Participatory science | A Grand BioBlitz to identify species at risk

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) invites people to enjoy the outdoors for the benefit of science. The organization is launching its third Grand BioBlitz, a participatory science project to fight against the extinction of species at risk.

Delphine Belzile
The Press

The Grand BioBlitz will take place from July 28 to 1^er August across Canada. The public is invited to photograph the species that surround them, whether in their backyard, an urban park or a national park.

The observations will be added to the “largest participatory species inventory in the country” to guide scientists in protecting the habitats of species at risk, can we read in a press release from NCC. Participants will need to register online and download the mobile app iNaturalist to export their photos.

The Grand BioBlitz is a project aimed at improving the management of species at risk, improving understanding of the distribution of invasive species and raising awareness among Canadians about nature conservation, underlines Claude Drolet, ornithologist and project manager at the land stewardship at NCC, in interview with The Press.

Experts are responsible for validating the data collected and sorting the species observed according to their level of risk. According to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada’s 2021 report, 369 wildlife species are endangered in the country.

Last year, 36,689 observations were recorded by more than 6,500 participants in the Grand BioBlitz, notes CNC. In Quebec alone, 1,000 species have been added to the inventory as part of the event in 2021, says Claude Drolet.

“It’s really a great way for people of all ages to take a closer look at nature and learn more about the biodiversity that surrounds them,” said Claude Drolet, quoted in the CNC press release. This is also an opportunity for NCC to adjust its priorities regarding the protection of the habitats of species at risk.

Broaden the spectrum

The inventories of species drawn up by scientists essentially come from specific and localized sites of interest, explains Claude Drolet. Thus, the participatory project makes it possible to broaden the sampling of species at risk “which would have passed under the radar of the scientific community”.

For example, the Grand BioBlitz helps to deepen knowledge of species in urban environments. As invasive alien species are at the origin of urban landscaping, a better understanding of their distribution will help minimize their impact on ecosystems and prevent their reproduction, explains Claude Drolet.

Towards the extinction of the monarch

The monarch was the most observed species at risk by participants in the 2021 BioBlitz, says the ornithologist. According iNaturalist273 observations of the migratory butterfly were recorded last year during the five days of data collection.

A group of researchers also identified the monarch butterfly last Thursday as an endangered species. For the first time, the butterfly has been listed among the “red list” of threatened species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Over the past 10 years, the monarch population has dropped by 22% to 75%, says the IUCN.

These migratory monarchs, which travel between Mexico and North America, are on the verge of extinction due to their habitat being threatened by pesticides and climate change, society member Emma Pelton told The Associated Press. Xerces scientist.

Canadian territory represents nearly 10% of the monarch’s global breeding range, says Environment and Climate Change Canada, by email to The Press. The monarch, as a pollinator, ensures the “prosperity of many ecosystems” in North America, underlines the Ministry. Its disappearance could thus cause a decline in biodiversity in certain natural ecosystems across the continent.

From July 27 to August 9, the Montreal Insectarium will conduct an international monarch monitoring campaign as part of its Mission Monarch project. This is a participatory science project that aims to collect observations of the migratory butterfly to map its habitats, underlines Environment and Climate Change Canada.

With the Associated Press