Designing Citizen Science in Thailand: A Process Evaluation of a Program in a Contested Mining Context
References
- Adu-Baffour, F., Daum, T., and Birner, R. (2021) Governance challenges of small-scale gold mining in Ghana: Insights from a process net-map study. Land Use Policy, 102,
105271 . Available at: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.105271 - Ansell, C. and Gash, A. (2008) Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571. Available at: 10.1093/jopart/mum032
- Bonney, R., Phillips, T.B., Ballard, H.L., and Enck, J.W. (2016) Can citizen science enhance public understanding of science? Public Understanding of Science, 25(1), 2–16. Available at: 10.1177/0963662515607406
- Bovens, M. (2007) Analysing and assessing accountability: A conceptual framework 1. European Law Journal, 13(4), 447–468. Available at: 10.1111/j.1468-0386.2007.00378.x
- Brugha, R. and Varvasovszky, Z. (2000) Stakeholder analysis: a review. Health Policy and Planning, 15(3), 239–246. Available at: 10.1093/heapol/15.3.239
- Bryson, J.M. (2004) What to do when stakeholders matter: stakeholder identification and analysis techniques. Public Management Review, 6(1), 21–53. Available at: 10.1080/14719030410001675722
- Condon, M. (2017) Citizen scientists, data transparency, and the mining industry. Natural Resources & Environment, 32(2), 26–30. Available at:
https://policyintegrity.org/documents/MadisonCondonCitizenScien.pdf - Conrad, C.C. and Hilchey, K.G. (2011) A review of citizen science and community-based environmental monitoring: issues and opportunities. Environmental Monitoring Assessment, 176, 273–291. Available at: 10.1007/s10661-010-1582-5
- Dickinson, J. and Bonney, R. (Eds.) (2012) Citizen science: Public participation in environmental research. Cornell University Press.
- Durand, J. (2012) The impact of gold mining on the Witwatersrand on the rivers and karst system of Gauteng and North West Province, South Africa. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 68, 24–43. Available at: 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2012.03.013
- Fung, A. (2015) Putting the public back into governance: The challenges of citizen participation and its future. Public Administration Review, 75(4), 513–522. Available at: 10.1111/puar.12361
- Golumbic, Y. N., Baram-Tsabari, A., and Koichu, B. (2020) Engagement and communication features of scientifically successful citizen science projects. Environmental Communication, 14(4), 465–480. Available at: 10.1080/17524032.2019.1687101
- Haklay, M. (2012)
Citizen science and volunteered geographic information: Overview and typology of participation . In D. Sui, Elwood, S., Goodchild, M. (Ed.), Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge. Springer. pp. 105–122. Available at: 10.1007/978-94-007-4587-2_7 - Haklay, M. (2015) Citizen science and policy: a European perspective. Available at:
https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1478414/ (Last accessed 25 March 2026). - Haklay, M., Dörler, D., Heigl, F., Manzoni, M., Hecker, S., Vohland, K., Vohland, K., Land-Zandstra, A., Ceccaroni, L., and Lemmens, R. (2021)
What is citizen science? The challenges of definition . In K. Vohland, A. Land-Zandstra, L. Ceccaroni, R. Lemmens, J. Perelló, M. Ponti, R. Samson, and K. Wagenknecht (Eds.), The Science of Citizen Science. Springer. Pp. 13–33. Available at: 10.1007/978-3-030-58278-4 - Hasan, M.A., Nahiduzzaman, K.M., and Aldosary, A.S. (2018) Public participation in EIA: A comparative study of the projects run by government and non-governmental organizations. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 72, 12–24. Available at: 10.1016/j.eiar.2018.05.001
- Hecker, S., Haklay, M., Bowser, A., Makuch, Z., Vogel, J., and Bonn, A. (2018)
Innovation in open science, society and policy–setting the agenda for citizen science . In M. H. S. Hecker, A. Bowser, Z. Makuch, J. Vogel, and A. Bonn (Ed.), Citizen Science: Innovation in open science, society and policy. UCL Press. pp. 1–23. Available at: 10.14324/111.9781787352339 - Hilson, G. (2002). The environmental impact of small-scale gold mining in Ghana: identifying problems and possible solutions. Geographical Journal, 168(1), 57–72. Available at: 10.1111/1475-4959.00038
- Holmes, A.G.D. (2020) Researcher Positionality--A Consideration of Its Influence and Place in Qualitative Research--A New Researcher Guide. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 8(4), 1–10. Available at:
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1268044.pdf (Last accessed 25 March 2026). - Irwin, A. (1995) Citizen Science: A Study of People, Expertise and Sustainable Development. Routledge. Available at: 10.4324/9780203202395
- Irwin, A. and Michael, M. (2003) Science, social theory and public knowledge. Open University Press.
