SLIDE 1
Communicating phenology through education, outreach, and training
11 September 2012 Arnold van Vliet, Wichertje Bron, Sara Mulder
Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University
SLIDE 2 Content
§Objectives Nature’s Calendar §Societal publications §Importance of societal publications for citizen science
projects and scientists in general
§Strategy to increase outreach via media §Future international cooperation
Photo: Arnold van Vliet
SLIDE 3 Objectives Nature’s Calendar
- 1. Monitoring impact of changes in
weather and climate on nature;
- 2. Determine ecological and socio-
economic impacts of the phenological changes;
- 3. Develop and implement tools and
methodologies that allow society to adapt to the changes and;
- 4. Increase public awareness on climate
change and biodiversity.
SLIDE 4 Societal publications
Photo: Joost Huijsing Photo: Wichertje Bron
SLIDE 5
Number of times someone reached
SLIDE 6 Recruitment of new observers
5,000,000 10,000,000 15,000,000 20,000,000 25,000,000 30,000,000 35,000,000 40,000,000
50 100 150 200 250 300
Feb-05 J un-05 Oct-05 Feb-06 J un-06 Oct-06 Feb-07 J un-07 Oct-07 Feb-08 J un-08 Oct-08 Feb-09 J un-09 Oct-09 Feb-10 J un-10 Oct-10 Feb-11 J un-11 Oct-11 Feb-12 J un-12
Number of people reached via newspapers Number of new observers
Number of new observers Number of people reached
Dec 06 Mar 07 Jan 12 May 2007 Mar 10 Feb 11
SLIDE 7
Identify, recruit and stimulate new partners
Media Health Research Monitoring networks Research programs NGO Commercial sector
SLIDE 8 Identify new data sources
Month April May June July 10-day period 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
1973 1974 1975 1976 1977
0.5 0.5 0.5
1978
1 3 3 2
1979
3 3 2 2
1980
2 3 3 2 1
1981
3 3 3 2 1
1982
1 3 3 2 1
1983
3 3 2 1
1984
1 3 3 3 2
1985
1 3 3 2 1 1
1986
2 3 3 2
1987
1 3 3
1988
0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5
1989
0.5 0.5 0.5
1990
1 3 3 3 1
1991
1 3 3 3 2 1
1992
3 3 2
1993
3 3 2 1
1994
3 3 2 2
1995
3 3 2 1
1996
1 3 2 1
1997
1 3 3 1
1998
1 3 3 1 1
1999
1 3 3 1 1
2000
1 3 2 1
2001
2 3 2
2002
1 3 3 1 1
2003
3 3 2 1
2004
3 3 2
2005
2 3 3 2 1 1
2006
3 3 2 1
2007
3 3 2 2 1
SLIDE 9 Communication indispensable to reach objectives
- 1. Number of volunteers increase.
- 2. Identify new data sources/ historic data.
- 3. New partners, broader network.
- 4. Keep partners interested and motivated.
- 5. Instruct people on when, what, how to observe.
- 6. Keep observers motivated to participate.
- 7. Get new ideas from journalists.
- 8. More media attention.
- 9. People and journalists build up a reference..
SLIDE 10
Active communication: Funding available
§More well known so easier to get the opportunity to
explain the story you have to tell/ sell.
§Support from management of the home institution. §Donations from volunteers and supporters. §New partners with good ideas. §But…
. still not easy. A lot of publicity is no guarantee for lots of funding. Continuous effort and creativity is needed.
SLIDE 11
Improve adaptive capacity of society
§Variability in timing is relevant for many sectors in
society.
§Action is required when plants and animals become
active.
§People need to be informed on when, what events will
take place at a certain place and what actions are needed.
§Mass communication required to educate and train
people.
SLIDE 12
Timing of pollen release: hay fever
SLIDE 13
Allergieradar.nl
Who, when, where, which hay fever symptoms (eyes, nose, lungs)? When start and end of pollen season? Information on allergy, hay fever and hay fever plants.
SLIDE 14
Nose complaints throughout the whole year. Positively tested for grass, tree and herb pollen. Nose complaints throughout the whole year. Positively tested for grass, trees and herbs.
Symptom scores
SLIDE 15
Pollenplanner Birch
SLIDE 16 Development of Lyme disease
Photo: Fedor Gassner Photo: Arnold van Vliet Photo: RIVM
SLIDE 17
10-day prediction tick activity
SLIDE 18
Reporting tick bites and Lyme disease
SLIDE 19
Nature forecasts
SLIDE 20
Professionalize outreach: Natuurbericht.nl
SLIDE 21
Biologists in The Netherlands and Belgium
SLIDE 22
Twitter.com/ natuurbericht
SLIDE 23
Bridge gap between scientists and media
SLIDE 24
SLIDE 25
What is news worthy?
Birch trees begin to flower.... (event) ....in the south of the country.... (location) .... a week earlier than last year/ normal.... (compare with reference) .... due to the high temperatures in March.... (cause) .... one million hay fever patients will experience significant nose problems .... (quantify impact) .... health care cost will be 5 million Euro.... .... patients are advised to keep windows closed.... (advise) .... pollen season lasts till 20th April.... (forecast) ...
SLIDE 26
Media strategy
§Identify the interested journalists. §Actively inform them regularly at the right time about
the right topic.
§Be prepared for the standard opportunities (end of the
month, season, year, weather extremes).
§Have a reachable location where topic can be seen. §Be able to explain the relevance of event for public. §Make sure that the story you tell is easy to understand. §Have partner organisations, specialists and volunteers
stand by.
§Offer a wide variety of topics (nature, health, recreation,
climate change).
§Be available to answer questions and give interviews.
SLIDE 27 Communication strategy
Natuurbericht.nl Know ledge Nature Observations Nature forecasts Nature stories Website Email media Press releases Apps Sociale media Publications Hay fever Mosquito es Ticks/ Lyme Oak proces- sionary Wasps Etc. Sponsoring Apps Research subsidies Subsidies Donations Other
SLIDE 28
Internationalization
§In the coming years we aim
to internationalize the Natuurbericht concept.
§Broader than phenology but
phenology has large potential to enter the news domain.
§Nature Today
SLIDE 29 Nature Today: possible structure
National/ Regional sites: Own editorial board Own frequency of publication Own language Own media database
2 per day 2 per week
International editorial board Keystone species Control species names
Naturetoday.org
I ndividual contributions Etc.
3 per week?
SLIDE 30 Region Species group Com pared to last year Com pared to previous ten years Com pared to all tim e average Link to Nature report
NL Plants
NL Birds + 2 days 0 days
DE UK USA AU ...
Nature Today: Quarterly phenological updates
SLIDE 31 Conclusions
§Societal publications are important to reach objectives of
phenological networks.
§Support functioning of phenological networks. §Communication increases funding available. §Strong need to bridge the gap between science and
- society. Co-production of knowledge.
§There are many opportunities to increase media
attention but it requires careful planning and the investment of time and resources.
§Are you willing to join the process of internationalization
- f Natuurbericht.nl? Contact me afterwards.
§If you want to update/ start phenological website contact
me too.
SLIDE 32
Thank you for your attention
Contact: Arnold.vanvliet@wur.nl www.natuurkalender.nl www.natuurbericht.nl www.tekenradar.nl www.allergieradar.nl www.splashteller.nl www.schoolbiologen.nl
