Biodiversity data crowdsourcing: a way forward.

Abstract This study addresses the underutilization of crowdsourcing, particularly involving citizen scientists, for biodiversity data collection in Malaysia. While high-income countries have embraced crowdsourcing to enhance scientific knowledge and inform conservation efforts, Malaysia lags behind due to the absence of a regulatory framework guiding government and citizen scientists. The absence of such a framework limits data collection to government agencies and university researchers, impeding the progress in biodiversity management. This paper focused on the investigation of the current system for biodiversity inventory and the requirements of a mobile crowdsourcing system for forest stakeholders in Malaysia, specifically in Johor. In addition to requirements, the perception of forest stakeholders’ representatives towards data sharing, crowdsourcing and citizen science also has been scrutinized.