Evaluating pollution-related damage and restoration success in urban forests with participatory monitoring and digital tools

• Published in: Conservation biology Vol. 37; no. 5; p. e14112
• Main Authors: Reyes-Galindo, Verónica, Jaramillo-Correa, Juan Pablo, Carrasco Nava, Karina, De-la-Rosa-González, Alejandra Elizabeth, Flores Flores, David, Martínez, Mauricio, Monroy-De-la-Rosa, Luis Alberto, Morelos Zamora, Miguel Ángel, Ramírez Morales, Billy Emmanuel, Ramírez Morales, Oliver Tanui, Rodríguez, María Del Pilar, Salazar Zamora, Maurilio, Zamora Callejas, Claudio, Zamora Callejas, Rafael, Zamora, César, Zamora, Tonatiuh, González-Camacho, Victor Alejandro, Rebollo, Erick, Torres-Jardón, Ricardo, Wegier, Ana, Mastretta-Yanes, Alicia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-10-2023
• Subjects: Abies religiosa; Asymptomatic; Community involvement; Damage; Decision making; Foliage; Forests; Local communities; Monitoring; Monitoring systems; Ozone; Pollution; Restoration; Trees; Urban forests; digital tools; monitoreo participativo; 参与式监测; 城市周边森林; 数字工具; peri-urban forests; 神圣冷杉 (Abbies religiosa); ozone pollution; participatory monitoring; contaminación por ozono; Abies religiosa; bosques periurbanos; herramientas digitales; 臭氧污染
• ISSN: 0888-8892; 1523-1739
• DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14112

Peri-urban forest monitoring requires indicators of vegetation damage. An example is the sacred fir (Abies religiosa) forests surrounding Mexico City, which have been heavily exposed to tropospheric ozone, a harmful pollutant, for over 4 decades. We developed a participatory monitoring system with which local community members and scientists generated data on ozone tree damage. Santa Rosa Xochiac rangers (13) used the digital tool KoboToolBox to record ozone damage to trees, tree height, tree ages, tree condition, tree position, and whether the tree had been planted. Thirty-five percent of the trees (n = 1765) had ozone damage. Younger trees had a lower percentage of foliage damaged by ozone than older trees (p < 0.0001), and asymptomatic trees tended to be younger (p < 0.0001). Symptomatic trees were taller than asymptomatic trees of the same age (R
 = 0.43, R
 = 0.27). Involving local communities facilitated forest monitoring and using digital technology improved data quality. This participatory system can be used to monitor forest condition change over time and thus aids restoration efforts driven by government or local communities' interests, facilitating local decision-making.