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
Affiliations
Michael J.O. Pocock
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK; Corresponding author
Tim Adriaens
Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Brussels, Belgium
Sandro Bertolino
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
René Eschen
CABI, Delémont, Switzerland
Franz Essl
Division of BioInvasions, Global Change & Macroecology, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Philip E. Hulme
Bioprotection Aotearoa, Department of Pest Management and Conservation, Lincoln University, PO Box 84850, Christchurch, Lincoln 7648, New Zealand
Jonathan M. Jeschke
Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Helen E. Roy
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom
Heliana Teixeira
Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
Maarten de Groot
Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Summary: 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.
