Digital Conservation Can Fill Data Gaps in Data-Poor Regions: Case of Elasmobranchs in India

27 Pages Posted: 17 Jul 2024

See all articles by Shruthi Kottillil

Shruthi Kottillil

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Sudha Kottillil

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Yarlagadda Chaitanya Krishna

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Francesco Ferretti

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Divya Karnad

Ashoka University

Abstract

Internet and social media use has increased significantly over the past decade resulting in huge volumes of biodiversity data that are potentially cost-effective means to better inform biodiversity conservation and resource management. We examine the role of digital conservation in a data-poor context of the Global South, using sharks and rays in India as a case study. India is a top shark fishing nation characterised by few, disconnected species-specific research and conservation projects but lacking nation-scale conservation insights. We analysed 1,293 elasmobranch-related posts and recorded 83 species, from six social media and citizen science platforms. We identified two key dimensions of data- ecological and social (including politics and governance) and tested the effectiveness of these data in mirroring or complementing scientific research. We found that digital platforms were: (i) spatio-temporally better representative than scientific research, since they included 96 underrepresented regions and spanned 18 years, despite some biases; (ii) useful to detect the presence of data-poor and rare species; (iii) effective to detect human-elasmobranch interactions and public perceptions towards sharks and rays, topics which are poorly represented in the scientific literature. We find that digital conservation can therefore be utilised to generate national-scale insights in regions with limited resources and site-specific data. It is also useful to fill socio-ecological data gaps to drive better management and increased public participation/awareness for conservation. The multi-disciplinary nature of data emerging from digital conservation has high relevance for current and future conservation of species.

Keywords: Human dimensions, social media, Citizen science, sharks, rays, South Asia

Suggested Citation

Kottillil, Shruthi and Kottillil, Sudha and Krishna, Yarlagadda Chaitanya and Ferretti, Francesco and Karnad, Divya, Digital Conservation Can Fill Data Gaps in Data-Poor Regions: Case of Elasmobranchs in India. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4897488 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4897488

Shruthi Kottillil

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

Sudha Kottillil

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

Yarlagadda Chaitanya Krishna

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

Francesco Ferretti

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

No Address Available

Divya Karnad (Contact Author)

Ashoka University ( email )

University Campus, Plot #2,
Rajiv Gandhi Education City
Kundli, 131028
India

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