Citizen Science Contributions to Address Biodiversity Loss and Conservation Planning in a Rapidly Developing Region

被引:14
作者
Soteropoulos, Diana L. [1 ,2 ,3 ]
De Bellis, Caitlin R. [4 ]
Witsell, Theo [1 ,4 ]
机构
[1] Arkansas Nat Heritage Commiss, 1100 North St, Little Rock, AR 72201 USA
[2] Arkansas State Univ, State Univ, Environm Sci Program, POB 599, Jonesboro, AR 72467 USA
[3] Arkansas State Univ, State Univ, Dept Biol Sci, POB 599, Jonesboro, AR 72467 USA
[4] Arkansas State Univ, Dept Biol Sci, POB 599, State Univ, AR 72467 USA
来源
DIVERSITY-BASEL | 2021年 / 13卷 / 06期
关键词
community science; transcription; Notes from Nature; georeferencing; iNaturalist; element occurrence record; county natural heritage inventory; biodiversity inventory; rare plant taxa; HERBARIA; HISTORY; BIASES; PLANTS;
D O I
10.3390/d13060255
中图分类号
X176 [生物多样性保护];
学科分类号
090705 ;
摘要
Biodiversity data support conservation research and inform conservation decisions addressing the wicked problem of biodiversity loss. However, these data often need processing and compilation before use, which exceed the time availability of professional scientists. Nevertheless, scientists can recruit, train, and support a network of citizen scientists to prepare these data using online platforms. Here, we describe three citizen science projects sponsored by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission to transcribe and georeference historic herbarium specimens and document current biodiversity through iNaturalist for two highly biodiverse and rapidly developing counties in Northwest Arkansas, USA. Citizen science-generated data will be used in a county natural heritage inventory (CNHI) report, including a comprehensive list of taxa tied to voucher specimens and records for rare plant populations. Since the CNHI project started in 2018, citizen scientists have transcribed 8855 and georeferenced 2636 specimen records. From iNaturalist observations, 125 rare plant populations of 39 taxa have been documented. This CNHI report will determine the most critical taxa, habitats, and sites for conservation action in the region and will inform conservation stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels as they engage in land acquisition, ecological restoration, natural resource management, planning of growth and development, and environmental review/regulation.
引用
收藏
页数:14
相关论文
共 50 条
[1]   Reversing extinction trends: new uses of (old) herbarium specimens to accelerate conservation action on threatened species [J].
Albani Rocchetti, Giulia ;
Armstrong, Chelsey Geralda ;
Abeli, Thomas ;
Orsenigo, Simone ;
Jasper, Caroline ;
Joly, Simon ;
Bruneau, Anne ;
Zytaruk, Maria ;
Vamosi, Jana C. .
NEW PHYTOLOGIST, 2021, 230 (02) :433-450
[2]  
Antonelli A., 2020, State of the World's Plants and Fungi, DOI DOI 10.34885/172
[3]  
Arino AH., 2010, Biodiversity Informatics, V7, P82
[4]  
Arkansas GIS Office, COUNT BOUND POL VERS
[5]  
Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, ARK NAT HER DAT
[6]  
Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, 2010, GEN HIGHW MAP BENT C
[7]   Digital technology and the conservation of nature [J].
Arts, Koen ;
van der Wal, Rene ;
Adams, William M. .
AMBIO, 2015, 44 :S661-S673
[8]   Research applications of primary biodiversity databases in the digital age [J].
Ball-Damerow, Joan E. ;
Brenskelle, Laura ;
Barve, Narayani ;
Soltis, Pamela S. ;
Sierwald, Petra ;
Bieler, Rudiger ;
LaFrance, Raphael ;
Arino, Arturo H. ;
Guralnick, Robert P. .
PLOS ONE, 2019, 14 (09)
[9]   Contributions to conservation outcomes by natural history museum-led citizen science: Examining evidence and next steps [J].
Ballard, Heidi L. ;
Robinson, Lucy D. ;
Young, Alison N. ;
Pauly, Gregory B. ;
Higgins, Lila M. ;
Johnson, Rebecca F. ;
Tweddle, John C. .
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION, 2017, 208 :87-97
[10]   No specimen left behind: industrial scale digitization of natural history collections [J].
Blagoderov, Vladimir ;
Kitching, Ian J. ;
Livermore, Laurence ;
Simonsen, Thomas J. ;
Smith, Vincent S. .
ZOOKEYS, 2012, (209) :133-146