Validating Citizen Science data for use in the design and management of constructed wetlands: a case study of Tufted Duck and Eurasian Teal.

Abstract: Citizen science offers a potentially powerful tool for the environmental scientist to access large data sets over increasingly greater time scales. Given the ease of which information can be reported or shared online and the increase in community interest there is an overwhelming amount of data available. But two major questions remain; is the data reliable and how is it best used? This study addresses the first question by testing the ability of such data from Artportalen, Sweden’s Species Gateway for reporting observations of birds (and other flora and fauna), to reflect patterns in the presence and absence of breeding records of Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) and Eurasian Teal (Annas crecca). This was done by undertaking wetland assessments in a set of constructed wetland sites from Artportalen in Halland, Southern Sweden, with breeding records of the target species. A literature review was also undertaken to explore the existing ecological knowledge of breeding habitat requirements for each species. Physical and biological characteristics from the wetlands visited were then qualitatively compared to the existing ecological knowledge for each species’ preferred breeding habitat. This method resulted in some support for the reliability of this particular Citizen Science data, in that it reflected Tufted Duck’s preference to breed in wetlands closer to the coast, that provided some form of cover or screening around the edges and which had a large proportion of their shoreline bordered by tall emergent vegetation. Conversely, it reflected Eurasian Teal’s preference for inland wetlands that were closer to relatively open natural freshwater bodies, where tall emergent vegetation wasn’t as abundant. How this and other Citizen Science data can be used in the design and management of constructed wetlands for conservation purposes in light of these results is then discussed.