Discover how data collection fosters ocean stewardship
Our webinar on September 19th Taking Action: inspiring community stories provided insight into how communities are getting involved in monitoring their local marine environment. Four guest speakers shared their firsthand experience with blending community engagement with data collection.
Featured Programmes
Marine Metre Squared, seashore monitoring programme
Rocky, sandy and muddy shore surveys help to create a deeper understanding of coastal ecosystems and provide opportunities for participants to connect with and learn about these environments.
Litter Intelligence, Sustainable Coastlines litter monitoring programme
Surveys of litter along our coastlines collected by citizen scientists help to categorise litter types and quantify density. This contributes to a database which informs national policy on single-use plastics.
Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, engagement & monitoring
Community engagement and immersive activities through Mountain to Sea helped spark kaitiakitanga in the Matai Bay area. An adjacent marine monitoring programme revealed that snapper numbers are recovering following the establishment of the rāhui in 2017.
Check out the recording of our live webinar below.
Webinar Recording
Guest Speaker Bios
Sally Carson ~ Marine Biologist, Director, New Zealand Marine Studies Centre
Sally Carson's interests include citizen science, community engagement in science, informal science education and intertidal ecology. In 2013, Carson launched a national citizen science project (Marine Metre Squared) to involve members of the public in the long term monitoring of the New Zealand seashore. She has written a range of educational resources for primary and intermediate school students, as well as a series of identification guides to the plants and animals which inhabit New Zealand's seashores.
Ben Knight ~ Engagement Director, Sustainable Coastlines
Ben is passionate about enabling local communities to be involved in the protection and management of our wonderful and unique coastal, marine and freshwater environments. Sustainable Coastlines is a charity taking action to monitor and reduce litter across New Zealand beaches. The SC team leads and delivers the Litter Intelligence programme, Aotearoa’s first national litter database.
Samara Nicholas ~ Co-Director, Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust
Avid diver and advocate for marine reserves, Samara was involved in the application for a Marine Reserve in the Whangarei Harbour in 1998 when she was at Kamo High School. The marine biodiversity around Motukaroro played a huge role in inspiring her on this journey. Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust's mission is to immerse communities in their freshwater and marine environments, sharing experiences, scientific knowledge, and practical skills to inspire conservation. They have been running school programmes since 2002 through Experiencing Marine Reserves and Whitebait Connection.
Ceara Wallace ~ Marine Ecologist
Ceara adores all things marine related and has spent hundreds of hours on and under the water. She has BSc in Biology and a background in eco-tourism and scientific diving. She has been working with the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust as a marine ecologist conducting fish abundance surveys through timed transect swims; biodiversity dives; using BUV (baited underwater video); data analysis; report writing; community engagement.