Line of action:

Drivers of biodiversity loss

Status:

En ejecución

Execution date:

2023

Total budget:

283.990,3 €

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

198.793,21 €

The Mediterranean is an area that is already suffering the effects of warming, which are mainly translated into changes in the distribution of species, massive mortalities and phenological changes.

This project will consolidate a network for monitoring the effects of climate change along the Mediterranean coast through the Observadores del Mar marine citizen science platform, which has more than 10 years of experience in the implementation of citizen science activities.

This monitoring network will provide information on these effects along the gradient of environmental conditions (NE-SW) existing in the Mediterranean, contributing to obtain a more general vision of the impacts that we currently do not have. This information will be key to guide climate change adaptation measures for coastal marine ecosystems.

The general objective of this initiative is to establish a citizen science network capable of monitoring and tracking the effects of climate change on the marine ecosystems of the Spanish coasts, through standardized protocols.

To achieve this, count on these specific goals:

• Consolidate and expand the network of Sentinel Observatories (diving centers and other entities committed to Observers of the Sea) and encourage the monitoring of climate change indicators.
• Increase the participation of observers and observations related to climate change indicators.
• Transfer of the results of the data obtained from the climate change indicator monitoring network.
• Raise public awareness of the vulnerability, impacts and adaptive capacity of marine ecosystems to climate change.
• Technological development of the Sea Observers platform.

• Dissemination and communication of the project, through the dissemination of activities on the website, social networks, electronic newsletter and podcast; participation in talks and colloquiums and the development of materials and resources.
• Citizen participation and training actions: organization of theoretical and practical workshops on the monitoring of climate change indicators, implementation of protocols for monitoring climate change indicators by the Sentinel Observatories, development of training capsules and distribution of didactic materials.
• Transfer actions: preparation of reports on the evolution of climate change indicators in marine ecosystems in the Spanish marine demarcations, communication of results to the administrations in charge of managing the marine environment, presentation of results at congresses, meetings and specialized scientific journals, and an event to transfer the results obtained and products generated, aimed at the general public.
• Quality control actions and free access to the data: validation of the observations provided by volunteers and transfer of the data to the European portal EMODNet Biology and to the Spanish Inventory of Natural Heritage and Biodiversity through the Nature Data Bank (BDN).
• Technological updating actions: updating, improvement and development of new functionalities and sections in the Observadores del Mar website.