Category: Citizen science

Citizen science, Infographic, Monitoring and methods, Practitioners, Research summaries

MammalWeb: The potential of citizen science for large-scale mammal monitoring

Feature photo: A camera trap photo © MammalWeb (CC BY-SA 2.0) In their latest article, Pen-Yuan Hsing et al. describe the processes involved in launching and running MammalWeb – a successful camera trapping project that has produced over 440,00 classified image sequences and videos over the past decade. It is unlikely to come as a shock to readers of the Applied Ecologist that the world … Continue reading MammalWeb: The potential of citizen science for large-scale mammal monitoring

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Citizen science, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Research stories: Strava, GBIF and Citizen Science

Lead author Caitlin Mandeville recalls how she and her co-authors kept their focus close to home in their latest research that explores connections between citizen science and recreation in natural areas. Just about every community has some small, unassuming natural areas that are mainly known to locals: a neighbourhood park, a small wildlife preserve, a field on the edge of town. These places might not … Continue reading Research stories: Strava, GBIF and Citizen Science

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Citizen science, Coastal and marine, Practitioners, Research summaries, Restoration

Research stories: Boxing for conservation

Authors Brian Burke and Darren O’Connell discuss the conservation of roseate terns at Europe’s largest colony on Rockabill Island in Dublin, Ireland, with their latest research highlighting the important role artificial nestboxes have played in the species’ population growth and recovery. The role of a tern warden on Rockabill Island has been described on more than one occasion as a dream job. A summer spent … Continue reading Research stories: Boxing for conservation

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Citizen science, Freshwater, Practitioners, Research summaries, Urban ecosystems

Eight steps to urban amphibian conservation: Framework to translate ecological knowledge to action

New research by Lee et al. demonstrates the utility of an eight-step framework to identify priority wetland habitats and movement corridors for urban amphibian conservation in cities. Author Nicole Kahal explains more in this blog post. Amphibians are one of the most imperilled species assemblages with diversity and abundance declines reported globally. Considered a key indicator of ecological condition, amphibians face many challenges in the … Continue reading Eight steps to urban amphibian conservation: Framework to translate ecological knowledge to action

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Citizen science, Freshwater, Infographic, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries, Themed collections, Urban ecosystems

Research stories: The power of participatory research

Lead author Rachel Aronoff recalls her discovery of Hackuarium, a community laboratory, whose study on lake water quality demonstrates how meaningful environmental monitoring can be achieved with participatory research. It was late in 2015 when I first encountered Hackuarium and its ‘biohacker’ members while organising a biosensor course in collaboration with several of its members – I had never seen anything like it. Who were … Continue reading Research stories: The power of participatory research

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Citizen science, Coastal and marine, In Focus, Monitoring and methods

Drones and Citizen Scientists – the future of ecology

Why are the United Nations advocating for citizen science and technology? Using an Australian case study, let’s see how drones and local communities may be the answer to large scale and ongoing ecological monitoring. In the past, research in inaccessible areas has been limited to either small samples sizes, due to high costs and safety issues, or lower resolution data from satellites. However, drones can … Continue reading Drones and Citizen Scientists – the future of ecology

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Citizen science, Research summaries, Themed collections, Urban ecosystems

Tanja Petersen: Uncovering biases in Citizen Science data

Photo © Andreas Frisch In this Q&A, we ask author Tanja Petersen about her team’s research on the GBIF database, and find out a little bit more about the author herself. This article is part of the BES cross-journal special feature on Citizen Science. The research What’s your article about? The article is about skews and biases in GBIF data. Specifically, how the origin of … Continue reading Tanja Petersen: Uncovering biases in Citizen Science data

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Citizen science, Invasive species, Monitoring and methods, Research summaries

Catch them if you can! A combined effort by citizens and scientists to monitor mosquitoes in Germany

In their latest research, Pernat and colleagues evaluate the performance of the German citizen science project ‘Mückenatlas’, in comparison to professional mosquito monitoring efforts. Mosquitoes – everyone knows them, hardly anyone likes them, and as carriers of pathogens, they can also pose a threat to the health of humans and animals. These negative connotations associated with mosquitos have been put to use by Mückenatlas, a … Continue reading Catch them if you can! A combined effort by citizens and scientists to monitor mosquitoes in Germany

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Citizen science, Monitoring and methods, Practitioners, Research summaries, Themed collections

Can ‘Citizen Scientists’ play a valid role in conservation management?

The emergence of citizen science in biodiversity monitoring has transformed the methods by which biodiversity surveys can be conducted. With the recent development of automatic visual identification tools, Pierre Bonnet and colleagues present two distinct case studies implementing citizen science and the use of Pl@ntNet, an automatic plant identification platform. This article is part of the BES cross-journal special feature on Citizen Science. Effective monitoring … Continue reading Can ‘Citizen Scientists’ play a valid role in conservation management?

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Citizen science, Conferences and events, Journal covers, Journal news

How can citizen science help solve environmental crises?

Isabel Bishop (Research Manager) and Toos Van Noordwijk (Science, Policy and Innovation Director) from Earthwatch Europe reflect on discussions from the recent British Ecological Society Annual Meeting about how citizen science can deliver real impact. The session was beautifully captured in the graphic recording above by Holly McKelvey, holly draws.  ‘Citizen science’ and the related terms ‘community science’ and ‘participatory monitoring’ have become buzz words … Continue reading How can citizen science help solve environmental crises?

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