Engaging people in biodiversity citizen science

Biodiversity is in crisis. Systematic conservation planning efforts often rely on citizen science data from biodiversity recording platforms to make informed decisions. However these data are often hampered by biases in the species recorded, where people choose to record, and when people choose to record. While much work has been done to overcome these biases statistically, one upstream way of addressing these is engaging more people in such citizen science in the first place. This research aims to understand why individuals participate in citizen science biodiversity recording and how directed messaging around biodiversity change may be used to improve participation. It will firstly involve an analysis of biodiversity recording apps to illuminate persuasive techniques used in the messaging and functionality within the apps to uncover areas of best practice or improvement. A survey of users of the UK iNaturalist platform will follow and will investigate individual predictors of motivation to engage with the platform, uncovering profiles of user groups based on actual recording behaviour. Lastly, it will develop communication strategies utilising persuasive techniques targeted at these groups and experimentally test whether they can be successful in heightening intentions and behaviour around biodiversity recording. Collectively, this PhD should inform how biodiversity recording platforms communicate with their users to maximise and diversify engagement. Doing so should not only benefit the health of the environment, but the well-being of people too.