In a breakthrough study published in Conservation Biology, researchers have demonstrated the transformative potential of geotagged social media photographs to enhance biodiversity datasets, addressing long-standing gaps in global species monitoring efforts. By combining traditional occurrence data with images sourced from widely used social platforms, the research unmasked previously undetected patterns in species distribution, offering a scalable, real-time approach to conservation science that could reshape how biodiversity is tracked across the globe.
The international team driving this initiative included experts from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, and Monash University. Their focus was the tawny coster butterfly (Acraea terpsicore), a species native to India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka but currently undergoing rapid range expansion into new territories across South and Southeast Asia. The highly recognizable and visible nature of this butterfly made it an ideal candidate for assessing the accuracy and utility of social media as a data source for ecological studies.
Central to the study was the integration of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) records with publicly available images of the tawny coster collected from platforms such as Flickr and Facebook. This integration resulted in a striking 35% increase in the total number of observations, substantially enriching the spatial and temporal coverage of the species data. The augmented dataset delivered greater granularity in species distribution models, thereby producing higher fidelity maps of current and emerging habitats.
Species distribution models (SDMs) are computational tools routinely employed to predict the suitable habitats for species based on environmental variables. Traditionally, these models rely heavily on formal monitored occurrences, which are often spatially biased towards better-studied regions. By incorporating social media-derived records, the researchers revealed range expansions that were overlooked by GBIF-only data, highlighting model deficiencies in underrepresented areas. This marks a significant advance in capturing the dynamics of species range shifts under environmental changes.
The impact of climate change on biodiversity is a critical research area, particularly for species forecasting survival trajectories. The study uncovered that GBIF datasets tend to underrepresent observations in environments characterized by cooler maximum temperatures, lower precipitation, and increased elevation—all crucial bioclimatic parameters that could determine future refugia for species under warming scenarios. Social media contributions thus provide a vital supplement by filling ecological and geographic gaps where formal monitoring is sparse or nonexistent.
Dr. Shawan Chowdhury, the study’s lead author and an iDiv alumnus at Monash University, emphasized the empowering role of citizen science and social media platforms. “These additional records filled major gaps, especially in countries underrepresented in biodiversity databases,” Chowdhury noted, explaining that the democratization of species observations through public participation substantially enhances real-time biodiversity assessments.
While the tawny coster’s conspicuousness facilitated verification, the study acknowledged that reliance on social media data necessitates careful expert validation to mitigate risks of misidentification and poorly interpretable images. Taxonomically cryptic taxa such as moths and beetles rarely feature in public archives and pose greater challenges for this approach. Consequently, expert curation remains indispensable alongside citizen-generated data to uphold scientific rigor.
Prof Dr Aletta Bonn, a senior author affiliated with UFZ, iDiv, and the University of Jena, underscored the urgency and utility of this methodology, particularly as global biodiversity grapples with accelerating climate-induced changes. She highlighted the critical role of citizen science not only in data collection but also in fostering public engagement and awareness essential for holistic conservation strategies.
Beyond the scientific community, this study illustrates a novel convergence of ecology and digital communication networks, propelling biodiversity monitoring into the digital age. Popular applications like iNaturalist and Flora Incognita already mobilize millions of users to document nature, but social media’s vast global reach and informal documentation provide untapped reservoirs of ecological data that can complement traditional databases such as GBIF.
The findings illustrate that social media data does more than fill known gaps; it accelerates the timeliness and comprehensiveness of biodiversity records, enabling researchers to observe and model rapid biological responses to environmental changes almost in real time. Such dynamic datasets could revolutionize conservation policy and action, offering a means to anticipate and mitigate biodiversity losses more effectively.
This innovative approach also poses important questions about data governance, privacy, and the ethical use of publicly shared information in scientific research. The study touches on these considerations indirectly by emphasizing the importance of transparency and expert oversight in data validation and integration workflows, calling for concerted efforts to establish standards for ethical biodiversity data use in the digital era.
Ultimately, this research paints a hopeful picture for biodiversity conservation amidst the challenges of climate change. Harnessing the power of global digital citizenry to refine ecological knowledge bridges the gap between nascent data sources and established scientific inquiry. As the tawny coster trilaterally expands its domain, it symbolizes not only a biological phenomenon but also a transformative paradigm shift in ecological monitoring.
This pioneering work is poised to inspire further interdisciplinary collaborations that leverage the ubiquity of social media to empower conservationists worldwide. By embracing the noise of everyday nature sightings shared digitally, scientists can distill invaluable signals to better understand, predict, and protect the Earth’s rapidly shifting biodiversity in our warming world.
Subject of Research: Biodiversity monitoring and species distribution modeling enhanced by social media data integration.
Article Title: Harnessing social media data to track a species range shift: A case study using the tawny coster butterfly.
News Publication Date: 13-Feb-2026
Web References:
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111668
Image Credits: Shawan Chowdhury
Keywords: Biodiversity, Species distribution, Social media, Biodiversity conservation
