There are four main groups of people in terms of their level of knowledge and commitment to nature protection: 1. "The devoted" who are very knowledgeable and committed to nature protection. 2. "Green souls" who are reasonably committed and knowledgeable but not experts. Many survey respondents fell into this group. 3. "Hedonists" who enjoy nature for recreation but prioritize their interests over protection and have low knowledge. 4. "Incurables" who have little interest in nature protection and see it as restrictive with low knowledge. Reaching this group is very difficult. In general there is a lack of knowledge about biodiversity and what individual actions people can take to

1. Crowd-sourcing data
to track and survey
activities and development
of nature protection areas.

2. Done since the research presentation
Getting some distance to the project
Interviews with caretakers
Public survey
Widen perspective on monitoring
Synthesis of findings
Started ideating

3. Just a quick follow-up on what I am working on:
My partner plans to establish a caretaker-network for nature-protection areas in Germany. They want to collect
data on the threats and taken actions in those areas, to use it in reports to the European commission. That way
they have a tool that enables European law to be enforced more effectivly.

4. BfN NABU FEDERAL OFFICE (COORDINATOR) NABU STATE ASSOCIATIONS
(Federal Agency NABU DISTRICT GROUPS
of Nature Conservation)
COORDINATOR
SECTION
ADMIN DATABASES
SECTION GIS STATE - PRESSURE - RESPONSE
EXPERTS
CARETAKER PUBLIC
SECTION SECTION
CARETAKER PUBLIC USERS
In the first step I identified the main stakeholders and possible touchpoints to create a blueprint and a framework
of my project.

5. NABU
CARETAKER PUBLIC EXPERTS
COORDINATOR
That first step was about understanding the system from a top-down perspective - from the eyes of coordinators
and experts. Now i reversed my perspective and tried to learn from the eyes of caretakers and public users

6. Interviews with 4 caretakers
I conducted four interviews with different people who work as caretakers in other programmes right now. That
way, I learned a lot about their tasks, their motivations, their attitudes toward the job and their general
oppinions.

7. public survey
n = 114
In parallel i developed and conducted a survey to learn about the public point of view. The survey was distributed
online on environmental protection related platforms, so it rather focused on people who are already involved
into the topic.

8. Speci Eurob
ial baromete 365
er
Eu
uropean
Flash Eurobarometer European Commission
Commission
Attitudes of Europeans
towards the issue of Attitudes of E
Europpean c ens
citize
biodiversity tow
wards the e
s enviro ent
onme
Analytical report REPO
ORT
Wave 2
Special Eurobarometer 365 / Wave EB75 2 – TNS opinion & social
Fieldw
work: April-May 2011
Fieldwork: February 2010
Publication: Aug
gust 2011
Publication: March 2010
Flash Eurobarometer 290 – The Gallup Organisation
EB75.2
Th survey has been req
his quested by the Directo
orate-Gener for the Environment
ral t
an co-ordina
nd ated by Dire
ectorate-General for Co
ommunication (DG CO OMM
This survey was requested by the Directorate General Environment, and coordinated “R
Research an Speechw
nd writing” Unit)
).
by Directorate General Communication. htt
tp://ec.europa
a.eu/public_o
opinion/index
x_en.htm
This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission.
Th document does not represent the p
his t point of view of the Europ
w pean Commission.
Th interpretat
he tions and opinions contained in it are solely those of the autho
e ors.
The interpretations and opinions contained in it are solely those of the authors.
two eurobarometer reports
n(DE)≈1000
That was why i also called in two reports by the European commission, as I wanted to compare my survey with
the bigger picture, especially when it comes to public awareness and knowledge about the topic.

9. As an individual can you play a role in
protecting the environment in Germany.
42%
37% 53%
45%
EU27 average Totally agree
Tend to agree
Germany Totally agree
Tend to agree
Source: „Attitudes of European Citizens towards the Environment“, Special Eurobarometer #365, European Commission 2011
One of the things I learned from reading those reports is, that Germans strongly think, that they can play a role
in environment protection as an individuals.
Germany is in the green inner-circle, the blue outer circle is the average of the 27 EU countries.

