Evaluating citizen science outreach: A case-study with The Peregrine Fund's American Kestrel Partnership

Influence of an extreme event-the COVID-19 pandemic-On establishment of and data collection by a citizen science project

The recent rising incidence of extreme natural events may significantly influence the implementation of citizen science projects, including the success of outreach strategies and the quality and scope of data collection. The MassMammals Watch and subsidiary MassBears citizen science projects, initiated during the height of the pandemic, recruit volunteers to submit sightings of black bears and other mammals. In this study, we evaluated the methods we employed for engaging and retaining community volunteers during a period of intense social restrictions, and we assessed whether such conditions were associated with spatial biases in our collected data. Newspaper features were more likely to recruit volunteers who engaged with the project multiple times, but social media and internet presence were important for reaching a larger audience. Bear sighting submissions peaked in number and were more likely to be in forested areas during 2020, the height of the pandemic, compared to later years, a pattern which we suggest stems from an increased desire to participate in outdoor activities in light of social distancing measures during that year. Such shifts in patterns of data collection are likely to continue, particularly in response to increasing extreme weather events associated with climate change. Here, we both make recommendations on optimal outreach strategies for others initiating citizen science programs and illustrate the importance of assessing potential biases in data collection imposed by extreme circumstances.

Documenting butterflies with the help of citizen science in Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, India

The availability of information on the distribution and occurrence of different species in a landscape is crucial to developing an informed conservation and management plan, however such information in the Himalaya is often limited. Citizen science, which builds on the knowledge and interest of communities to contribute to science, can be a solution to this problem. In this study, we used butterflies as a model taxon in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya which shows how citizen science can aid in documenting biodiversity. The study employed both citizen science, and researcher-survey approaches to collect data, and the collective effort resulted in 407 species, which is the highest by any study carried out in the region. Results show that citizen science can be helpful as a supplementary tool for data collection in biodiversity documentation projects, and can aid in adding to the diversity and distribution records of species, including those that are unique, rare, seasonal, and nationally protected. Citizen science outreach was used to muster potential participants from the local community to participate in the study. Thus, it is advisable for citizen science projects to find means to recruit a larger pool of contributors, and citizen science outreach can be key to their success.