Strategies for integrating online digital data to monitor biodiversity

Scientists from the University of Helsinki, along with colleagues from other universities and institutions around the world, are building on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to complement monitoring efforts to address the global biodiversity crisis. , proposes a strategy to integrate online digital data from media platforms.

Dr Andrea Soriano Redondo, lead author of the new paper published in the journal I think it’s something that should be done.” PLOS Biology Researcher at the Helsinki Institute for Interdisciplinary Conservation Sciences, University of Helsinki.

“Online digital data, such as social media data, can not only enhance existing assessments of biodiversity status and trends, pressures on biodiversity, and conservation solutions in place, but can also inform information about human-nature interactions. can be used to generate new insights.

“The most common sources of biodiversity data online include web pages, news media, social media, image and video sharing platforms, digital books and encyclopedias. ) are filtered and processed by researchers to target specific research questions, explore ecological processes, analyze distributions, spatiotemporal trends, phenology, ecological interactions, or species or populations. behavior and its drivers of change.”

Data generated through this framework in near real-time can be continuously integrated with other independently collected biodiversity datasets and used for real-time applications.

“For example, data related to assessing the risk of species extinction or ecosystem collapse could be used in workflows to create the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species or the Red List of Ecosystems.” said Dr. Thomas Brooks, the coalition’s chief scientist. He is a Conservation of Nature award recipient and co-author of this article.

“Other data on sites of global importance for the survival of biodiversity could be provided to appropriate national coordinating groups to strengthen efforts to identify key areas of biodiversity.”

Data on illegal wildlife trade can be found in the trade database of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the open-source wildlife trade records analysis of commercial trade in flora and fauna (TRAFFIC). It can also be integrated with seizures and incidents. data.

Online digital data can also be used to investigate human-nature interactions from multiple perspectives.

“We have successfully used social media data to identify instances of illegal wildlife trade. We have used these data to investigate human-nature interactions and how they affect biodiversity. There is great potential to provide new insights into how conservation can be shaped, both positively and negatively,” says Professor Enrico. Senior co-author of this article, his Di Minin from the University of Helsinki.

“The technology needed to perform the work is available, but it will require the collaboration of digital media companies as well as the expertise of multiple disciplines and academic disciplines. Most importantly, all data To get the most out of it, we need to ensure full access to the data that could help address the global biodiversity crisis and other sustainability challenges. ”