The advances of the marine citizen science program of LIFE INTEMARES have been presented at the conference “Act for the sea: marine citizen science in Andalusia”.

The marine citizen science programme of the LIFE INTEMARES project, which we coordinate from the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, has arrived in Andalusia thanks to the alliance with the CSIC’s Sea Observers platform and the support of the Regional Government of Andalusia, a partner in the project.

The progress of this initiative was presented within the framework of the conference “Act by the sea: marine citizen science in Andalusia”, which was attended this afternoon by the Director General of the Natural Environment, Biodiversity and Natural Spaces of the Regional Government of Andalusia, Araceli Cabello, as well as the Director of the Biodiversity Foundation. Elena Pita.

Representatives of research centres and institutions, such as the Spanish National Research Council, the University of Seville and the Roquetas de Mar City Council, also participated in the event. 

This event is the starting point for the expansion of the citizen science programme of the LIFE INTEMARES project, the result of the alliance with Sea Observers, promoted since 2019 with the fundamental objective of bringing citizen science to the entire Spanish marine Natura 2000 Network, promoting the participation of society and obtaining scientific data for the effective management of marine protected areas.

Observadores del Mar is a benchmark in marine citizen science in the Levantine-Balearic demarcation and, through the LIFE INTEMARES project, the extension of the programme to the other four marine demarcations is being promoted: South Atlantic, Strait and Alboran, North Atlantic and Canary Islands.

In addition, this initiative seeks to strengthen the research network made up of citizens, the scientific community and other key local actors, with the aim that the scientific knowledge generated can be transferred to the management of marine protected areas. The activities carried out also contribute to raising awareness about the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean.

INVOLVING CITIZENS IN MARINE CONSERVATION

Citizen science is a participatory tool that allows citizens to get involved in nature conservation and generate scientific knowledge. More than 3,000 observers are part of the Sea Observers platform, which has 13,900 validated observations, relevant data in the marine field that contribute to conservation.

Of the total, 5,000 are located in areas of the marine Natura 2000 Network. The LIFE INTEMARES project is working on the transfer of this information to the Nature Data Bank, which includes the Spanish Inventory of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity and is key to proper management.

The observations are integrated into 15 scientific projects on protected species and habitats or impacts on biodiversity, such as marine litter or global warming, among others.

These projects are led by a scientific community made up of about a hundred researchers, with a focus on monitoring the state of the sea and generating knowledge for management.

COOPERATION IN ANDALUSIA

The Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development (CAGPDS) and its Environment Agency (AMAYA), has entered as a partner of the LIFE INTEMARES project, sharing the pillars of the integration of funds, actors and policies.

Among the lines of action, work is being done together with the Junta de Andalucía to increase knowledge about marine habitats and species and mitigate the impacts caused on them by recreational activities and for the control of other threats, such as marine litter and non-native species. Other lines of work include the development of a regional governance model for the marine Natura 2000 Network in Andalusia, the promotion of entrepreneurship and the design and development of an environmental awareness and education programme.

The LIFE INTEMARES project advances towards the objective of achieving an effective management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools.

The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge coordinates the project. The ministry itself, through the Directorate-General for Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification; the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, as well as the Environment and Water Agency; the Spanish Institute of Oceanography; AZTI; the University of Alicante; the Polytechnic University of Valencia; the Spanish Fisheries Confederation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF-Spain. It has the contribution of the LIFE Program of the European Union.