How we use your data
Tiny Forest is an innovative tree planting project which uses citizen science to understand the benefits of small, Miyawaki forests in urban areas, and the factors that affect the provision of those benefits.
Before you decide whether or not to take part in Tiny Forest it is important that you understand why we are doing it and what it will involve. Please take the time to read the following information carefully and confirm that you agree to us using your data in this way.
You can contact the Tiny Forest team at any time (before, during and after your involvement) to ask questions, get more information, or for other clarification at
There is no planned end date for the Tiny Forest programme. Your level and length of involvement is entirely up to you. You are free to decide whether or not to take part and may withdraw from Tiny Forest at any time.
How we will capture, manage and use your data
Taking part in Tiny Forest may involve collecting personal information about you and we may use your personal information for different purposes:
- Becoming a Tree Keeper and signing up to the Tiny Forest portal. Your first name, last name and email address will be required for portal sign up.
- Conducting Tiny Forest monitoring surveys. Your scientific data will be anonymised and shared on other science databases. Postal information may be required if research equipment is agreed to be sent to you. You may choose to participate in none, one or several of them.
- Sending you information about Tiny Forest and Earthwatch, our supporters and beneficiaries, and activities you can be involved in, where we have consent or are otherwise allowed to. You may opt-out at any time.
- Processing scientific contributions or donations that you make, thanking and informing you of the impact you have made.
- Events management.
- Asking participants in our activities and programmes for feedback to help us with market research and improving our operations.
- Responding to your enquiries, compliments and complaints.
- To show you content that is relevant and appropriate to your interests.
- To record correspondence in our database.
- To ensure we do not send unwanted information to supporters or members of the public who have informed us they do not wish to be contacted.
This information will be protected in the following ways:
- All data is stored on secure systems.
- When downloaded, any identifiers will be disassociated from the data and a unique identifier added.
- Registration data will only be stored on Earthwatch Europe’s internal systems and our Amazon Cloud server.
- Only Earthwatch Europe staff will have access to your raw data.
Any change to these systems will always be secure and Data Protection Act 2018 compliant in order to protect your privacy. Data is intended to inform environmental management advice, policy, and engagement practices. As such:
- Data that you provide will be held by Earthwatch and as appropriate shared with external researchers and Tiny Forest partner organisations, governed by legally binding agreements that protect participant anonymity.
- Anonymised data will be shared with external researchers and Tiny Forest partner organisations.
- Anonymised data will be shared with open repositories allowing other conservation organisations and researchers to use the data in their own analyses.
- Anonymised data may also be shared with participants to perform their own analyses.
Upon withdrawing from Tiny Forest, if you have not requested to be forgotten, we may re-contact you to request your participation in follow-up studies or other Earthwatch programmes.
Earthwatch Europe is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy and holding your personal information in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018. Read our full privacy policy at https://earthwatch.org.uk/privacy-policy.
The Tiny Forest Research team
Tiny Forest is a programme operated by Earthwatch Europe.
The researchers overseeing the project (as of March 2023) are:
- Dr Toos van Noordwijk
- Dr Victor Beumer
- Dr Daniel Hayhow
- Dr Claire Narraway
- Dr Sophie Cowling
You can contact the Tiny Forest team by emailing
Risks of involvement
Any activity has possible risks associated with it. The citizen science monitoring activities in Tiny Forest may cause all, some, or none of the risks listed. Unknown or unexpected risks may also occur.
Risks include but are not limited to:
- Adverse weather conditions including strong sun/hot weather
- Injury (eg from slipping, tripping etc)
- Rashes/reactions/stings/scratches/bites from plants and wildlife
- Working near water – drowning or Weils’ disease
- Falling tree branches.
Participation in Tiny Forest is at your own risk and you will be asked to agree to a Participant Agreement prior to taking part.
Withdrawal process
You can withdraw from Tiny Forest at any time, without penalty by emailing
Your rights
You have the right to:
- A copy of the information we hold about you
- Withdraw consent at any time
- Change your personal information
- Request the deletion or removal of your personal information in certain circumstances, including where it is no longer necessary for us to hold it for the purposes for which we are processing it
- Restrict our processing of your data if there is disagreement about its accuracy or legitimate usage
- Move, copy or transfer your personal information easily and safely from one IT environment to another, in some circumstances
- Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Please note that these rights are not exercisable in all circumstances e.g. personal data may not have to be erased if it is needed in the interests of public health, or to support legal claims, compliance and scientific or historical research. You can enact these rights by contacting
Earthwatch Europe’s rights
Participation may be terminated if the participant persistently or severely breaches Earthwatch’s Terms of Use, which include but are not limited to:
- Posting of obscene or offensive language or material
- Posting defamatory, abusive, discriminatory or hateful material or applauding or encouraging such material
- Posting confidential material/private information.
Participants will be informed before such action is taken.
Reporting concerns
If you have questions about your rights, or you want to make sure this is a valid study, you may contact the Earthwatch Ethics Committee (
Please email
Participant Consent
By submitting data as part of Tiny Forest I agree to the following.
Taking part in the project
- I have read and understood the above information, or it has been read to me. I have been able to ask questions about Tiny Forest and my questions have been satisfactorily answered.
- I consent voluntarily to be a participant in Tiny Forest and understand that I can refuse to answer questions and I can withdraw from the study at any time, without having to give a reason. I do this by informing the Tiny Forest team at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . - I understand that taking part in Tiny Forest requires me to provide data and that this may involve taking part in online or paper surveys.
Use of my data in the project
- I understand that data which can identify me will only be shared beyond the Earthwatch team where absolutely necessary for research purposes and governed by strict confidentiality agreements that protect my anonymity.
- I agree that the data provided by me may be used for the following purposes:
- Presentation and discussion of the project and its results in research activities (e.g. project meetings, conferences)
- Publications and reports describing the project and its results
- Dissemination of the project and its results, including publication of data on web pages and databases.
- I give permission for my words to be quoted for the purposes described above.
- I give permission for my visual image, or activities I perform in my Tiny Forest, contained in photos or video gathered during the research to be used for the purposes described above.
Security of my data
- I understand that safeguards will be put in place to protect my identity and my data during the research, and if my data is kept for future use.
- I confirm that I have been described these safeguards, told how to relocate them on the Tiny Forest website, and that they are acceptable to me.
- I understand that no computer system is completely secure but all practicable steps will be taken to protect my data and my anonymity.
Copyright
I give permission for data gathered during this project to be used, copied, excerpted, annotated, displayed and distributed for the purposes to which I have consented.
Earthwatch reserve the right to update this Policy. You will be notified of any material changes.