Citizen science is a vital partnership for invasive alien species management and research

Michael J O Pocock; Tim Adriaens; Sandro Bertolino; René Eschen; Franz Essl; Philip E Hulme; Jonathan M Jeschke; Helen E Roy; Heliana Teixeira; Maarten de Groot

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.108623

Citizen science is a vital partnership for invasive alien species management and research

iScience. 2023 Dec 3;27(1):108623. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108623. eCollection 2024 Jan 19.

Authors

Michael J O Pocock¹, Tim Adriaens², Sandro Bertolino³, René Eschen⁴, Franz Essl⁵, Philip E Hulme⁶, Jonathan M Jeschke^{7

8}, Helen E Roy^{1

9}, Heliana Teixeira¹⁰, Maarten de Groot¹¹

Affiliations

¹ UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK.
² Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Brussels, Belgium.
³ Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
⁴ CABI, Delémont, Switzerland.
⁵ Division of BioInvasions, Global Change & Macroecology, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
⁶ Bioprotection Aotearoa, Department of Pest Management and Conservation, Lincoln University, PO Box 84850, Christchurch, Lincoln 7648, New Zealand.
⁷ Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany.
⁸ Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
⁹ Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom.
¹⁰ Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal.
¹¹ Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Abstract

Invasive alien species (IAS) adversely impact biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and socio-economics. Citizen science can be an effective tool for IAS surveillance, management, and research, providing large datasets over wide spatial extents and long time periods, with public participants generating knowledge that supports action. We demonstrate how citizen science has contributed knowledge across the biological invasion process, especially for early detection and distribution mapping. However, we recommend that citizen science could be used more for assessing impacts and evaluating the success of IAS management. Citizen science does have limitations, and we explore solutions to two key challenges: ensuring data accuracy and dealing with uneven spatial coverage of potential recorders (which limits the dataset's "fit for purpose"). Greater co-development of citizen science with public stakeholders will help us better realize its potential across the biological invasion process and across ecosystems globally while meeting the needs of participants, local communities, scientists, and decision-makers.

Keywords: Ecology; Natural sciences; Nature conservation.

Publication types

Review