Harnessing coastal marine activities to enhance marine environmental protection in Ireland through citizen science education and conservation research

Valerie Teresa Hickey¹

¹University College Cork, Ireland

The global biodiversity crisis has given rise to a series of government backed initiatives to pave the way for increased protection of land and sea, but to what extent do existing protected areas help to preserve biodiversity. This research aims to develop educational resources that harness the involvement of both visitors and residential communities near Europe’s oldest statutory marine nature reserve, Lough Hyne in Southwest Ireland and increase intertidal biodiversity records in Ireland’s rural coastal areas. This project will enable non-specialists to fill the research gap between the local and the scientific community, while developing an ethos of conservation stewardship. The four phased four-year long project will collect data on current recreational usage, monitor seasonal changes in the distribution of intertidal species and the physico-chemical environment while engaging with local stakeholders, to develop tools to increase regular citizen science reporting. The maintenance of established long-term datasets, through citizen science initiatives, is an accessible and effective way to ensure continuity in ongoing long term biodiversity monitoring in fragile habitats, such as Lough Hyne, while harnessing information on potential anthropogenic disturbance from recreational activities. Data collected can be fed back directly into the scientific and local communities and inform governmental bodies in establishing a comprehensive management plan to conserve and protect local biodiversity hotspots in balance with tourism.