By 2023, nearly 14,000 volunteers helped count Galápagos marine iguanas in drone photos; later phases reached 91% to 92% agreement with expert counts

Thousands of volunteers contributed to counting endangered marine iguanas through drone images from the Galápagos Islands. Participants used a citizen-science platform to identify and count the reptiles in aerial photographs. Research indicated that most volunteers undercounted the animals, posing challenges for conservation efforts. The study highlighted the potential of crowd participation in wildlife monitoring despite certain limitations. Future developments may involve machine learning to enhance image analysis and accuracy.