10. Have you heard of the term „biodiversity“
and do you know what it means?
38%
88%
77%
66%
EU27 average I heard of it and I know what it means.
I heard of it.
Germany I heard of it and I know what it means.
I heard of it.
Source: „Attitudes of Europeans towards the Issue of Biodiversity“, Flash Eurobarometer #290, European Commission 2010
Well, this is nice, but as my project is not about recycling for example it is more interesting to know about their
awareness of what biodiversity actually means.
And it seems, they have the highest awareness about biodiversity amongst all EU countries.
(Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life-forms, and a measure of the health of eco-systems)

11. Would you say that you personally make
an effort to protect biodiversity?
YES... NO... 8%
20%
11%
37%
48% 25%
15%
33%
EU27 average Yes, I do No, for other reasons
Yes, but I would like to do even more No, because I do not know what to do
Germany Yes, I do No, for other reasons
Yes, but I would like to do even more No, because I do not know what to do
Source: „Attitudes of Europeans towards the Issue of Biodiversity“, Flash Eurobarometer #290, European Commission 2010
A lot of people say they already do efforts to protect biodiversity - again, more than the european average.
But interestingly FAR fewer than the EU average would like to do more.
Does it seem like people think they have done enough?
Looking at the NO answers, a quarter of the respondents answered they did not do efforts because they don‘t
know what to do, and this turned out to be one of the most important findings that aligned with what I learned in
the interviews and my own survey..

12. „Awareness comes from
knowledge, and that is most
often lacking. If people walk
around with open eyes, a lot
more can be achieved“
„People are open and
cooperative in general, but
they know almost nothing
about the site“
To quote the caretakers, who have a lot of direct contact with people, they are actually open to the topic, but they
don‘t really know about the issues..
To sum up, one can say...

13. People don‘t really know what they can
do to protect biodiversity, they feel
they have a lack of knowledge.
People feel like they just don‘t know what to do because they are lacking the knowledge to.

14. EU funding should be allocated more to support
environmentally friendly activities and developments.
42%
44%
47%
45%
EU27 average Totally agree
Tend to agree
Germany Totally agree
Tend to agree
Source: „Attitudes of European Citizens towards the Environment“, Special Eurobarometer #365, European Commission 2011
In general, Europeans think the the EU should invest more in environment protection.

15. Have you heard about the Natura 2000 network?
11%
8%
3% 13%
8%
EU27 average Heard of it and knows what it is
Heard of it but does not know what it is
Germany Heard of it and knows what it is
Heard of it but does not know what it is
Source: „Attitudes of Europeans towards the Issue of Biodiversity“, Flash Eurobarometer #290, European Commission 2010
But for some reason, only a tiny part of the population ever heard of Natura 2000, not to speak of knowing what
it is!
By the way: The investment needed for the network is around 5.8 billion € a year...
I am pretty sure, that the network could benefit from a higher awareness.

16. Have you heard about the Natura 2000 network?
21% 50%
13%
Own survey Heard of it
EU27 average Heard of it
Germany Heard of it
Source: „Attitudes of Europeans towards the Issue of Biodiversity“, Flash Eurobarometer #290, European Commission 2010; Own Survey, 2013
In my own survey, half of the people heard of it - which can be explained by the fact, that it has been distributed
on environmental protection related platforms..

17. Please estimate your own knowledge of species that are
decisive for the designation as protected area.
10% 8%
17%
22%
Own survey I have detailed knowledge I have detailed knowledge
I have rather good knowledge I have rather good knowledge
Source: Own Survey, 2013
Still, being asked about the species that are decisive for the protection of the areas close to them, a minority
states they have good or even detailed knowledge.
This means there are strong distinctions across the population and even the ones considered rather
knowledgable say they are lacking knowledge.
And this brings me to another important thing that came up often during the interviews:

18. „The problem is when
people think nature
protection is less
important than other
things they prefer to do.“
„Some individuals often do
not know about the site, or
they don‘t care.“
People have very diverse oppinions on what nature protection means to them that reach from being really into it
to not caring about it at all.