- Jalbert, K. and Kinchy, A.J. (2016) Sense and influence: environmental monitoring tools and the power of citizen science. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 18(3), 379–397. Available at: 10.1080/1523908X.2015.1100985
- Kantamaturapoj, K., Chanchitpricha, C., Hongsuwan, P., Suebsing, P., Thaweesuk, S., and Wibulpolprasert, S. (2023) A framework of stakeholder analysis for public participation in EIA process: a case study of Thailand. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 41(6), 444–462. Available at: 10.1080/14615517.2023.2261748
- Kantamaturapoj, K., Piyajun, G., and Wibulpolprasert, S. (2018) Stakeholder’s opinion of public participation in Thai environmental and health impact assessment. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 1–13. Available at: 10.1080/14615517.2018.1491172
- Khoman, S., Nottage, L., and Thanitcul, S. (2024)
Foreign Investment, Corruption, Investment Treaties and Arbitration in Thailand . In N. Teramura, L. Nottage, and B. Jetin (Eds.), Corruption and Illegality in Asian Investment Arbitration. Singapore: Springer Nature. pp. 393–421. Available at: 10.1007/978-981-99-9303-1 - Kieslinger, B., Schäfer, T., Heigl, F., Dörler, D., Richter, A., and Bonn, A. (2018)
Evaluating citizen science-towards an open framework . In M. H. S. Hecker, A. Bowser, Z. Makuch, J. Vogel, and A. Bonn (Ed.), Citizen Science: Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy. UCL Press. Available at: 10.14324/111.9781787352339 - Kyaw, W. T., Kuang, X., and Sakakibara, M. (2020) Health impact assessment of artisanal and small-scale gold mining area in Myanmar, Mandalay Region: Preliminary research. International Journal of Environmental Research Public Health, 17(18),
6757 . Available at: 10.3390/ijerph17186757 - Laurence, D. (2021) The devolution of the social licence to operate in the Australian mining industry. The Extractive Industries and Society, 8(2),
100742 . Available at: 10.1016/j.exis.2020.05.021 - Li, F. (2009) Documenting accountability: environmental impact assessment in a Peruvian mining project. Political Legal Anthropology Review, 32(2), 218–236. Available at: 10.1111/j.1555-2934.2009.01042.x
- Luyet, V., Schlaepfer, R., Parlange, M.B., and Buttler, A. (2012) A framework to implement stakeholder participation in environmental projects. Journal of Environmental Management, 111, 213–219. Available at: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.06.026
- Magson, K., Monacella, E., Scott, C., Buffat, N., Arunrugstichai, S., Chuangcharoendee, M., Pierce, S.J., Holmberg, J., and Araujo, G. (2022) Citizen science reveals the population structure and seasonal presence of whale sharks in the Gulf of Thailand. Journal of Fish Biology, 101(3), 540–549. Available at: 10.1111/jfb.15121
- Mestanza-Ramón, C., Cuenca-Cumbicus, J., D’Orio, G., Flores-Toala, J., Segovia-Cáceres, S., Bonilla-Bonilla, A., and Straface, S. (2022) Gold mining in the Amazon Region of ecuador: History and a review of its socio-environmental impacts. Land, 11(2),
221 . Available at: 10.3390/land11020221 - Miserendino, R.A., Bergquist, B.A., Adler, S.E., Guimarães, J.R.D., Lees, P.S., Niquen, W., Velasquez-López, P.C., and Veiga, M.M. (2013) Challenges to measuring, monitoring, and addressing the cumulative impacts of artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Ecuador. Resources Policy, 38(4), 713–722. Available at: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2013.03.007
- Molloy, J.B., Rodbell, D.T., Gillikin, D.P., and Hollocher, K.T. (2020) Citizen science campaign reveals widespread fallout of contaminated dust from mining activities in the central Peruvian Andes. Geology, 48(7), 678–682. Available at: 10.1130/G47096.1
- Ogola, J.S., Mitullah, W.V., and Omulo, M.A. (2002) Impact of gold mining on the environment and human health: a case study in the Migori gold belt, Kenya. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 24, 141–157. Available at: 10.1023/A:1014207832471
- Otwong, A. (2022). Impacts of community science to environmental monitoring and enforcement: case studies of mining pollution in Thailand. Doctor of Juridical Science. Washington College of Law. American University. Washington, D.C. Available at:
