Environmental observation, social media, and One Health action: A description of the Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network

Abstract

As a result of the close relationships between Arctic residents and the environment, climate change has a disproportionate impact on Arctic communities. Despite the need for One Health responses to climate change, environmental monitoring is difficult to conduct in Arctic regions. The Local Environmental Observer (LEO) Network is a global social media network that recruits citizen scientists to collect environmental observations on social media. We examined the processes of the LEO Network, numbers of members and observations, and three case studies that depict One Health action enabled by the system. From February 2012 to July 2017, the LEO Network gained 1870 members in 35 countries. In this time period, 670 environmental observations were posted. Examples that resulted in One Health action include those involving food sources, wild fire smoke, and thawing permafrost. The LEO network is an example of a One Health resource that stimulates action to protect the health of communities around the world. Keywords: Arctic, One Health action, Citizen science, Social media, Environmental health