Poznań, January 2026 – The ERICA project (Environmental monitoRIngthrough Civic engAgement) is just ahead of launching its pilot activities,scheduled for early spring 2026.
ERICA is an ERASMUS+ project led by an international consortium comprised of several academic institutions (the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University of Barcelona, and the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan), non-governmental and civil society organizations (Cova Contro, Source International, European Association for Local Democracy), and technical partners (Socialit). The project addressesthe impact of fossil fuel industry on local communities and the environment. Itfocuses on three pilot sites strongly affected by extraction industries: Tarragona (Spain), Val d’Agri in Basilicata (Italy), and Eastern Wielkopolska (Konin, Poland).
ERICA empowers civil society to actively engage inclimate and environmental actions by using citizen science tools and a tailoredtraining methodology. The project aims to increase awareness among citizens about the impacts of fossil fuel industries, enhance their understanding, andfacilitate their participation in environmental monitoring. Through ERICA’s approach, adult citizens are provided with training and accessible tools thatenable them to acquire actionable knowledge that foster their engagement.
The Konin pilot activities will begin in March 2026 and include both theoretical and practical training. They are intended for around 15 participants, including residents representing NGOs, offices, environmental activists, and citizens concerned about the natural environment. Participants will form a community of practice: "agroup of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do andlearn how to do it better as they interact regularly" (Wenger-Trayner,2015).
The training content is based on environmentalpriorities identified during local focus group interviews. The Konin area, oncedominated by open-pit lignite mining, is currently undergoing land reclamation and ecological transition. Despite this, its landscape and ecosystems have fordecades been dramatically impacted and degraded by lignite extraction. Depletion of groundwater resources enhanced by exceptionally low rainfall, droughting oflakes, water quality issues, soil degradation and pollution are some of themain environmental problems in the area. They all negatively affect water andterrestrial biodiversity, agricultural production and protected areas in the region.
During the theoretical phase of the pilot,participants will be introduced to the ERICA project, some bestpractices from the ERICA e-booklet and the use of the ERICA e-learning platform. They will explore key environmental challengesin the Konin region and receive training that equips them with actionable knowledge. This will prepare them for field-based practical training and increase their general awareness of environmental complexity and climate change. The practical training in the field will cover water and soil qualitytests performed with accessible sensors from ERICA’s e-learning platform, water retention and biodiversity monitoring. Participants will be trained onapplication of digital tools for environmental monitoring and reliable datamanagement according to ERICA’s training methodology.
For further information, visit the website of the project and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook!
