PS 47-125: Investigating course-assessment tools
The 93rd ESA Annual Meeting, Jan 1, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 PS 47-125: Investigating course-assessment tools. Brack W. Hale, Frankl... more Wednesday, August 6, 2008 PS 47-125: Investigating course-assessment tools. Brack W. Hale, Franklin College Switzerland. Background/Question/Methods Teaching and learning assessment are important processes that can ...
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Papers by Brack Hale
their impacts from an environmental justice perspective. As the scope of the environmental
justice field grows to encompass considerations of ecological integrity, invasive alien species
should be part and parcel of this discourse, because they have the potential to harm human
health directly and interfere with ecosystem services upon which vulnerable groups
sometimes rely. Further, invasive alien species might cause environmental justice issues at
the international level, as developing countries are likely at greater risk from their impacts.
We propose that research should investigate the distribution of direct impacts from invasive
alien species, as well as those via changes of ecosystem functioning and services, across
different socioeconomic populations. We highlight the need for a holistic approach to
understanding these impacts that includes environmental justice concerns and recommend
the development of a framework that would enable consideration of cultural, ecological,
economic, and social issues involved in the management of invasive alien species.
their impacts from an environmental justice perspective. As the scope of the environmental
justice field grows to encompass considerations of ecological integrity, invasive alien species
should be part and parcel of this discourse, because they have the potential to harm human
health directly and interfere with ecosystem services upon which vulnerable groups
sometimes rely. Further, invasive alien species might cause environmental justice issues at
the international level, as developing countries are likely at greater risk from their impacts.
We propose that research should investigate the distribution of direct impacts from invasive
alien species, as well as those via changes of ecosystem functioning and services, across
different socioeconomic populations. We highlight the need for a holistic approach to
understanding these impacts that includes environmental justice concerns and recommend
the development of a framework that would enable consideration of cultural, ecological,
economic, and social issues involved in the management of invasive alien species.
Geotagged photos posted to social media provide a potential source of information on the biodiversity of landscapes. This study examines the flora documented in publicly-available, geotagged photos posted on the website Flickr in northern Ticino, Switzerland between 2015 and 2020. Specifically, it seeks to assess the taxa of plants documented in the photos and the users’ understanding of the flora, using user-identified information as a proxy.
Methods
Using the Flickr API and a GIS project in QGIS, the study collected photographs taken in and above the subalpine zone (defined here as starting at 1500 masl) in Northern Ticino between 1 April and 31 October (in 2020, only until 20 July); we sampled up to ten photos per user. The authors performed a content analysis to categorize the main subjects of the photos. For photos containing plants as visible subjects, we further identified plants to genus or species, when possible. We also collated user’s comments and tags related to plants. Lastly, we examined the spatial trends of photos with plants and those without with respect to hiking trails, roads, and huts.
Results
Of the 540 photos in the final dataset, 80 (14.8 %) photos contained individual plants that could be visually identified. In contrast, only 28 (5.2 %) photos contained plant-related tags. Identifiable plants came from 26 genera, the most common being Larix, Epilobium, and Eriophorum. No plants were on the Red, Black, or Watch Lists in Canton Ticino. Conspicuously missing were Orchidaceae species and two “symbolic” floral taxa of the Alps (sensu Schirpke et al. 2018): Gentiana (acaulis and clusii) and Leontopodium alpinum. Users rarely identified taxa (5%), but were generally correct (100%), when they did. Photos with plants were significantly closer to huts and and further from roads.
Conclusions
Our initial findings demonstrate that a visual content analysis captures more taxa than a simple analysis of user-generated content would; however, it did not identify any plants in need of management. This could relate to the sampling methodology or the social media platform. Overall, it shows that visitors, while not always specifically recognizing it, appreciate the flora of mountain areas. This highlights the need for continued conservation and education efforts.