Aportes desde la ciencia ciudadana al Proyecto Tortugas de Bolivia en iNaturalist

Abstract

We present an analysis of the contribution of citizen observers who are part of the Bolivian Turtle Project in the iNaturalist application created in 2019. We reviewed 213 observation records from 2000 to 2020, of which 194 correspond to 12 native species and 19 records are of introduced species. Of the total of records, 69% correspond to observations in the wild and 170 have been identified at species level, but only 118 are recognized as of research-value by iNaturalist, being the species with the best quality of information: Podocnemis unifilis, Chelonoidis denticulatus and Chelonoidis carbonarius. These three species and Phrynops geoffroanus are the most frequently observed. The work showed that the Bolivian Turtle Project is the most important at the national level for this taxonomic group and contributes to our knowledge of this group. It also reveals that there is a need to improve resources to improve observations and participation through the sharing of experiences and feedback with other resources on social media.