Citizen science provides a reliable and scalable tool to track disease-carrying mosquitoes

Palmer, John R.B.; Oltra, Aitana; Collantes, Francisco; Delgado, Juan A.; Lucientes, Javier; Delacour, Sarah; Bengoa, Mikel; Eritja, Roger; Bartumeus, Frederic

doi:10.1038/s41467-017-00914-9

Cited by 157 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 53 publications

(75 reference statements)

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“…Where there is minimal or no nuisance (scenario 1), i.e. there are no signs of complaints or discomfort by wetland visitors or local residents, we recommend the establishment of a passive monitoring system based on citizen‐science initiatives noting that mosquito records collated through smart phone apps or social media could be used (Palmer et al., 2017; Tyson et al., 2018). The potential of citizen science to inform invasive non‐native species strategies and management has been widely demonstrated (Roy et al., 2015).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A call to arms: Setting the framework for a code of practice for mosquito management in European wetlands

Martinou

Schäfer

Marí³

et al. 2020

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Wetlands provide multiple services to human societies. Despite policies dedicated to their protection, current European policies do not address the need to balance mosquito management approaches to mitigate dis‐services to human health and well‐being while ensuring that wetland conservation goals are met. Herein, we outline criteria for consideration when developing mosquito control programmes in European wetlands that will allow managers and public health authorities to adopt effective and ecologically sound approaches. Synthesis and applications. The proposed code of practice provides practical advice to local authorities and those involved in mosquito control in order to design an integrated mosquito management strategy that aligns with current environmental legislation. Although this code of practice was developed by European experts, it is transferable to other geographical contexts, integrating the expertise and knowledge of local stakeholders and researchers from the fields of medical entomology, human and animal health and ecology.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A call to arms: Setting the framework for a code of practice for mosquito management in European wetlands

Martinou

Schäfer

Marí³

et al. 2020

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…In Spain, ''Mosquito Alert,'' a mobile phone application, allowed participants to record mosquito sightings, including a brief survey to help participants accurately identify Ae. albopictus mosquitoes (Palmer et al 2017). During 2014-15, more than 30% of new detections of Ae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Citizen Science to Enhance Surveillance of Aedes aegypti in Arizona, 2015–17

Tarter

Levy

Yaglom

et al. 2019

Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association

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Vector surveillance is an essential component of vector-borne disease prevention, but many communities lack resources to support extensive surveillance. The Great Arizona Mosquito Hunt (GAMH) was a collaborative citizen science project conducted during 2015-17 to enhance surveillance for Aedes aegypti in Arizona. Citizen science projects engage the public in scientific research in order to further scientific knowledge while improving community understanding of a specific field of science and the scientific process. Participating schools and youth organizations across the state conducted oviposition trapping for 1-4 wk during peak Ae. aegypti season in Arizona and returned the egg sheets to collaborating entomologists for identification. During the 3-year program, 120 different schools and youth organizations participated. Few participants actually collected Aedes eggs in their traps in 2015 or 2017, but about one-third of participants collected eggs during 2016, including 3 areas that were not previously reported to have Ae. aegypti. While relatively few new areas of Ae. aegypti activity were identified, GAMH was found to be a successful method of engaging citizen scientists. Future citizen science mosquito surveillance projects might be useful to further define the ecology and risk for vector-borne diseases in Arizona.

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“…A wealth of species occurrence data generated by citizen scientists enables surveillance of emerging and established invaders at larger spatial extents. The potential of citizen science for passive risk-oriented surveillance has, for example, been shown in disease vector mapping for ticks and mosquitos (Palmer et al 2017;Hamer, Curtis-Robles, and Hamer 2018). Given proper training, citizen scientists are able to detect and report invasive species, even if they are dangerous or difficult to identify, and the data they collect are used by professional scientists as well as management programmes (Gallo and Waitt 2011;Kampen et al 2015;Wallace et al 2016).…”

Section: Citizen Science and Biological Invasionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowering Citizens to Inform Decision-Making as a Way Forward to Support Invasive Alien Species Policy

Groom

Strubbe

Adriaens

et al. 2019

Citizen Science: Theory and Practice

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Observations reported by citizens are crucial to the ability of scientists to inform policy on biodiversity. This is particularly relevant in the case of preventing and controlling biological invasions; that is, the introduction and spread of species outside their natural ranges as a consequence of human activity. Such invasions of natural ecosystems represent one of the main threats to biodiversity, economy, and human well-being globally, and policies on tackling this issue require a strong evidence base that increasingly is built on citizen science. Many citizens are motivated to collect data for their own interest, while presumably, few expect to make a major impact on policy. The needs of policy-makers are not always aligned with the approaches used by citizens to collect and share data. Therefore, how can we motivate citizen science for the needs of policy without compromising the enjoyment that citizens gain from collecting biodiversity observations? How can policy-makers support citizens to collect the data they need?Solutions require two components, a combination of social and technological innovation. Initiatives aimed at supporting decision-making processes should involve more societal actors and be built in a more collaborative or even co-created manner with citizens, scientists, and policy-makers. Technological solutions can be achieved through regular, rapid, and open publication of biodiversity data products. We envisage frequent publication of maps and indicators from rapidly mobilized data, with clear pointers to gaps in knowledge. Improving the links between data collection and delivery of policy-relevant information demonstrates -to citizens and their organizations -the need for their data, and gives them a clear view on the impact of their data on policy. This visibility also empowers stakeholder organizations in the policy development process.

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Citizen science provides a reliable and scalable tool to track disease-carrying mosquitoes

Cited by 157 publications

References 53 publications

A call to arms: Setting the framework for a code of practice for mosquito management in European wetlands

A call to arms: Setting the framework for a code of practice for mosquito management in European wetlands

Using Citizen Science to Enhance Surveillance of Aedes aegypti in Arizona, 2015–17

Empowering Citizens to Inform Decision-Making as a Way Forward to Support Invasive Alien Species Policy

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