19. There are different groups of
people, that have different levels
of commitment towards nature
protection.
There are different groups of people, that have different levels of knowledge and commitment towards nature
protection.

20. level of knowledge
level of commitment
Summing up the findings, the most important aspects describing peoples attitude towards nature protection
were
the level of commitment to nature protection
and the level of knowledge about it
I came up with this matrix but there is no empirical data behind this method, it‘s more like a way to visualize the
target groups a bit more differentiated.

21. level of knowledge
level of commitment
From analyzing the interviews, i could extract four different groups of people:
The first group of people is or has been active in nature protection and has good knowledge about at least one
area of species. That‘s why I called them „The devoted“
Second, people who are rather committed to nature protection, have a fairly decent knowledge and are willing to
participate actively in nature protection as long as it does not overwhelm them. I call them „green souls“ - a lot of
my survey‘s respondent are in that group.
Third, there are people who enjoy nature because of its recreational value, be it sports, hunting or hiking. They
don't know a lot about nature protection, and sometimes prioritize their personal interests towards protection.
They are called „hedonists“
Last but not least, the fourth group doesn't really have an interest in nature protection, or worse - they see it
being connected to bans and rules. In the field, it is hard to talk to them, because they just don‘t want to know or
don‘t care.

22. level of knowledge
level of commitment
“The devoted”
From analyzing the interviews, i could extract four different groups of people:
The first group of people is or has been active in nature protection and has good knowledge about at least one
area of species. That‘s why I called them „The devoted“
Second, people who are rather committed to nature protection, have a fairly decent knowledge and are willing to
participate actively in nature protection as long as it does not overwhelm them. I call them „green souls“ - a lot of
my survey‘s respondent are in that group.
Third, there are people who enjoy nature because of its recreational value, be it sports, hunting or hiking. They
don't know a lot about nature protection, and sometimes prioritize their personal interests towards protection.
They are called „hedonists“
Last but not least, the fourth group doesn't really have an interest in nature protection, or worse - they see it
being connected to bans and rules. In the field, it is hard to talk to them, because they just don‘t want to know or
don‘t care.

23. level of knowledge
level of commitment
“Green-souls” “The devoted”
From analyzing the interviews, i could extract four different groups of people:
The first group of people is or has been active in nature protection and has good knowledge about at least one
area of species. That‘s why I called them „The devoted“
Second, people who are rather committed to nature protection, have a fairly decent knowledge and are willing to
participate actively in nature protection as long as it does not overwhelm them. I call them „green souls“ - a lot of
my survey‘s respondent are in that group.
Third, there are people who enjoy nature because of its recreational value, be it sports, hunting or hiking. They
don't know a lot about nature protection, and sometimes prioritize their personal interests towards protection.
They are called „hedonists“
Last but not least, the fourth group doesn't really have an interest in nature protection, or worse - they see it
being connected to bans and rules. In the field, it is hard to talk to them, because they just don‘t want to know or
don‘t care.

24. level of knowledge
level of commitment
“Hedonists” “Green-souls” “The devoted”
From analyzing the interviews, i could extract four different groups of people:
The first group of people is or has been active in nature protection and has good knowledge about at least one
area of species. That‘s why I called them „The devoted“
Second, people who are rather committed to nature protection, have a fairly decent knowledge and are willing to
participate actively in nature protection as long as it does not overwhelm them. I call them „green souls“ - a lot of
my survey‘s respondent are in that group.
Third, there are people who enjoy nature because of its recreational value, be it sports, hunting or hiking. They
don't know a lot about nature protection, and sometimes prioritize their personal interests towards protection.
They are called „hedonists“
Last but not least, the fourth group doesn't really have an interest in nature protection, or worse - they see it
being connected to bans and rules. In the field, it is hard to talk to them, because they just don‘t want to know or
don‘t care.

