Citizen science — the involvement of non-professional observers in structured data collection — has become a significant tool in marine conservation. In the Mexican Caribbean, this approach is being applied to shark monitoring, where consistent, georeferenced observations can reveal patterns that short research expeditions cannot capture.
Documenting Local Knowledge
Mar Sustentable's research in the Mexican Caribbean has relied from the start on fishers' Local Ecological Knowledge alongside formal scientific methods. Fishers who work these waters daily accumulate detailed observations about species presence, behavior, and habitat use — knowledge that is both scientifically valuable and historically underrepresented in formal datasets.
BiodiversityOS extends this approach. Rather than replacing field research, the platform creates a structured way for divers, guides, fishers, and marine observers to contribute observations using the same data schema that researchers use in the field.
How Observations Are Collected
After a dive or encounter, observers log their sightings through the BiodiversityOS application at app.biodiversityos.org. The record includes species, location coordinates, date, observed behavior, depth, and photographic evidence when available. Structured fields ensure consistency across contributors.
Each observation enters a community verification process. Submissions are reviewed against the ecological context of the region — cross-referenced with known species ranges, habitat types, and seasonal patterns documented through Mar Sustentable's field research.
Why Baseline Data Matters
Reef ecosystems in the Mexican Caribbean are under sustained pressure: climate change, fishing activity, and coastal development all affect species distribution over time. Detecting these changes requires a baseline — a record of what was present, where, and when, collected consistently over years.
Community-driven data collection addresses the scale problem. A small research team can cover a limited area during a field season. A network of consistent observers, using the same data schema, can cover far more ground and sustain collection through periods when funded research is not active.
Contribute to the Record
If you encounter sharks or other marine species in Cozumel or the wider Caribbean, consider reporting your sighting through BiodiversityOS. Species, date, location, and observed behavior are the core fields. Photos improve the scientific value of each record. Uncertain identifications can be flagged for community review.