Using Citizen Science to Document Biodiversity on a University Campus: A Year-Long Case Study

Abstract

Citizen science is a rapidly growing field, particularly among young scientists. In this case study, we review a year-long citizen science initiative hosted at Western University, Canada, which aimed to document and highlight biodiversity on campus while simultaneously seeking to improve community engagement with the environment. Using the popular citizen science platform iNaturalist, we facilitated data collection and community engagement through a combination of informal field surveys, undergraduate-level course assignments, social media, and passive data submission. Throughout the first year of the initiative, nearly 300 community members submitted 3716 observations of 1225 species, including observations of 103 species documented on iNaturalist for the first time in the region, and other species of ecological significance. This citizen science project underscores the strengths and utility of citizen science and provides a framework for other higher education institutions to develop similar initiatives.

Keywords

• citizen science
• biodiversity
• iNaturalist