INTERSECTIONS
Lead Research Organisation:
Bristol Natural History Consortium
Department Name: Head office
Abstract
INTERSECTIONS will showcase the international, intersectional, interdisciplinary, and interrelated nature of research across Europe in a series of audience-focussed and interactive online and in-person events. The overriding aim is to "Celebrate the diversity of research and researchers, and to unambiguously illustrate the relevance and application of research to daily life."
People |
ORCID iD |
| Savita Willmott (Principal Investigator) |
| Description | EuroBioBlitz facilitated the generation of 67,868 individual wildlife records across Europe. At time of writing (12 weeks post the event occurring in September 2023), 54.76% of these records have attained the classification of "research grade" on iNaturalist. This designation relies on the presence of a verifiable photo or sound, along with documented date and coordinates, and a consensus on positive identification within the online community, many of whom are experts in their field. These records make a substantial contribution to the ad-hoc recording of a wide variety of species across Europe. These citable records are now available for researchers to use to help answer a variety of research questions through Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). For this event, 50 EuroBioBlitz resources were translated into 8 European languages, and training was delivered to support participants to deliver their own wildlife-recording events. This resulted in 52 independent known biological recording events taking place across Europe for EuroBioBlitz 2023. Out of these events, 8 schools are known to have taken part in 7 countries (Bulgaria, England, France, Italy, Portugal, Romania, and Russia). 27 of these events were categorised as BioBlitz events, 13 of these events were guided walks, and 3 were "other", which included training events for teachers and online campaigns. These types of events support participants to learn about their local wildlife while contributing to biodiversity records, which was a core aim of this project. At the same time as the EuroBioBlitz took place, researchers were able to develop content creation skills through participation in the European Research Showcase. 87 researchers from 14 countries took part, representing 47 disciplines. Researchers took part in training to increase their confidence in public engagement, and were supported to create engaging animations, videos, or take part in live interviews across various social media platforms with the Global Science Show. 6 new training videos on the subject of public engagement were created by the Berlin School of Public Engagement and Open Science. These were shared with researchers, and will remain online as a playlist on YouTube, to continue to inform and support with skill development in this area. |
| Exploitation Route | The crowd-sourced collection of biodiversity records created during the EuroBioBlitz can be taken forward and be put to use by any number of scientists using biodiversity data for their own research. This research in turn may go on to generate new knowledge and understanding of our natural world. It has the potential to support and inform conservation action, management decisions or change in environmental policy. Records may also be used to track the spread of economically harmful invasive species, acting as an early warning system for governments to respond to and take measures to avert potential environmental crisis. It is also hoped that these events inspire more people to participate in wildlife data collection, supporting a change in public attitude and understanding of wildlife conservation. |
| Sectors | Environment |
| URL | https://www.bnhc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Intersections-2023-Report.pdf |
| Description | EuroBioBlitz supported the creation of 67,868 wildlife records across Europe. Currently (December 2023) 54.76% of these records have been classified as "research grade" on iNaturalist. It is likely that, in time, more of these 67,868 records will obtain "research grade" status; as it takes time for experts to identify photos of diverse and difficult-to-identify groups, such as many of the invertebrates. It is impossible to know which of these records may be of interest to future scientific research - however, there is a list of over 4,400 current scientific publications that have cited a GBIF dataset containing at least one record from iNaturalist can be found here https://shorturl.at/tIKWZ. With the crowdsourced data that has been collected through EuroBioBlitz 2023, we would expect some of this data to be cited in future research, though we are unlikely to see this until at least 2025. Once imported to GBIF, the records can be combined with other data sources to give a more complete picture of wildlife distribution for individual species. The research also included a plethora of benefits for the participants taking part. A post-event survey of 75 participants showed that the top 5 reasons participants took part included (in order of frequency) 1) the opportunity to collect data for European researchers to use (86.8%), 2) spending more time in nature (64.5%), 3) to learn more about local wildlife (59.2%), 4) improving wildlife identification skills (52.6%), and 5) to introduce other people wildlife recording/using iNaturalist. Additionally, 98.6% of respondents to the survey said that they enjoyed taking part in the event, and 98.6% of respondents also said they would continue to use iNaturalist to record wildlife after the event. From this evaluation, we can better understand the additional benefits the project may have brought to participants, including improved welfare through spending more time in nature, and improved understanding of wildlife and wildlife identification. Through the European Research Showcase, the core aim was to support researchers to improve their confidence in content creation and public engagement, and although we may not see the direct benefits of this immediately, over 75% of researchers taking part agreed that the training had increased their confidence in public engagement, and over 90% said they rated the overall experience as "excellent". The skills that the 87 participating researchers developed through this programme will undoubtedly support improved science communication going forward in their careers. The accompanying training videos created by the Berlin School for Public Engagement and Open Science will remain online as a free resource and can benefit both researchers and non-researchers in the field of public engagement. