NEWS
GBIF makes this possible by indicating whether each name associated with an observation record is the current accepted name .
Ordinary citizens can contribute to collating biodiversity data through internet-based platforms like eBird for bird observations and iNaturalist for pictures of plants and animals .
Volunteers can contribute to data processing by identifying species and annotating behaviours for camera trap photographs on Zooniverse . They can digitise herbarium vouchers on
DigiVol .
There are also artificial intelligence
tools , such as TrapTagger and WildID , which identify species in photographs
from camera traps .
Scientists also have their role to play . In the past , some researchers have resisted sharing their data , partly because of capacity constraints . This impedes conservation progress . Recently , there has been more pressure from funders and the open science community for researchers to make their data available . Platforms such as GBIF and Dryad Digital Repository make this easier .
Staff of protected area organisations should also be encouraged to publish protected area checklists on GBIF and iNaturalist . The information is then more readily available to inform management .
By 2022 , the total number of observations on iNaturalist had reached
more than 33 million and 40 % of these needed further identification . Experts ,
scientists and protected area staff , who can accurately identify species , can assist . Experts can also verify identifications of species that haven ’ t been recorded before in a protected area .
Looking forward
Although there are many tools for collating data about the plants and animals occurring in specific places , there is limited awareness in conservation organisations about the wealth of existing historical specimens and the visual and audio data available for download . The capacity to access and use this treasure trove of data needs to be built .
Our paper provides practical guidelines to assist conservation organisations to collate standardised biodiversity occurrence data . This will improve the quality of information used in assessments and ultimately our ability to respond to the highest priority conservation issues .
Figure 1 . Lyretail Anthias over coral reef , Aliwal Shoal , Indian Ocean , South Africa . Getty Images
Grassroots Vol 24 No 1 March 2024 24