Abstract
ABSTRACT Citizens are essential for safeguarding ecosystems from biopollutants, but raising the population’s awareness of the problem through the communication of scientific discoveries about biological invasions is still a challenge. Here, we have assayed an interdisciplinary game-based method of recognizing the invasive pygmy mussel Xenosotrobus securis for volunteers of different age groups, we have measured their learning gain and engagement, and we have compared it with that obtained from conventional talk-lecture training. A highly significant positive correlation was found between knowledge gain and awareness, which were both greater in children than in adults. Similar engagement was achieved in the two age groups regarding volunteering in an eradication project. The results suggest the high efficacy of game-based training, especially in young age groups. One year after the volunteers’ action, environmental DNA surveys and visual inspections confirmed the control of the invasive species population in a defined area through time.
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