Platforms like iNaturalist often get ahead of the scientific literature when new forays occur.
Citizen science platforms like iNaturalist can help managers detect invasive species as soon as they arrive in a new area. In a study published in People and natureresearchers obtained the first detection records of 687 species in 30 European countries. These cases included both official documents in the scientific literature and information collected on citizen science platforms. The researchers found that citizen science platforms detected these species before the scientific literature half the time. Citizen scientists were more likely to detect vertebrates earlier than plants or invertebrates. But the researchers also found that when species were on the European Union’s priority list, the scientific literature had previous official records. The study reveals that citizen science platforms are effective methods for detecting the early incursion of invasive species into new areas.