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When I, Erik Meijaard, worked as a wildlife consultant for a timber concession in Borneo, I often chatted with the logging truck drivers—and quickly realized that some of them knew far more about local wildlife populations than the company’s own biodiversity teams.

“If you want to see clouded leopards, ride with me in my truck—I can almost guarantee we’ll spot one or two near kilometer 38 around two in the morning,” one of the drivers told me at the time.

I didn’t spot the elusive cats that night, but two years later, early one morning, I finally found one sitting calmly beside a logging road. The driver had been right all along: these leopards really do like the roads.

Since then, I have relied heavily on community-sourced information to monitor wildlife populations within company concessions and ensure that emerging threats are quickly detected and addressed.

I began by creating the first orangutan distribution maps in the 1990s through village interviews, later expanding the approach to 700 villages in 2008 to better understand local perceptions of forests and wildlife.

From 2019 to 2025, I ran an oil-palm-plantation–based citizen-science pilot that generated nearly 190,000 wildlife records from 4,000 workers.

These experiences show that some of the most valuable ecological knowledge rests with the people who live closest to the forest—not the scientists who visit only once a year.

How does citizen science work?

Building on that insight, Emily (who co-wrote this article with me) and I introduced a new version of the model for broader study in four villages in the Kapuas Hulu district of West Kalimantan. There, the local community manages the forest under a social forestry scheme.

We worked directly with them. Anyone with a smartphone can record wildlife sightings using our simple mobile app named Kehatiku (which in Indonesian means both “to my heart” and “my biodiversity”). Observations—from orangutan photos to gibbon audio clips—are then uploaded with GPS coordinates.

Each record then goes through a multi-stage verification process: an AI-assisted screen check for duplicate images and location mismatches, followed by review from our team of verifiers and species experts, who cross-reference field guides.

Once a record is verified, we issue a payment to the observer—ranging from around US$0.60 for a bird-call recording to about US$6 for a clear photo or video of a wild orangutan.

Since the citizen science program launched in 2023, 567 participants have recorded more than 58,000 wildlife observations from community forests—at roughly one-twentieth the cost of conventional surveys. The program creates both income and incentives to protect wildlife and their habitats.

What the data reveal?

So far, the data show unexpectedly high numbers of orangutans, gibbons, and many other species in these community forests, including several of global conservation concern.

The most frequently reported wildlife in the four Kapuas Hulu villages includes orangutans (with 9,766 nest records), white-rumped shamas, sun bear signs, long-tailed macaques, and stingless bees.

Direct sightings of Bornean orangutans and regular recordings of gibbon calls confirm that these species persist outside protected areas—even within agricultural landscapes bordering the villages.

This information is invaluable to understand how threatened mammals survive in mixed-use forests, where formal surveys are rare or expensive. We are currently doing critical testing as to whether the data are strong enough to generate statistically robust occupancy estimates—showing how wildlife species use village forest areas.

For plantations, we can already translate these findings into a living index, an important tool for developing data-driven conservation policies and interventions.

Shifting behavior and social impact

In early 2025, we also collaborated with a local partner to conduct social baseline surveys to assess the program’s socioeconomic impact.

Initial survey results suggest a shift in perception is already underway. More than 70% of residents across the four pilot villages had heard of the initiative, and nearly two-thirds said they are interested in joining.

About a third already earn income from verified wildlife observations—typically US$30 to US$180 every three months, a meaningful supplement in communities where most households live on less than US$120 per month.

More importantly, attitudes toward wildlife are shifting. Where songbirds were once trapped and sold to traders, many villagers now choose to leave them in the forest—realizing it’s more profitable to record the birds’ presence and get paid for it.

A model for inclusive, low-cost monitoring

Financial incentives have clearly boosted engagement. Observation rates rose from about 17 per village per month during the voluntary phase to more than 6,000 per month once payments were introduced.

At an average cost of just US$0.85 per observation, this approach is far cheaper than traditional transect or camera-trap surveys, which can cost US$300 per camera or more.

Not only does it reduce logistical costs, but relying on local observers also makes it possible to cover vast, remote areas.

And unlike short-term research projects, this one runs year-round—because the motivation, and the data, come from the community itself.

The program also strengthens local governance. Regular meetings and WhatsApp groups allow residents to discuss verification results, propose rule changes, and collectively decide how to manage conflicts over shared rewards. We also close the information loop by translating wildlife observations into insights communities can use to guide their decisions.

These interactions, along with transparent payment records, are boosting accountability and participation in broader village decision-making. This transparency has helped build strong trust within the community.

On one occasion, when a participant submitted an internet-sourced photo as fake evidence, the peers insisted on removing them from the project—a proof that data integrity now matters at the community level.

Beyond data: Building ownership and pride

Beyond science, the project is fostering local ownership and pride in nature. For participants, the forest has become a living asset—one that generates income through conservation. That shift in perception may be the most important outcome of all.

With mobile networks and digital payment systems now widespread across Indonesia, this low-cost, scalable model could be expanded to thousands of villages. Citizen science can become a cornerstone of future wildlife conservation—and Indonesia could lead the way in making it happen.

From the truck drivers who spotted clouded leopards in the 1990s to today’s smartphone-armed villagers, the message is clear: science and stewardship thrive when everyone can take part—and be fairly rewarded for it.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Citation: Seen but not forgotten: How citizen science helps document biodiversity in remote Borneo villages (2025, December 1) retrieved 1 December 2025 from https://phys.org/news/2025-12-forgotten-citizen-science-document-biodiversity.html

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