Gathering local ecological knowledge from and with the true territorial custodians: hunters, shepherds and forestry workers.
The largest Mediterranean island – Sicily – holds huge potential for Rewilding actions. However, two essential factors are lacking: a database for wildlife populations which is qualitative, up to date, and open access in order to create impactful landscape management strategies and a ‘pro-Rewilding’ culture practiced by the public, researchers and decision makers supporting Rewilding long-term.
The method and tool ‘CyberTracker’ might hold an impactful response to those needs, as it is an open source software that allows the tracking of wildlife and all other aspects that can be spotted on a territory.
This project has proposed a CyberTracker training for citizen scientists with international trainers with a final integration workshop involving researchers, experts, academia, NGOs and decision makers. The involved citizen scientists who took part in the whole project phases represent the keepers of Sicily’s ‘indigenous’ knowledge (knowing a place, respecting, and reciprocating the local ecosystem). These groups in Sicily are hunters, shepherds and forestry service, heavily marginalized, but with great skills and knowledge about wildlife, tracking and fire regimes of the territory.
The specific objectives of ‘Sicily’s Indigenous CyberTrackers’ are the establishment of the CyberTracker database customized for Sicily, the integration of marginalized target groups and valorization of their indigenous knowledge and the creation of dialogue with researchers and decision makers on eye level.
- 3 day in-field training for citizen scientists
- customized CyberTracker app
- over 150 wildlife tracks gathered
- policy integration stakeholder workshop
The project has significant impacts across scientific, social, economic, political, and environmental dimensions:
1. Scientific: The project focuses on North Western Sicily, using the Cyber Tracker App to collect data on wildlife, wildfires, and human usage. With 53 data points so far, the open-source dataset, Wild Sicania, aligns with FAIR principles, supporting rewilding efforts and wildfire prevention. Presented at a Citizen Science conference, it garnered interest, prioritizing local knowledge and facilitating dialogue among target groups.
2. Social: Engaging 70 individuals in problem framing and data gathering through 9 face-to-face sessions, the project fosters social cohesion among diverse groups, empowering underrepresented communities like naturalistic guides. Led by a balanced team, it promotes inclusivity, builds relationships within the research community, and advocates a community-centric approach for impactful change.
3. Economic: Establishing job opportunities and forming Collettivo Rewild Sicily, the project relies on funds for high-quality activities, enhancing credibility with stakeholders. Planned future funding proposals, supported by Sicily Environment Fund and the Department of Natural Science, aim for income generation and revenue growth from upcoming projects.
4. Political: Initiated discussions on political ideas and policy changes, engaging local institutions. Advocacy workshops propose improvements for wildlife presence, wildfire
prevention, and rewilding, aiming to advance discourse. Increased civic engagement and policy skill-sharing through conferences contribute to ongoing data dissemination among target groups.
5. Environmental: Indirectly impacting ecosystems, the project enhances local knowledge and advocates for sustainable land management, fostering active rewilders and guides. Initiating citizen scientists in wildlife data collection and addressing wildfires indirectly benefit soil, water, and aquatic connectivity, promoting natural processes and environmental awareness through education sessions.
IMPETUS is supporting our project. IMPETUS is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement number 101058677. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union not the granting authority can be held responsible for them.