The contribution of citizen science in the surveillance of wildlife and related arthropods

Abstract

Environmental and anthropogenic factors may significantly affect the diffusion of wild animals, enhancing the interface of human–wildlife interactions and driving the spread of pathogens and vector-borne diseases between animals and humans. However, in the last decade, the involvement of citizens in scientific research (the so-called citizen science approach, henceforth abbreviated as CS) provided a network of large-scale and cost-effective surveillance programmes of wildlife populations and their related arthropod species. Therefore, this review aims to illustrate different methods and tools used in CS studies, by arguing the main advantages and considering the limitations of this approach. The CS approach has proven to be an effective method for establishing density and distribution of several wild animal species, in urban, peri-urban and rural environments, as well a source of information regarding vector–host associations between arthropods and wildlife. Extensive efforts are recommended to motivate citizens to be involved in scientific projects to improve both their and our knowledge of the ecology and diseases of wildlife. Following the One Health paradigm, collaborative and multidisciplinary models for the surveillance of wildlife and related arthropod species should be further developed by harnessing the potentiality of the CS approach.

Parasitological transitions: selected outcomes from the XXXII Congress of the Italian Society for Parasitology

“…Incorporating citizen science into wildlife health surveillance can be beneficial, especially when resources are limited and cost-effectiveness is paramount (Lawson et al ., 2015 ). The importance and advantages of citizen science is underlined in the paper of this SI dealing with wildlife and their role in the circulation of arthropods and vector-borne agents of zoonotic relevance (Sgroi et al ., 2023 ).…”