, we need more and more French people getting involved in eco-solidarity projects in France — a country that is incredible for the diversity of its ecosystems.
