| Title: | A new wildlife monitoring app in Slovenia : a pilot evaluation of data quality and use |
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| Authors: | ID Velkavrh, Žiga (Author)
ID Duniš, Luka (Author)
ID Pokorny, Boštjan (Author)
ID Potočnik, Hubert (Author)
ID Bužan, Elena (Author) |
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| Files: |  RAZ_Velkavrh_Ziga_2026.pdf (7,25 MB)
MD5: 71ABF1E3B806FB9FAB7B6A3288204CD8
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1617138126000786
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| Language: | English |
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| Work type: | Article |
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| Typology: | 1.01 - Original Scientific Article |
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| Organization: | FAMNIT - Faculty of Mathematics, Science and Information Technologies
UPR - University of Primorska
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| Abstract: | Wildlife monitoring is crucial for successful conservation and management of wildlife populations. To support modern wildlife monitoring approaches in Slovenia, we developed SRNA, a nationwide citizen science appli- cation that collects additional metadata on several terrestrial vertebrate species. The app is designed for two groups of citizen scientists, hunters and other nature observers. To foster learning, it features a photo-based wildlife identification quiz and species identification guides. This pilot study evaluated app use and data quality with two aims: (1) to assess users’ ability to identify wildlife species from photos, focusing on taxa expected to be challenging to identify, and to test whether identification accuracy varies across mammal groups; (2) to analyse wildlife observation data submitted through SRNA. Users were successful in identifying several distinctive species but had some difficulty distinguishing between certain mustelids, and between golden jackal and grey wolf, indicating priorities for targeted educational campaigns. Biology-related educational background facilitated identification of mustelids and, to a lesser extent, canids. In its first year, SRNA collected 1633 observations via 742 reports, predominantly of European roe deer. Hunters and nature observers contributed complementary data: differences were observed not only in the number of reported species and amount of data they provided, but also in reporting patterns across biogeo- graphic regions, reporting rates, and the average delay time between encounters and submissions. This study demonstrates that SRNA provides promising complementary data for wildlife monitoring, but also highlights data quality limitations (biases and verification issues) that must be taken into account when using SRNA data. |
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| Keywords: | application for wildlife monitoring, citizen science, mammals, Slovenia, SRNA app, Wildlife identification quiz |
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| Publication version: | Version of Record |
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| Publication date: | 25.03.2026 |
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| Year of publishing: | 2026 |
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| Number of pages: | str. 1-19 |
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| Numbering: | Vol. 92, article no. 127286 |
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| PID: | 20.500.12556/RUP-22933  |
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| UDC: | 59:004 |
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| ISSN on article: | 1617-1381 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jnc.2026.127286 |
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| COBISS.SI-ID: | 274569475 |
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| Publication date in RUP: | 08.04.2026 |
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| Views: | 33 |
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| Downloads: | 2 |
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