https://aura.american.edu/articles/thesis/Impacts_of_community_science_to_environmental_monitoring_and_enforcement_case_studies_of_mining_pollution_in_Thailand/23860953/1 (Last accessed 25 March 2026). - Phenrat, T., Mitsuhata, Y., Ueda, T., Kawabe, Y., Karino, Y., Sato, H., Maneechuket, W., Pladboon, T., Laoharojanaphand, S., and Khamdee, K. (2021) Three lines of evidence: Using geophysical approaches, geochemical approaches, and visual observation to assess potential leakage of mine water from tailing storage facility of a gold mine in Thailand Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2021, Available at: 10.4133/sageep.33-050
- Phillips, T.B., Ballard, H.L., Lewenstein, B.V., and Bonney, R. (2019) Engagement in science through citizen science: Moving beyond data collection. Science Education, 103(3), 665–690. Available at: 10.1002/sce.21501
- Robinson, L.D., Cawthray, J.L., West, S.E., Bonn, A., and Ansine, J. (2018)
Ten principles of citizen science . In M.H.S. Hecker, A. Bowser, Z. Makuch, J. Vogel, and A. Bonn (Ed.), Citizen Science: Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy (first ed.). UCL Press. pp. 27–40. Available at: 10.14324/111.9781787352339 - Rowe, G. and Frewer, L.J. (2000) Public participation methods: a framework for evaluation. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 25(1), 3–29. Available at: 10.1177/01622439000250010
- Stevenson, H. and Dryzek, J. (2014) Democratizing global climate governance. Cambridge University Press. Available at: 10.1017/CBO9781139208628
- Sutthirat, C. and Changul, C. (2013) Geochemical characteristics of waste rocks from the Akara gold mine, Phichit Province, Thailand. Arabian Journal for Science Engineering, 38, 135–147. Available at: 10.1007/s13369-012-0400-5
- Tran, Q.B., Khum-in, V., and Phenrat, T. (2022) Assessing potential health impacts of cyanide-contaminated seepage in paddy field near a gold mine in Thailand: Cyanide Speciation and Vapor Intrusion Modeling. Exposure and Health, 14(2), 459–473. Available at: 10.1007/s12403-022-00466-4
- Ungsuchaval, T. (2022). NGOs and Civil Society in Thailand: Metagovernance and the Politics of NGO Funding. Routledge. Available at: 10.4324/9781003166009
- Ungsuchaval, T. (2025) Unpacking the dynamics of public policy in Thailand: From centralization to innovation. Cheltenham: EE. Available at: 10.4337/9781035319602.00038
- Ungsuchaval, T. and Ariyasirichot, W. (2023)
The role of the community sector and civil society in policy analysis . In O. Poocharoen and P. Boossabong (Eds.), Policy analysis in Thailand. Policy Press. pp. 230–247. Available at: 10.51952/9781447367109.ch013 - Ungsuchaval, T., Kantamaturapoj, K., Leelahavarong, P., Yothasamut, J., Ponragdee, K., Prawjaeng, J., and Hadnorntun, P. (2022) Advocating evidence-informed policy in Thailand: The case of the development of bicycle commuting policy framework. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 10(3), 1727–1734. Available at: 10.1016/j.cstp.2022.07.003
- Ungsuchaval, T., Kantamaturapoj, K., and Punthong, W. (2024) Polarization needs conversation: creating deliberative thinking environment through My Country Talks in Thailand. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 37(3), 874–897. Available at: 10.1080/13511610.2024.2337667
- Vann-Sander, S., Clifton, J., and Harvey, E. (2016) Can citizen science work? Perceptions of the role and utility of citizen science in a marine policy and management context. Marine Policy, 72, 82–93. Available at: 10.1016/j.marpol.2016.06.026
- Veiga, M.M. and Fadina, O. (2020) A review of the failed attempts to curb mercury use at artisanal gold mines and a proposed solution. The Extractive Industries Society, 7(3), 1135–1146. Available at: 10.1016/j.exis.2020.06.023
- Vohland, K., Land-Zandstra, A., Ceccaroni, L., Lemmens, R., Perelló, J., Ponti, M., Samson, R., and Wagenknecht, K. (2021)
The science of citizen science evolves . In K. Vohland, A. Land-Zandstra, L. Ceccaroni, R. Lemmens, J. Perelló, M. Ponti, R. Samson, and K. Wagenknecht (Eds.), The Science of Citizen Science. Springer. pp. 1–12. Available at: 10.1007/978-3-030-58278-4 - Wehn, U., Gharesifard, M., Ceccaroni, L., Joyce, H., Ajates, R., Woods, S., Bilbao, A., Parkinson, S., Gold, M., and Wheatland, J. (2021) Impact assessment of citizen science: state of the art and guiding principles for a consolidated approach. Sustainability Science, 16(5), 1683–1699. Available at: 10.1007/s11625-021-00959-2
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.973 | Journal eISSN: 2057-4991
Language: English
Submitted on: Dec 29, 2025
Accepted on: Apr 2, 2026
Published on: Apr 21, 2026
Published by: Ubiquity Press
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 1 issue per year
Keywords:
© 2026 Theerapat Ungsuchaval, Kanang Kantamaturapoj, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.