Summary of the session

From the abstract booklet of the conference :

At the 60th conference of the Association for Zoology, which took place on April 16, 2024, a dedicated session was dedicated to the topic “Using citizen science and social networks for ecological research and nature conservation”, which was coordinated by Dr. Shavi Rothman.

Projects that focus on citizen science and gathering information from online social networks have become in recent years broad and complementary knowledge infrastructures for the promotion of ecological research and nature conservation. The growing use of these infrastructures harnesses the collective power of the public, active volunteers, and online communities in gathering data and insights for scientific research and conservation efforts. This approach enables the collection of large-scale data in space and time, often in the absence of other quantitative data, the harnessing of various stakeholders in the scientific effort, and the tightening of cooperation between scientists and the public. In Israel, there are several projects that use citizen science or social networks to collect data on species distribution patterns, behavior patterns, environmental changes, human interaction with the natural environment, and more.

The summary of the lectures in the session

The session opened with a lecture by Dr. Tomer Goite, director of the Israeli Center for Citizen Science, who introduced the new center, which works to promote public participation in monitoring and researching biodiversity and the environment and offers technological, scientific and methodological support, and continued with the presentation of studies that use citizen science and the collection of information from social networks.

Dr. Adi Barash from the Sharks and Bats Association presented a project that collects observations of cartilaginous fish from the shores of the Israeli Mediterranean Sea and provides comprehensive information on spatial, seasonal and annual distribution patterns of these species. From the information produced by the project it is possible to learn about the unique composition of society in the eastern basin and the condition of species found on our shores.

Ram Neri presented an array of active observation collection (content mining) from social networks for monitoring shark and bat fishing, in which they surveyed cartilaginous fish that are traded in the fish markets in the Gaza Strip, and it is proposed as an effective tool for characterizing the fishing spoils in areas where access is limited.

Zohar Afek presented a study that examined long-term trends in the abundance of two threatened butterfly species in Israel, which is based on the collection of observations and surveys focused on rare species carried out by volunteers in the National Butterfly Monitoring Program in Israel of the Butterfly Enthusiasts Association. The study identified a sharp decrease in the abundance of the species and examined the relationship between a decrease This is for climate change.

Ofri Eitan presented another study that was aided by citizen science which examined changes in the fruit bat’s activity hours, and identified that daily activity of fruit bats in Israel occurs in urban areas, mainly by females and young people. The study found an increase in vitamin D levels in female bats active during the day.

Finally, Dr. Victor Kina presented a study that examined the user experience of nature sites, from images from nature reserves that were uploaded to social networks. In the study, a comparison was made between artificial intelligence tools and manual analysis. The analysis was designed to identify patterns of interest and use by visitors to the sites, with the aim of improving the management of nature sites for the benefit Both man and nature. The information that can be obtained from such projects can help in the management of natural resources, in setting policies and in responding to challenging environmental issues.

Photograph of the subject image: Rafi Amr, iNaturalist