Introduction

In March 2022, three local governments of Buenos Aires tested an
app simultaneously to gather information on freshwater ecosystems.
Led by the Co_Lab, the Accelerator Lab of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in Argentina, the project involved
scientists who developed the initial version of the app, government
officials from several areas and diverse backgrounds,
citizens, and NGOs. Originally called “Appear”, we renamed the app
“PreserVamos”, along with the scientists that created it. Some of
the items on which information was gathered through the app had
been defined by the municipalities themselves. The app displayed
the logo of the municipality where the user was located, and government
officials took active part in the fieldwork. The testing phase
yielded valuable and diverse information on freshwater ecosystems,
promoting innovation and local environmental governance.
It also assessed the contribution of citizen participation in this crowdsourcing initiative.