Knowledge-driven citizen engagement as a support tool for aquatic ecosystem protection and restoration

The degradation of aquatic ecosystems is one of the most pressing environmental challenges of the 21st century. Pollution, biodiversity loss, and ineffective governance all threaten the sustainability of these vital ecosystems. This study adopts a holistic approach to the study of aquatic ecosystem protection. This approach integrates citizen engagement, technological innovations, governance frameworks, and sustainable practices within the theoretical context of knowledge dynamics. The study extends Bratianu’s knowledge dynamics framework by introducing the concept of holistic evolutionary knowledge. The study thus examines the interplay between rational, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of knowledge in driving ecological stewardship. Data were collected from respondents from Romania and Greece. These two countries were chosen for their distinct ecological and socioeconomic contexts to provide a comparative perspective on citizen engagement and sustainable practices. A structured questionnaire was distributed to gather data from 374 participants. Analysis of these data was conducted using three methods. The XGBoost machine learning algorithm enabled predictive modeling. Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to assess statistically significant differences between countries. Finally, correlation analysis was performed to identify linear relationships between variables. The findings reveal citizen engagement and emotional knowledge as the strongest predictors of sustainable behavior, with multidimensional knowledge positively linked to ecological practices, thereby advancing SDG 6 and informing citizen science, policy, and environmental action.