Chinese scientists use Douyin to monitor invasive species

Ecologists are studying text, images and videos posted online to track the spread of invasive species across China

It follows a common practice of people releasing non-native animals into the wild to bring good fortune

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Scientists are using Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, to track the spread of invasive species such as the American bullfrog with the help of AI. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:00pm, 17 Mar 2024

Ecologists are using Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, to track the spread of invasive species such as the American bullfrog – with a little help from artificial intelligence.

Scientists are using the trove of text, images and videos posted to the social media platform to map, and hopefully deal with, ecological threats across China.

Dubbed “iEcology” by Professor Liu Xuan and his team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ (CAS) zoology institute, the approach integrates information taken from the internet to study ecological processes.

The scientists have analysed data from Douyin, among other sources, to uncover the extensive, yet often invisible, human-mediated introduction of invasive species.

As part of a popular practice influenced by Buddhist beliefs, some Chinese people release captured animals into the wild in a bid to bring good fortune.

Enthusiasts often release birds, fish, turtles and frogs back into nature. However, while well-intentioned, it can lead to biological invasions, introducing non-native species into ecosystems where they have no natural predators, allowing them to proliferate rapidly and disrupt local habitats.