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Poster Short Abstract

Ratios between the number of species per number of observations collected trough citizen science differ in terms of urban district income levels. These ratios are lower in districts with lower income, and so such discrepancies have the potential to further enhance environmental social injustice.

Poster Abstract

Observations of the surrounding biodiversity recorded through citizen science can further increase the spatial and temporal resolution of biodiversity assessment efforts that are conducted by researchers, which tend to be commonly conducted by means of space- and time-constrained campaigns. Yet, when combined with additional sources of information, biodiversity observations recorded through citizen science can also reveal social and socio-ecological latent aspects. To explore human-nature interactions within part of the HMA-LTSER Helsinki Metropolitan Area platform, we explored the relationship between the income level associated to the different districts within Helsinki city and the number of biodiversity observations within each of the districts, using the observations uploaded to iNaturalist, a free, global and online platform/mobile app where users record, share and identify biodiversity observations. We further explored the relationship between district income and district species richness. Results show that both the number of biodiversity observations as well as the number of species observed are maximum in districts with an income level similar to the average for Helsinki city. Yet, when considering the number of species per number of observations at the district level, many of the lowest income districts score low ratios. As citizen science data collection efforts differ among districts with contrasting income levels, discrepancies can further enhance environmental social injustice as, for instance, political decision-making supporting conservation efforts favouring higher-income districts.