Documenting Also Means Publishing: On the Responsible Handling of Observations on iNaturalist

This article examines whether nature observations should be published on iNaturalist and weighs the opportunities and risks of responsible data sharing. It discusses sensitive locations, privacy considerations, regional differences in conservation strategies, and concerns about data quality within citizen science. At the same time, the text highlights the scientific, conservation-related, and societal value of openly shared biodiversity records. The article concludes with a call for a thoughtful and responsible publishing practice that balances species protection with the benefits of accessible ecological data. This article was originally published as a journal post on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/m_wilms/121167-documenting-also-means-publishing-on-the-responsible-handling-of-observations-on-inaturalist