Elasmobranch Observations from Citizen Science in Mozambique, 2007-2025

408 citizen science records of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) collected via the iNaturalist platform between 2007 and 2025. The dataset documents 44 species and was created by Dércio Maoze, with most records (82%) classified as research grade. It accounts for 32% of the 137 elasmobranch species previously reported from Mozambique.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatio-temporal patterns of elasmobranch observations based on the 2007-2025 time range and geographic focus on Mozambique.
• Assessing conservation gaps by comparing record density with Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRAs) as mentioned in the description.
• Evaluating the contribution of citizen science to biodiversity documentation based on the 408 records and their research-grade classification.
• Studying species composition and threat status based on the documented 44 species and their IUCN Red List classifications.

Strengths

• 408 research-grade records, with 82% classified as research grade supporting reliability.
• Covers a significant time span from 2007 to 2025, documenting 44 elasmobranch species.
• Provides specific conservation context, noting 71% of recorded species are threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Limitations

• Spatially biased toward southern areas of Mozambique, particularly Inhambane and Maputo provinces, reflecting inconsistent sampling.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for some analyses.

Provenance

Source

iNaturalist citizen science platform.

Collection Method

Citizen science observations compiled for research.

Time Range

2007 to 2025

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-27 04:14:40; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Mozambican coast, Western Indian Ocean