Community-led Marine Monitoring

Cover Image: Community Diver © COAST

The joint CCN, FFI and NatureScot Community-led Marine Bioidversity Monitoring initiative aims to increase community involvement in marine data collection and monitoring. This includes working to improve survey skills and increase the knowledge base within communities, providing access to suitable equipment, and supporting community-led survey planning, fieldwork and data management.

NatureScot currently provides support to groups for the purchase of underwater survey equipment through the Community Equipment Fund, launched in August 2019. Scotland’s first “how to” guide, the Community-led Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Handbook was published in June 2020 alongside a virtual training tool. If you’d like to get involved with the project, contact NS.

The aims of this initiative are to encourage broader awareness and engagement of communities in biodiversity monitoring and to support more informed and improved conservation policy and management decisions by the Scottish Government.

Community-led Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Handbook

The Community-led Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Handbook includes an introduction to marine survey in Scotland, equipment requirements, survey methods, and survey data forms to record all the marine life from your local coasts and waters.