Data_Sheet_1_How Does the Diversity of Divers Affect the Design of Citizen Science Projects?.docx

Divers have widely participated in citizen science (CS) projects and are one of the main groups of marine citizen scientists. However, there is little knowledge about profiles of, and incentives for potential divers to join CS projects. To date, most studies have focused on the SCUBA diving industry; nevertheless, there is a diversity of divers, not all using SCUBA, who engage in different activities during their dives. Differences in diver profiles could affect their willingness and ability to contribute to CS. In this study, we compare the diving profile, interests, preferences and motivations to participate in CS of five diver types (artisanal fishermen, recreational divers, instructors, scientific divers, and others). All divers have strong interests in participating in CS projects, with no major differences among diver types. In general, they are interested in a wide variety of themes related to CS but they prefer simple sampling protocols. Divers are motivated to participate in CS to learn about the sea and contribute to science. Some important differences among diver types were found, with artisanal fishermen having significantly more dive experience than other diver types, but less free time during their dives and limited access to some communication channels and technologies. These characteristics make them ideal partners to contribute their local ecological knowledge (LEK) to local CS projects. In contrast, recreational divers have the least experience but most free time during their dives and good access to cameras and communications channels, making them suitable partners for large-scale CS projects that do not require a high level of species knowledge. Instructors and scientific divers are well-placed to coordinate and supervise CS activities. The results confirm that divers are not all alike and specific considerations have to be taken into account to improve the contribution of each diver type to CS. The findings provide essential information for the design of different types of CS projects. By considering the relevant incentives and opportunities for diverse diver groups, marine CS projects will make efficient gains in volunteer recruitment, retention, and collaborative generation of knowledge about the marine environment.

潜水员广泛参与了公民科学（CS）项目，并成为海洋公民科学家的主要群体之一。然而，关于潜在潜水员加入CS项目的个人资料及激励措施的了解却十分有限。迄今为止，大多数研究都集中于水肺潜水行业；尽管如此，潜水员的多样性不容忽视，并非所有潜水员都使用水肺，他们在潜水过程中参与的活动也各不相同。潜水员个人资料的差异可能会影响他们对CS项目的参与意愿和能力。在本研究中，我们对比了五种潜水类型（手工业渔民、休闲潜水员、教练、科学潜水员以及其他）的潜水资料、兴趣、偏好以及参与CS的动机。所有潜水员对参与CS项目都表现出浓厚的兴趣，不同潜水类型之间并无显著差异。总体而言，他们对与CS相关的广泛主题都感兴趣，但更倾向于简单的采样方案。潜水员参与CS的动机在于了解海洋并贡献于科学。研究发现，不同潜水类型之间存在一些重要差异，例如手工业渔民相较于其他潜水类型拥有更丰富的潜水经验，但在潜水期间拥有较少的自由时间，且对某些通讯渠道和技术获取有限，这使得他们成为向当地CS项目贡献地方生态知识（LEK）的理想合作伙伴。相反，休闲潜水员虽然潜水经验最少，但在潜水期间拥有最多的自由时间，且能方便地使用相机和通讯渠道，因此他们适合成为大规模、无需高物种知识的大型CS项目的合作伙伴。教练和科学潜水员则处于协调和监督CS活动的有利位置。研究结果证实，潜水员并非同质化群体，在提高各类潜水员对CS贡献的过程中，必须考虑具体因素。这些发现为不同类型CS项目的设计提供了关键信息。通过考虑不同潜水群体的相关激励和机会，海洋CS项目将在志愿者招募、保留以及海洋环境知识合作生成方面实现高效收益。