Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 44(2): March 2018 not notice them, but if you present them on Ins- tagram it changes people’s perception of these plants. That’s our idea.” Gewildgroei argued that they do not collect data, based on a particu- lar definition of data. The conversation revealed that they defined data as something to be used to make a map, which they have not done yet. In this same thread, Gewildgroei referred to “informal data,” and provided the following example. They noticed in the Instagram #gewildgroei feed that back alleys “are actually very interesting locations where these plants, because of circumstances— back alleys are not weeded by the municipality— get the chance to grow very well” and devel- oped a nature scavenger hunt for this land-use type. The data set of 'weeds' and their habitats in the Netherlands and beyond is growing as peo- ple increasingly use the #gewildgroei hashtag. Outcomes There are three categories of outcomes in PPSR projects: science, individual, and social- ecological systems (Shirk et al. 2012). A project does not need to produce all three outcomes, and a project might be driven by a particular outcome (Shirk et al. 2012). None of the proj- ects fulfilled each category of outcomes. Also, there was variation among projects in terms of which category had more contributing factors. Science The projects included in this study were neither large- scale data projects nor were they the typical con- tributory citizen-science projects, so the traditional metrics of science outcomes, such as numerous peer- reviewed publications, are not necessarily applicable. Some of the elements listed under Outputs are also appropriate to mention here: NESL has developed a seed bank of weedy species with specimens collect- ed in New York City and northern New Jersey and SUP maintains a digital map of spontaneous vegeta- tion locations in New York City. In addition, urban ecologists want to collaborate with NESL because of its long-term ecological data on vacant lots, includ- ing seasonal data on plants growing across 30 sites. SUP’s book, Spontaneous Urban Plants: Weeds in NYC, with a foreword by Timon McPhearson, Ph.D., is a field guide to the natural history and ecosystem services of weedy plants. Both NESL and 123 SUP have presented their work in academic and professional forums. Common Studio is operation- alizing their evolving data set of urban spontane- ous vegetation into research projects, most recently in Bangalore (see Social-Ecological Systems). Gewildgroei is explicit about its non-scientific approach: “We are designers, we are used to cre- ative processes. A scientist works in a different way.” However, Gewildgroei would like to collabo- rate with scientists who are experts in “formalizing information” so that they can use that informa- tion as a “starting point again or input.” This feed- back loop between outcomes and inputs is part of the evolution of PPSR projects (Shirk et al. 2012). Individual All four projects spoke about learning as an outcome of their work. Ecoliteracy, specifically, learning how to identify spontaneous urban plants, was mentioned by three of the four projects. This was the case with participants who had little to no previous botani- cal knowledge and those with professional levels of plant knowledge. One participant wondered about the lack of knowledge about an entire class of plants. This participant’s approach to learning was one of “reconditioning . . . to look more closely at our sur- roundings.” (R3) On the other end of the spectrum was a participant who had acquired knowledge by working with a more experienced partner: “I’ve heard you [partner] talk about mustard garlic before but it not record in my brain but then on that last walk, I think it’s finally recorded in my brain” (R1). Social-Ecological Systems While science and individual outcomes center on knowledge and skills, respectively, social-ecological outcomes are more tangible and relational. In the social-ecological systems concept, humans are ac- knowledged as a central, reciprocal component to ecosystem dynamics (Grimm et al. 2000). One type of social-ecological outcome is innovation in resource management, and Common Studio’s Ban- galore urban watershed work is an example. The design firm is collaborating with two local organi- zations on a stormwater management system. Ban- galore’s watershed is a system of cascading lakes, interconnected by historic channels known as nal- lahs. Expansive urbanization and “explosive popula- tion growth” have transformed the function of the ©2018 International Society of Arboriculture
March 2018
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