Fostering natural world engagements: Design lessons & issues from, the My Naturewatch training programme

Nature's welfare is inter-twinned with humankinds’, requiring mass citizen-led action. Wildlife advocate Attenborough says, ‘we share responsibility for the future of life on earth, [we all have] the power to change’. The My Naturewatch project (NW) follows research through design approaches: deploying DIY devices, supporting new engagement methods between nature, technology and humans. The NW cameras assist participants in capturing images of ‘back garden’ wildlife. Authors position NW cameras as agent(s), enabling ‘designed engagement(s)’ establishing; agency, serendipity and impact. The article recounts a ‘Training Scheme’, providing nature organisation(s) methods to foster public engagement through DIY, accessible digital technologies. The scheme encouraged appropriation; suiting contextual, environmental and organisational requirements. Authors unpick experiences and issues, realised (through practice) by fourteen nationally acclaimed wildlife and conservation organisations, independently running workshops with NW tools. Findings report on issues and opportunities of; designed community engagement(s) for practitioners engaged with defining more sustainable practices