Citizen science, participatory research, and naturalistic knowledge production: Opening spaces for epistemic plurality (an interdisciplinary comparative workshop in France at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle [“National museum of natural History”])

Participation has become a major theme of naturalistic knowledge production in environmental management. This research paper will share the results of collaborative, reflexive work conducted at the French Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (“National Museum of Natural History”). The participatory turn emerges from the rise of “big data” science and the recognition of local knowledge in the development of environmental policies. The production of naturalistic knowledge redefines itself, entangled in the relations between science and society. We explored the consequences of this ongoing process on the transformation of power asymmetries and of the legitimacy of various epistemic frameworks. The workshop project entitled “Participation and Production of Naturalistic Knowledge” allowed exchanges between scientists engaged in various participatory research projects. Our work was guided by two goals: to produce the conditions needed for an open discussion between practitioners from different research fields and disciplines, and to go beyond specific networks, territories, and analytical frameworks. The projects presented varied from participatory cartography programs related to the creation of protected areas or to territorial claims, to large-scale monitoring programs in biodiversity and water management. We show the relevance of opening a dialogue between approaches focused on the empirical side of research projects to enhance the transformative potential of participatory practices toward increasing epistemic plurality.