caa a22 4500 605528055 CHVBK 20210128100811.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150201xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10531-014-0810-7 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10531-014-0810-7 Using a citizen science program to monitor coral reef biodiversity through space and time [Elektronische Daten] [Simone Branchini, Francesco Pensa, Patrizia Neri, Bianca Tonucci, Lisa Mattielli, Anna Collavo, Maria Sillingardi, Corrado Piccinetti, Francesco Zaccanti, Stefano Goffredo] Coral reefs are the most biodiverse ecosystems of the ocean and they provide notable ecosystem services. Large-scale monitoring is necessary to understand the effects of anthropogenic threats and environmental change on coral reef habitats and citizen science programs can support this effort. Seventy-two marine taxa found in the Red Sea were surveyed by non-specialist volunteers during their regular recreational dives, using SCUBA Tourism for the Environment (STE) questionnaires. Over a period of 4-years, 7,125 divers completed 17,905 questionnaires (14,487 diving hours). Validation trials were carried out to assess the data reliability (Cronbach's alpha >50% in 83.6% of validation trials), showing that non-specialists performed similarly to conservation volunteer divers on accurate transect. The resulting sightings-based index showed that the biodiversity status did not change significantly within the project time scale, but revealed spatial trends across areas subjected to different protection strategies. Higher biodiversity values were found in Sharm el-Sheikh, within protected Ras Mohammed National Park and Tiran Island, than in the less-regulated Hurghada area. Citizen science programs like STEproject represent novel, reliable, cost-effective models for biodiversity monitoring, which can be sustained and embedded within long-term monitoring programmes, and extended to include a wider geographical scale, while increasing the environmental education of the public. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2014 Biodiversity nationallicence Environmental monitoring nationallicence Citizen science nationallicence Red Sea nationallicence SCUBA divers nationallicence Volunteers in research nationallicence Branchini Simone Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut Pensa Francesco Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut Neri Patrizia Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut Tonucci Bianca Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut Mattielli Lisa Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut Collavo Anna Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut Sillingardi Maria Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut Piccinetti Corrado Laboratory of Fisheries and Marine Biology at Fano, University of Bologna, Viale Adriatico 1/N, 61032, Fano, PU, Italy aut Zaccanti Francesco Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut Goffredo Stefano Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/2(2015-02-01), 319-336 0960-3115 24:2<319 2015 24 10531 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0810-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-014-0810-7 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Branchini Simone Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Pensa Francesco Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Neri Patrizia Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Tonucci Bianca Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Mattielli Lisa Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Collavo Anna Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Sillingardi Maria Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Piccinetti Corrado Laboratory of Fisheries and Marine Biology at Fano, University of Bologna, Viale Adriatico 1/N, 61032, Fano, PU, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Zaccanti Francesco Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Goffredo Stefano Marine Science Group, Citizen Science Lab, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Section of Biology, University of Bologna, Via F. Selmi 3, 40126, Bologna, Italy aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Netherlands 24/2(2015-02-01), 319-336 0960-3115 24:2<319 2015 24 10531