Scenario of application of citizen science as strategy to promote community participation in Miraflores district, Nor Yauyos Cochas Reserve - Peru.

Resumen

Given the growing concern about the challenges of water management and conservation in mountain systems, it is necessary to adopt sustainable practices and increase the involvement of rural populations in projects and research in their territories, motivating their participation through benefits such as those offered by citizen science, which allows understanding the complexity of territories such as the Cañete River Basin in the Central Andes of Peru. For this reason, we analyze the impact that a scenario of applying the citizen science approach in the MERESE FIDA project would have on the perception of the inhabitants regarding their participation and involvement in the district of Miraflores, Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve. To this end, 122 surveys were conducted on demographic aspects, motivations and limitations of their participation, and the results were processed in spreadsheets and statistical analysis software. It was found that participation in the citizen science approach would increase significantly to at least 75% and could reach up to 93% if the benefits and commitment to the community were emphasized, with a strong correlation with the level of education achieved, the average age of the age group and the generation to which they belong. We conclude that citizen science motivates greater interest in participating in projects because it allows them to obtain knowledge that they can apply to their own livelihood activities, enhanced by the possibility of participating in spaces of analysis and decision making, which is more recurrent among more educated and younger people.