Citizen science can help detect invasive species early

Citizen science platforms like iNaturalist can help managers detect invasive species early after their arrival in a new area. In a study published in People and Nature, researchers obtained first detection records of 687 species in 30 European countries. These cases included both official records in scientific literature and information collected from citizen science platforms. The researchers found that the citizen science platforms detected these species before scientific literature half of the time. Citizen scientists were more likely to detect vertebrates earlier than plants or invertebrates. But the researchers also found that when species were on the European Union’s priority list for concern, the scientific literature had earlier official recordings. The study reveals that citizen science platforms are effective methods for detecting the early incursion of invasive species to new areas.

Read the study at People and Nature.