Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-627
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2019-627
17 Dec 2019
 | 17 Dec 2019
Status: this discussion paper is a preprint. It has been under review for the journal Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (HESS). The manuscript was not accepted for further review after discussion.

The Value of Citizen Science for Flood Risk Reduction: Cost-benefit Analysis of a Citizen Observatory in the Brenta-Bacchiglione Catchment

Michele Ferri, Uta Wehn, Linda See, and Steffen Fritz

Abstract. Citizen observatories are a relatively recent form of citizen science, which involve citizens in making environmental observations over a period of time. These observations can help to inform the decision making of local authorities and other stakeholders, creating a platform for two-way interaction between citizens and public agencies. Although citizen observatories can clearly generate many different benefits, they also have an associated cost. There are currently no examples of quantifying the costs and benefits of citizen observatories in the literature, yet this type of analysis is critical if there is to be real uptake of citizen observatories by public agencies more generally. This paper presents and applies a generic methodology for capturing the value of a citizen observatory for flood risk reduction in the Brenta-Bacchiglione catchment using a cost-benefit analysis. The results show that the benefits of implementing a citizen observatory approach outweigh the costs by approximately 2 to 1 and can reduce the annual expected damage to a greater degree than a much more costly structural approach.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
Michele Ferri, Uta Wehn, Linda See, and Steffen Fritz
 
Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
 
Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
Michele Ferri, Uta Wehn, Linda See, and Steffen Fritz
Michele Ferri, Uta Wehn, Linda See, and Steffen Fritz

Viewed

Total article views: 1,334 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total BibTeX EndNote
938 337 59 1,334 70 68
  • HTML: 938
  • PDF: 337
  • XML: 59
  • Total: 1,334
  • BibTeX: 70
  • EndNote: 68
Views and downloads (calculated since 17 Dec 2019)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 17 Dec 2019)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 1,202 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 1,201 with geography defined and 1 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 
Latest update: 08 Dec 2024
Short summary
Citizen observatories involve citizens in making environmental observations that help to inform the decision making of local authorities. Although citizen observatories can generate many benefits, they also have an associated cost. In this paper, we undertook a cost-benefit analysis of a citizen observatory on flooding in northern Italy. The results show that the benefits outweigh the costs by 2 to 1. Implementation of other citizen observatories could help to reduce flood risk in the future.