Citizen Science for Deep Ocean Biodiversity: A Crowdsourcing Tool in Support of Conservation

Abstract

Scientific knowledge plays an important role in providing ecosystem services. However, knowledege from the vast deep ocean is less understood and poses challenges to scientists defying the engagement of participatory science that has proven valuable in other disciplines where biodiversity observing and monitoring have had more tradition. Cabled ocean observatories and telepresence offer an opportunity for collecting data through citizen science and crowdsourcing in the next decades. Science and decision-making will be benefited with the early involvement of citizens and increasing the knowledge for conservation and restoration actions. The “Morphotype Atlas of the Abyssal Megafauna in the Revillagigedo Archipelago in the Eastern Tropical Pacific” is an educational initiative based on volunteer work for the identification of seafloor habitats and taxonomic diversity. It offers student training using as an example of a deep ocean national park in Mexico and uses materials obtained from the live video recording from remotely operated vehicle (ROV) cameras in a collaborative cruise with the Ocean Exploration Trust. The possibilities to explore the deep ocean biodiversity were unique to numerous students during the COVID-19 restriction. This volunteer work inspires amateurs, generates new knowledge, connects participants, and increases their literacy of the deep ocean, whose study is limited due to its remoteness and costly accessibility. Among the challenges to overcome for crowdsourcing is the complex identification of deep ocean organisms. “Immersive virtual reality, " a tool that facilitates understanding through a virtual spatial presence, is being explored in a collaborative effort with the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) to virtually represent the deep protected areas in Mexico. Comments on the opportunities and challenges that citizen science can bring in the next decade are presented.