25. level of knowledge
level of commitment
“Incurables” “Hedonists” “Green-souls” “The devoted”
From analyzing the interviews, i could extract four different groups of people:
The first group of people is or has been active in nature protection and has good knowledge about at least one
area of species. That‘s why I called them „The devoted“
Second, people who are rather committed to nature protection, have a fairly decent knowledge and are willing to
participate actively in nature protection as long as it does not overwhelm them. I call them „green souls“ - a lot of
my survey‘s respondent are in that group.
Third, there are people who enjoy nature because of its recreational value, be it sports, hunting or hiking. They
don't know a lot about nature protection, and sometimes prioritize their personal interests towards protection.
They are called „hedonists“
Last but not least, the fourth group doesn't really have an interest in nature protection, or worse - they see it
being connected to bans and rules. In the field, it is hard to talk to them, because they just don‘t want to know or
don‘t care.

26. level of knowledge
level of commitment
“Incurables” “Hedonists” “Green-souls” “The devoted”
I think the level of knowledge is something that has a lot to do with your motivation.
If you are into something, then you like to learn about it and most probably get more knowledgable, that‘s how it
works with most hobbies...
I dont think it necessarely means, that somebody who is entirely commited always knows more than somebody
who is less - and vice versa.

27. level of knowledge
users of a public touchpoint
level of commitment
“Incurables” “Hedonists” “Green-souls” “The devoted”
Anyways, i think the users of public touchpoint can be across those groups, no matter how commited they are.
I even think, that this touchpoint can be a tool not only to convey information but also to strengthen the
commitment.

28. level of knowledge
users of a
caretaker
touchpoint
level of commitment
“Incurables” “Hedonists” “Green-souls” “The devoted”
After my interviews i realized, that caretakers can‘t be seen as a separate target group at all points. It is more like
they are recruited from the most commited and rather knowlegdable people, so that is where the users for a
caretaker touchpoint can be found in those groups.

29. knowledge
commitment
I wanted to find some more detailed distinctions between the actual users,so I took the dimensions of knowledge
and commitment further to map the users.
The first group of users are specialists, like biologists that have a high knowledge and are committed to nature
protection.
Second, there are amateurs, that are really dedicated which is also their motivation to learn more.
Then there is the group of skillful citizens - who have quite some knowledge about species for instance, but they
mostly act for their own interests.
Last, there is the big group of casual users, that are definitely open to the topic, but they don‘t want to be
overwhelmed by to much information or responsibility.

30. knowledge
Specialist
- highly educated scientist
- uses scientific methods
and tools
commitment
I wanted to find some more detailed distinctions between the actual users,so I took the dimensions of knowledge
and commitment further to map the users.
The first group of users are specialists, like biologists that have a high knowledge and are committed to nature
protection.
Second, there are amateurs, that are really dedicated which is also their motivation to learn more.
Then there is the group of skillful citizens - who have quite some knowledge about species for instance, but they
mostly act for their own interests.
Last, there is the big group of casual users, that are definitely open to the topic, but they don‘t want to be
overwhelmed by to much information or responsibility.

31. knowledge
Specialist
- highly educated scientist
- uses scientific methods
and tools
commitment
Devoted Amateur
- heavily dedicated
- eager to learn
I wanted to find some more detailed distinctions between the actual users,so I took the dimensions of knowledge
and commitment further to map the users.
The first group of users are specialists, like biologists that have a high knowledge and are committed to nature
protection.
Second, there are amateurs, that are really dedicated which is also their motivation to learn more.
Then there is the group of skillful citizens - who have quite some knowledge about species for instance, but they
mostly act for their own interests.
Last, there is the big group of casual users, that are definitely open to the topic, but they don‘t want to be
overwhelmed by to much information or responsibility.

