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Abstract
The Arctic is undergoing large-scale changes that are likely to accelerate in future decades such as introductions and expansions of invasive species. The Arctic is in a unique position to prevent new introductions and spread of existing invasive species by adopting policies and actions aimed at early detection. Responding to threats from invasive species to minimize impacts to ecosystems, communities, food security, and northern economies will necessitate extensive observations and monitoring, but resource managers often face decisions without having adequate data and resources at hand. Local observing programs such as citizen science and community-based monitoring programs present attractive methods for increasing observing capacity that span contributory and co-created approaches while raising awareness of an issue among stakeholders. While the co-created model has been widely applied and encouraged in the Arctic context, contributory citizen science programs offer an additional tool for addressing observing needs in the Arctic. We showcase three contributory citizen science programs related to freshwater, terrestrial, and marine environments that have supported the objectives of the Alaska Invasive Species Partnership. We discuss criteria for achieving ARIAS priority actions at the participant scale related to participants’ motivation and participants’ understanding of the value of their contributions, at the programmatic scale, for example promoting accessible, reciprocal, and transparent knowledge exchange, and at the policy and science scale where management action is data driven. The approach is aimed at successful integration of citizen science into Arctic policy making. Finally, we discuss challenges related to broader global data collection and future directions for contributory citizen science within Arctic observing networks.
Highlights
Native biodiversity of the Arctic provides sustainable resources that support rural and urban cultures, global ecological processes, and economies of the North (Johnson et al, 2007; Courtney et al, 2018)
The case examples we presented show how contributory citizen science projects can help to achieve the three main priority actions under ARIAS (CAFF and PAME, 2017)
In this article we used three case examples from invasive species management to demonstrate the value of contributory citizen science and community-based monitoring (CBM) for Arctic observing alongside co-created monitoring and science programs
Summary
Native biodiversity of the Arctic provides sustainable resources that support rural and urban cultures, global ecological processes, and economies of the North (Johnson et al, 2007; Courtney et al, 2018). The data informed a pathway model showing the risk of introducing AIS via seaplanes and assisting resource management agencies in prioritizing early detection and eradication efforts This project has been essential in raising awareness about invasive species risks with many key audiences including aviation groups and state and federal legislators. Observance by Sitka Tribe of Alaska monitors of known invasive colonial tunicates associated with anthropogenic infrastructure in a Southeast Alaska harbor led to a marine invasive speciesfocused BioBlitz to investigate the extent and diversity of species established in area waters and to inform the local community about aquatic invasive species generally (AES, 2021; Jurgens et al, 2018) In this case, early detection of a global invader by a motivated and concerned community led to investment in management actions over the past 15 years. Citizen engagement, paired with agency and policy-maker collaborations, provides hope for long-term conservation in localized areas (Stephenson et al, 2012)
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