Citizen science contribution in herpetofauna data collection in Java

Abstract

Biodiversity distribution data is essential as it is the basis for policies, development plans, and laws. Citizen science, which involves public participation in scientific research, has become a popular method for researchers to gather scientific data with the help of volunteers, including biodiversity distribution data. “Amfibi Reptil Kita” (ARK) is one of the citizen science projects on the iNaturalist platform that collects herpetofauna data in Indonesia. Earlier investigations into the distribution of herpetofauna data in Java and Bali involved utilizing museum collections and reports based on observations and research. A comparative analysis was performed between previous research data and information sourced from ARK, aiming to evaluate the extent of citizen science’s contribution to data compilation. This study only compares the distribution data on the island of Java. The data is presented in a grid format measuring 5x5 km as the smallest unit in the study. Citizen science data is more evenly distributed than the previous research. Although previous research had more filled grids compared to citizen science, the span of previous research is 113 years compared to 5 years data of citizen science. Nevertheless, citizen science, with all its conveniences, has high potential in collecting biodiversity distribution data.