IHE Delft PhD researcher supports citizen science on river biodiversity in Mexico
In Mexico, IHE Delft PhD researcher Enya Enriquez worked with 21 volunteers, researchers and students from the Intermunicipal Board of the Ayuquila River and the University Center of the South Coast. They analyzed the biodiversity of rivers and river ecosystems.
Photos taken near local rivers by volunteers around the world during a September weekend as part of the Home River Bioblitz help scientists analyse the biodiversity of rivers and river ecosystems.
In Mexico, IHE Delft PhD researcher Enya Enriquez worked with 21 volunteers, researchers and students from the Intermunicipal Board of the Ayuquila River and the University Center of the South Coast, who took photos of the river landscape and surrounding the Ahuacapan stream. The participants submitted their photos to the iNaturalist and Epicollect apps, which geographically reference collected data and generate maps and database tables for further analysis.
“This event allowed people to connect with the river and learn how to collect data with digital citizen science tools,” said Enriquez, who is researching the use of information technology and social sciences to characterise river health. “I expect that the participants will continue to use these tools to observe the biodiversity of other river landscapes. Citizen scientists can make a difference by observing the rivers, by the raising awareness about their health and by acting to protect them.”
Enya Enriquez' PhD trajectory is supervised by Gerald Corzo Perez. Her promotors are Professor Dimitri Solomatine and Professor Michael McClain.