Insights into the applicability of existing online reports of mammal sightings as a viable source of conservation data

Tripp, Elliott

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Insights into the applicability of existing online reports of mammal sightings as a viable source of conservation data

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Tripp, Elliott (2024) Insights into the applicability of existing online reports of mammal sightings as a viable source of conservation data. Masters thesis, University of Gloucestershire.

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Official URL: https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/16505/

Abstract

The global biodiversity crisis has accelerated the processes by which new and novel conservation approaches are hypothesised, tested, developed, and adopted. Nowhere is this clearer than in the developing philosophy of iEcology (internet ecology), which utilises vast amounts of digital content created for non-conservation purposes, and extracts conservation-relevant information from them. Where this is predominantly completed through the automated collection and review of content from search engines, social media, and digital libraries, this study fills the niche of a manual approach. The processes by which iEcology extracts data from digital content often require financial investment, development of new technological skills, and/or collaboration that can often be prohibitive to researchers and sufficient survey coverage. This study subsequently utilises a manual data collection approach which seeks to further increase the accessibility of wildlife data extracted from digital content. To evaluate this methodology, posts were located using the default search functions of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, WhatsApp, and the Latest Sightings app in line with ethical guidelines agreed upon by the University of Gloucestershire. 15,659 social media posts of mammal sightings in Kruger and Pilanesberg National Park were observed over a 114-day period based on the date the post was made. Specific, species-level data (species, count, behaviour, location) were recorded alongside observations about the post such as the content type, the type of account that uploaded it, discrepancies between sighting date and post date. These data were recorded to assess correlations between the parks, platforms, people, and the type of wildlife encounters they recorded. An inventory of 55 mammal species was created by observing these posts. SACs were used to measure the effort taken to discover species on each platform, and a Bray-Curtis model was implemented to statistically express variances in community composition across platforms. A species abundance estimate was attempted using capture-recapture techniques but ultimately failed due to an inability to properly compensate for replicated sightings. Additionally, focus groups were conducted among ecologically minded individuals at a wildlife reserve in South Africa, and a signal-coverage test was conducted at Pilanesberg National Park to determine the effects of internet accessibility on the uploading of a post about a mammal sighting. It was ultimately found that the preferences of individuals towards certain species and behaviours (both those determined by the focus groups and expected according to existing literature) and effort (time spent in a park) were more significant in the creation of a post than internet accessibility. This study makes insights into these conclusions, the potential applications of these data, where this methodology may be improved, and its place alongside iEcology and automated collection processes.

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Thesis (Masters)

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