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Environment |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | EuroBioBlitz 2023 Information Meetings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | NHC held 3 information meetings for the 278 participants who signed up to receive EuroBioBlitz resources through the Intersections website. These workshops were hosted by 2 members of the NHC team - Loz Emerson and Stuart Payton - and were attended by 55 people across 3 meeting (held in July, August and September). The number who additionally watched a recording of the meeting is unknown, however it was sent to all 278 participants that had requested access to the project resources. The "info meeting" contained a presentation, highlighting the importance of wildlife recording for scientific research and the many benefits for citizen scientists. It covered examples of ways to take part in EuroBioBlitz, including how to run a guided nature walk and planning a BioBlitz event for the local community. These info meetings also introduced the range of resources that would be made available for participants to use during EuroBioBlitz 2023, and where to find them. It also provided an opportunity to signpost participants to other useful resources that had recently been updated on the National BioBlitz Network website (https://www.bnhc.org.uk/run-your-own-bioblitz) that would help them to run a BioBlitz event. According to the post-event survey, of the 24 repodants that attended these info meetings, 95.8% found them to be helpful (62.5% answered "very helpful", 33.3% answered "somewhat helpful"), 4.2% of repondents found them to be "not very helpful". Comments on the meetings were positive, and gave participants a chance to understand how to take part, and also provided an opportunity for them to ask questions. Feedback included quotes such as: "Really good quality information which really helped us with planning our event.", "Good and helpful to answer any questions I had about organising too". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | How to Use iNaturalist - Online Workshop, x3 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 3 online workshops were held on the subject of "How to use iNaturalist". Workshop invites were sent to all 278 participants who signed up to receive EuroBioBlitz resources through the Intersections website. The workshops were aimed at new users of the iNaturalist app and covered the basics of how to make a wildlife record through your phone or PC, how to make identifications and when to do so, and the importance of making data openly accessible. These workshops were hosted by 2 members of the NHC team - Loz Emerson and Stuart Payton - and were attended in real time by 17 people. A recording of the workshop, and presentation slides that were used during the workshop, were sent the other 261 participants that had requested resources. This workshop was beneficial to new iNaturalist users, and also those who wanted to host their own similar workshop for a local EuroBioBlitz event. Although we did not ask for feedback specifically for these workshops, the end of project feedback form included comments from participants such as "I realized I hadn't been using it right when I did the zoom meeting about it! I hadn't understood about the research grade etc.", and "We used the webinar recording 'How to Record Wildlife' - useful for beginners.". These comments show the positive impact that these workshops can have on iNaturalist users, and ad-hoc wildlife recording. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.bnhc.org.uk/eurobioblitz-2023 |
| Description | Online Engagement - Website & Social Media Reach |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | - Engagement across the INTERSECTIONS Website. Analysis of website engagement included pages covering 'Intersections', 'EuroBioBlitz', 'European Research Showcase', 'National BioBlitz Network' and 'Run Your Own BioBlitz', with figures taken between July 2023 - October 2023 (4 months). These Natural History Consortium (NHC) hosted webpages promoting INTERSECTIONS projects (including EuroBioBlitz and the European Research Showcase) were viewed just over 5,000 times. - Social Media Engagement for EuroBioBlitz. The primary digital marketing period for the EuroBioBlitz took place from July 2023 - October 2023. Digital marketing took place through the NHC's public facing social media channels, NHC's website and NHC's public facing newsletter. This occasionally included some promotion for the other parts of the INTERSECTIONS project (European Research Showcase and public engagement training videos). NHC public facing social media channels used to promote INTERSECTIONS included @Festofnature and @BioBlitzUK on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Additional social media marketing for the projects ran on @GloballySciShow on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Between July 2023 - October 2023 content promoting all aspects of the project on Twitter hit a total of 85,255 impressions. Digital content on this platform was engaged with 3,854 times. Instagram - 42,324 impressions. Digital content on this platform was engaged with 1,443 times. Facebook hit a