32. knowledge
Skillful Citizen Specialist
- hobby scientist - highly educated scientist
- use special equipment - uses scientific methods
and tools
commitment
Devoted Amateur
- heavily dedicated
- eager to learn
I wanted to find some more detailed distinctions between the actual users,so I took the dimensions of knowledge
and commitment further to map the users.
The first group of users are specialists, like biologists that have a high knowledge and are committed to nature
protection.
Second, there are amateurs, that are really dedicated which is also their motivation to learn more.
Then there is the group of skillful citizens - who have quite some knowledge about species for instance, but they
mostly act for their own interests.
Last, there is the big group of casual users, that are definitely open to the topic, but they don‘t want to be
overwhelmed by to much information or responsibility.

33. knowledge
Skillful Citizen Specialist
- hobby scientist - highly educated scientist
- use special equipment - uses scientific methods
and tools
commitment
Casual Tree-Hugger Devoted Amateur
- open to the topic - heavily dedicated
- easily overwhelmed - eager to learn
I wanted to find some more detailed distinctions between the actual users,so I took the dimensions of knowledge
and commitment further to map the users.
The first group of users are specialists, like biologists that have a high knowledge and are committed to nature
protection.
Second, there are amateurs, that are really dedicated which is also their motivation to learn more.
Then there is the group of skillful citizens - who have quite some knowledge about species for instance, but they
mostly act for their own interests.
Last, there is the big group of casual users, that are definitely open to the topic, but they don‘t want to be
overwhelmed by to much information or responsibility.

34. knowledge
Skillful Citizen Specialist
- hobby scientist users of a
- highly educated scientist
- use special equipment - uses scientific methods
caretaker
and tools
touchpoint
commitment
users of a
Casual Tree-Hugger touchpoint Amateur
public Devoted
- open to the topic - heavily dedicated
- easily overwhelmed - eager to learn
And this is how where I see the touchpoints of the service...At this point i stopped with the synthesis, because I
found myself defining which features would be appropriate for wich group and that felt a bit early in the process.

35. Monitoring
So i stopped there and looked into something else:
The term that was omnipresent throughout all the time until now, is „Monitoring“. I took a step back and thought
about what it actually can mean and involve...

36. This is an example of an EU funded project...It is a Fish-Robot that collects data about water-pollution in
harbours. The robot collects samples and analyzes them and sends the information to a lab in real-time (which
is a big advantage towards using divers. The robot works in a swarm that interchanges data, for example to find
a source for pollution together.

37. Another thing i think was pretty interesting, was a project called FLOAT, made by two students.
It is a project to measure air-quality in Beijing by using kites. The students provide the code and wiring diagrams
and facilitate workshops to let users build their own sensors. That way they try to initiate a dialogue on urban
environmental health issues by engaging city dwellers to activelly monitor their environment.

38. Lapka is similar in some points, still very different. It is a pocket-laboratory for the iPhone, combining different
sensors like radiation, electromagnetic fields, humidity, nitrate. It costs 220$ and clearly targets people who are
aware of mainly health-related qualities of their einvironment, for instance young wealthy parents with a baby.

39. This one is made by an interactive artist for the Fashion Brand Pimkie.
He installed cameras in three European Cities and wrote some code that analyzes the colors people wear who go
past...

40. On the webpage, people can see which colors people wore during the last week or month.
This is definitely not a project made to collect serious scientific data. But it shows up how data and code can
provide information that a lot of people may enjoy or find useful personnaly. At the same time, the brand can
market their products, but this comes from the commercial origin of the project.

41. There are tons of other personal monitoring solutions, countless sport-tracking products, like adidas MiCoach or
NikePlus, even more solutions to monitor energy and water consumption, and some more unusual things, like a
gardening assistant or an application for kids with cancer to monitor their desease, so the doctors can be treat
them better...

42. And on the other hand there are dozens of crowd-sourced monitoring solutions, many of them are map-based. I
guess you all know crimespotting, and there are others, that, for example, map clean water-sources in
developing countries, or marine infrastructure.
I also stumbled upon another platform that helps managers to monitor their employees mood - you can monitor
quite a few things...

43. People really love monitoring.
My finding here is: People really love monitoring...I asked myself what are the reasons for that?

44. satisfy curiousity
gain (scientific) knowledge
create commercial value
social or environmental benefits
personal interests
Maybe the strongest driver is curiosity, i guess thats true for a lot of things humanity does...
To gain knowledge or create commercial value are probably the most obvious reasons, as data is a very precious
good nowadays. Social and environmental monitoring approaches became widespread due to technological
progress, and as more people have access to to technology. Last but not least: People monitor for personal
interests, like training or energy consumption. I think, some of those motivations will be more relevant for my
projects, others probably less.

45. knowledge
Skillful Citizen Specialist
- hobby scientist - highly educated scientist
- use special equipment - uses scientific methods
and tools
commitment
Casual Tree-Hugger Devoted Amateur
- open to the topic - heavily dedicated
- easily overwhelmed - eager to learn
After taking this little inspirational detour, i returned to the model i created before and allocated some of the
soutions to the user groups.

46. knowledge
Network
Assistance
Bonding
commitment
Introduction
Education
Incitement
Specialization
Involvement
Then I had a closer look on those projects to extract some of the benefits they have for the user.
For example, an online platform where mariners can put in and retrieve data leads to a stronger network as they
all learn from each other, where a DIY-project on monitoring air-pollution educates people who participate,
giving them a better knowledge about the issue. And in the end, these are exactly the aspects I aim to cover with
my project as well.

47. knowledge
commitment
So, finally, the questions i want to answer during the ideation are the following:

48. knowledge
commitment
How to convey the
knowledge people need
and motivate them in the
long run without over-
whelming them?
So, finally, the questions i want to answer during the ideation are the following:

49. knowledge
commitment
How to convey the How can I provide a large
knowledge people need amount of on-demand
and motivate them in the information that rewards the
long run without over- user with deeper knowledge?
whelming them?
So, finally, the questions i want to answer during the ideation are the following:

50. knowledge
How can I make the user
more involved and connect
him to other skilled users to
build a strong network?
commitment
How to convey the How can I provide a large
knowledge people need amount of on-demand
and motivate them in the information that rewards the
long run without over- user with deeper knowledge?
whelming them?
So, finally, the questions i want to answer during the ideation are the following:

51. knowledge
How can I make the user How can the platform assist
more involved and connect highly skilled specialists with
him to other skilled users to their work without imposing
build a strong network? unwanted burdens?
commitment
How to convey the How can I provide a large
knowledge people need amount of on-demand
and motivate them in the information that rewards the
long run without over- user with deeper knowledge?
whelming them?
So, finally, the questions i want to answer during the ideation are the following:

52. Where to find the answers?
Starting with the essentilly most important stakeholder of this project: Can animals themselves help with
monitoring their own habitats? There are already quite a few species equipped with sensors, maybe there is even
more potential there? Is there even a need for sensors?

53. This is the coverage of Geocaches in Germany - and it shows pretty well that a compelling experience can
mobilize a lot of people - and it shows up another important aspect: Games or Game mechanics are very
powerful to involve people.

54. I guess all of us know, that it is really catching to build your own stuff, and this is something that may be
interesting for my project to look into: if nature conservation and DIY have a common denominator, or if
inexpensive selfmade tools can have an impact. Maybe some sort of pocket-lab is interesting?

55. Not to forget: There a numerous sources of information and data, like API‘s or tools, that are free and/or open-
source and really interesting to use in my project. I started to look into this area, but it is enormous, and I still
don‘t want to be too restricted by technology in this phase of the project.

56. Next steps
Ideating around the four questions
A workshop to broaden and refine ideas
Start prototyping and evaluating ideas
Decide in conjunction with my partner
Picture: M.Bathen, NABU