Community-Scientist Collaboration in Environmental Research

Community participation in governmental environmental decision making is firmly institutionalized. In recent years, citizens have also demanded involvement in the scientific research undergirding policy. Environmental agencies have responded and have made collaboration with community groups an integral part of large-scale research funding. Community-scientist research partnerships are not new but heretofore have involved a few committed scientists. This article reviews the literature (guides, protocols, and case studies) that addresses scientist-citizen collaboration that focuses on environmental research. The article concludes that community-scientist partnerships take extra time and resources and entail attitudinal changes. However, partnerships can produce more effective research tools and new knowledge and increase community capacity.