Declining planetary health as a driver of camera-trap studies: Insights from the web of science database

Abstract

Planetary health is crucial to human well-being, ecosystem sustainability, and biodiversity preservation. In this context, camera traps are an effective remote sensing tool for monitoring biodiversity. Given the rising importance of understanding biodiversity patterns and trends, this study examines possible factors influencing camera-trap studies and provides bibliometric insights from 2377 publications indexed in the Web of Science (WoS). To explore the potential drivers of camera-trap research growth, we used a logistic model based on specific variables, including global gross domestic product, temperature growth, a planetary health measure the declining living planet index, and human population growth. The living planet index was identified as a statistically significant driver of camera-trap research growth (p-value <0.01), suggesting that curiosity regarding other living beings influences studies. Through the bibliometric analysis, we observed that camera-trap studies are predominantly conducted in the United States, followed by England and Australia, with a notable upward trend over recent years. These studies align with sustainable development goal 15 (Life on Land) and are primarily classified under the ecology category in WoS. Further, we have visualized the network of co-occurrence of authors and authors' countries, keywords, and keywords plus documents. Overall, this study assesses ecological and conservation informatics and provides a reference to scholars, policymakers, and decision-makers.