The role of citizen scientists in preparing for a national response to the invasive insect-transmitted plant pathogen Xylella fastidiosa

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of pests and diseases threatening plants in the UK. Active surveillance by official regulatory bodies is key for their early detection and to enable their management. However, additional surveillance by citizen scientists can support national surveillance programmes as they widen the area surveyed beyond points of entry and the plant trade.

Xylella fastidiosa was detected for the first time in Europe in 2013 and has been detected in France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The pathogen has not been detected in the UK although the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius, the main vector of X. fastidiosa identified in Europe is common and widespread. In 2018 the BRIGIT project was funded to identify strategies to mitigate the impact of X. fastidiosa and to increase preparedness should the pathogen be introduced.

The BRIGIT project has aimed to raise awareness and engage with the public to gather information related to the distribution and feeding hosts of P. spumarius in Britain. Working with stakeholders and the broader public, BRIGIT has developed and optimised a range of resources, including  information datasheets, databases and survey tools to enable the identification and reporting of insect vectors and the plant species that are known hosts for X. fastidiosa.

A series of face-to-face and online training events have raised the overall awareness of Xylella, its insect vectors, regulations and biosecurity with professional and citizen scientists. Press, social media and multimedia outputs have promoted the citizen science surveillance and resulted in over 24,000 records being submitted to map insect vectors and plant host species in the UK. We explore how our engagement on Xylella could lead to greater citizen involvement in national surveillance and present some preliminary feedback on our attempts to improve awareness and influence better biosecurity behaviours.