Not just species recording: what is the role for volunteers in supporting assessment of habitat?

Abstract

Reversing the global biodiversity crisis requires not only conservation and management of species, but the habitats in which they live. However, while there is a long history of biodiversity recording, especially in Europe, information on habitats is less frequently recorded meaning knowledge of their extent and quality is generally poor. In part, this is because recording of the sometimes complex features that differentiate habitats has traditionally been done by trained professionals at a limited number of sites. However, both Earth Observation methods and citizen scientists provide opportunities to expand the range and scale of habitat recording. We provide a framework for determining how citizen scientists, particularly those that are already collecting biodiversity data, can contribute to monitoring of habitats and discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with this. We illustrate the application of our framework with reference to existing habitat recording by biodiversity recorders in the UK, both to assess the extent/quality of existing habitat, but also as a tool for validating Earth Observation data.