Birders Introduction to iNaturalist

iNaturalist is the world’s largest community science platform (https://www.inaturalist.org/) . While many birders are familiar with eBird, many people are now using iNaturalist as well. This talk will review the growth of iNaturalist for both avian and non-avian observations, compare it with eBird, and consider some of the conservation benefits of community science.

Dr. John Reynolds is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University. He is a very experienced birder, dedicated user of eBird and an active user and strong proponent of iNaturalist since its inception. He has been recognized for his exceptional work in bird and fish conservation and been a frequent advisor to the provincial and federal governments about threats facing BC’s ecosystems. Its partly because of that work that, in 2018, he was appointed the new Chair of COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada). This is an independent  panel of experts appointed by the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, to assess the status of wild species across Canada and decide which species are under the greatest threat. That includes birds, plants, animals and insects. So iNaturalist helps to document the occurrence and abundance of all these wild species, so informed decisions can be made about their conservation.

On the Monday preceeding the event, Nature Vancouver members will receive the Zoom link in the weekly e-News. The talk will begin at 7:30 pm. Non-members are welcome and should email denis@naturevancouver.ca well in advance to register for the link.