A Webbased application for crowdsourced acquisition of species data in the UNESCO MaB Biosphere Reserve Bliesgau

Abstract

The world network of nature reserves has remarkable high natural values (high ecological integrity, high biodiversity, limited human use, rather unstressed systems, resource management is not extractionoriented, etc.) and high cultural values. Especially the UNESCO biosphere reserves comprise ecosystems and people, thus reflecting the human dimension in the environment. It is a network founded upon principles of maintaining biological values while sustaining human populations. In addition, Biosphere reserves serve as laboratories for research and demonstration of ways in progressing towards sustainability of human-environment interactions (including wise-use and economic development). In addition, Biosphere reserves are part of an UNESCO interdisciplinary research program that examines the environmental, social and economic dimensions of biodiversity loss in order to conserve biological and cultural diversity. This is being achieved by providing models of land management and sites of excellence for sustainable development research, environmental monitoring, education and training. To achieve this for the biosphere reserve Bliesgau, it is necessary that a dialogue between environmentalists and the general public will take place to raise awareness of this particular region. The goal is to accomplish this with the help of a web based application that concentrates on featured species, makes them known and encourages the public to take an active part in the preservation. The users can look up detailed information about these species or even interactively assist by seeking these and register them in a map inside the application and provide important information on their finding and the locality. In this way, not only the distribution of the species is mapped, in addition, the people are incorporated into the project Biosphere Bliesgau.