total of 225,173 impressions. Digital content on this platform was engaged with 2,090 times. Digital marketing material for EuroBioBlitz on Facebook included both organic and paid content to users across Europe. - E-Newsletters: Analysis of digital newsletter engagement included NHC's public facing newsletter, which has a total mailing list of 2,194 majority UK-based subscribers. Between July 2023 - October 2023 (4 months), 7 emails promoting Intersections projects went out to the audience of 2,000+ subscribers. These email newsletters were opened over 5,400 times in total. Links promoting Intersections projects were clicked on 427 times. The European Research Showcase online Engagement: Content for the European Research Showcase was hosted by the Global Science Show (@globalscienceshow) across Twitter, Instagram and Tiktok, and had a combined viewership of 119,205. For Twitter the over all Number of Views totalled to 113,184 (60,892 view for the April Showcase, 52, 292 for the September Showcase) and 6430 engagements (4043 for Apil, 2387 for September), with an average engagement rate of 4.7%. The reach across Instagram equated to 3443 views, (with a reach of 986 for the April showcase, and 2467 for the September Showcase). TikTok reached 1578 Views, (1422 for the April showcase, and 156 for the September showcase). Global Science Show reported reasons for lower-than-expected views: a) changes of ownership at twitter resulting in deteriorated numbers of users, and b) the content submitted not being ideal for use on TikTok. Signups were slow, but a considerable time was spent reaching out to researchers and booking recorded interviews across Europe to add to the content roster. This has resulted in a great bank of content which will stay available for viewing on the Global Science Show social media channels. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | http://www.intersections2023.com |
| Description | Public Engagement Training for Researchers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Part of the project was designed to support researchers with training in online engagement. This was coordinated by Sam Langford, of The Global Science Show, for the European Research Showcase, along with a suit of training videos that were created by The Berlin School of Public Engagement and Open Science, based at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, to support the project. The videos covered the following topics 1) Begin with the audience in mind: Tips on how to find and understand the people you want to reach 2) How to avoid jargon: Make your research accessible, 3) Making online events more inclusive: Practical tips to bring inclusivity into your events with ease 4) Creating inclusive content: 6 tips on making inclusivity and diversity a part of your content, 5) Introduction to digital safeguarding: Tips on how to protect people in digital spaces 6) Engaging young people with science online: How to engage with different age groups. These videos have, at time of writing in Dec 2023, a total of 257 views on YouTube, and will remain online to be of continued benefit to those working in Science Communications and/or Public Engagement. The playlist can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVvqQ-AJ7Gg&list=PLeTlYFAGADkMFR1zK9bFGX3gBoTneonh9?dex=1&ab_channel=Museumf%C3%BCrNaturkundeBerlin Researchers participating in the European Research Showcase gained access to a 2-hour online training session focused on video content creation for research, 1:1 support for their content creation, and a digital marketing pack including a short video, suggested social media posts, images and text for websites and newsletters. The training was for 2 distinct groups; for a Spring showcase on the 30th April/1st of May, followed by an Autum showcase on the 29th and 30th of September. 100% of the participating researchers in the Spring European Research Showcase agreed that the showcase had increased their confidence in public engagement, and 100% rated their overall experience of participating in the showcase as "excellent". In comparison, figures for the September Showcase were 75% for increased confidence, and 91%, for overall experience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVvqQ-AJ7Gg&list=PLeTlYFAGADkMFR1zK9bFGX3gBoTneonh9&index=1&ab_channe... |
| Description | Resources in multiple languages, to help participants organise an event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A total of 403 resources were made for participants of EuroBioBlitz 2023 to use, either to help them to record wildlife, or to help them to organise and promote a EuroBioBlitz event. This included a total of 50 resources in 8 European languages, and an additional 3 resources in English only; 1 FAQ guide, and 1 info meeting recording, and 1 workshop recording. The resources were translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Portugues and Swedish, to cover a range of widely spoken languages across Europe. These resources included a newsletter, a document of suggested social media posts, posters, a printable guide to using iNaturalist, "What is EuroBioBlitz & How to use iNaturalist" animated video (2 mins), "Take part in EuroBioBlitz 2023" animated video (30 seconds), 36 options of social media photos to use with posts, 6 email signature banners, information document for schools, and information document for home educators. These resources available to use to anyone who signed up to take part in EuroBioBlitz through the website (278 participants), however it its not possible to know the number of times these resources were used by EuroBioBlitz event organisers. YouTube analytics show that the total number views for the 2 animated videos in 8 languages reached 304 views, and 5116 impressions during 2023. These resources resulted in 52 independent known events taking place across Europe for EuroBioBlitz 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |