Abstract
Abstract1. Successful monitoring and management of plant resources worldwide needs the involvement of civil society to support natural reserve managers. Because it is difficult to correctly and quickly identify plant species for non‐specialists, the development of recent techniques based on automatic visual identification should facilitate and increase public engagement in citizen science initiatives.2. Automatic identification platforms are new to most citizen scientists and land managers. Pl@ntNet is such a platform, available since 2013 on web and mobile environments, and now included in several workflows such as invasive alien species management, endemic species monitoring, educational activities and eco‐tourism practices. The successful development of such platforms needs to identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to improve and facilitate their use in all aspects of ecosystem management.3. Here we present two Pl@ntNet citizen science initiatives used by conservation practitioners in Europe (France) and Africa (Kenya). We discuss various perspectives, including benefits and limitations. Based on the experiences of field managers, we formulate several recommendations for future initiatives. The recommendations are aimed at a diverse group of conservation managers and citizen science practitioners.
Highlights
Automatic identification platforms are new to most citizen scientists and land managers
We present two Pl@ntNet citizen science initiatives used by conservation practitioners in Europe (France) and Africa (Kenya)
The emergence of citizen science in biodiversity monitoring over the past decade has transformed the methods by which biodiversity surveys can be conducted (Chandler et al, 2017)
Summary
The emergence of citizen science in biodiversity monitoring over the past decade has transformed the methods by which biodiversity surveys can be conducted (Chandler et al, 2017). Recent citizen science programmes have mostly been based on digital tools and platforms, which enable the management of a broad community of participants. These platforms offer a way to share protocols and objectives, structure participants’ contributions and facilitate exchanges both of data and of points of views (Newman, Graham, Crall, & Laituri, 2011; Preece, 2016). Apart from providing new tools and ways to involve citizens into research programmes, the platforms have the potential to support the participation of citizens to conservation and management actions. The new platforms and digital tools used for citizen sciences have the potential to support the activities of managers and to increase the awareness of visiting citizens
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
