Raising Awareness of Plant Biodiversity and Combating Zoocentrism with Citizen Science: A Case Study of Undergraduate Students Pursuing Animal-Related Degrees in Northeast Brazil

Abstract

Low plant awareness has been described for the general public, academics, and students from elementary to university level. Here we describe the proportion of plants in biodiversity inventories conducted by 110 undergraduate students enrolled in animal-related degrees at a rural Brazilian university. Observations were collected during three practical courses and were submitted to a global citizen-science platform. Students collected a predetermined number of observations in three months, which probably contributed to the similar temporal patterns of animal and plant observations. In total, plants represented 60% of observations and plants-to-animals ratio per student was not affected by gender. While plants were better represented, most observations depicted planted urban trees and other cultivated or potted plants. Being sessile, plants are easier to observe and photograph than animals. Using a citizen-science platform can increase perception of plants as an essential part of local biodiversity, building a better ground for global plant conservation.