Looking for a new adventure? Become a marine citizen scientist this World Ocean Day! Sign up for the 2025 Clean Coasts Observers Workshops in partnership with Explore Your Shore!
Citizen scientists are members of the public who contribute to scientific studies through data collection, analysis, or reporting. Once again this year, Clean Coasts have teamed up with the National Biodiversity Centre’s Explore Your Shore! to get more people involved in this vital work.
The nationwide workshops promote our vital connection to our coastal ecosystems and biodiversity and encourage members of the public to engage in citizen science actions to care for our coasts.
Running from June to November, training events will take place in coastal towns and villages across the West, South, and East coasts, in collaboration with local communities and project partners. Details of events will be updated and available on our website on the official site - Clean Coasts Observers.
The Clean Coasts Observers Explore Your Shore! Workshops allow coastal communities to develop species identification skills, positively contribute to Ireland’s national marine baseline data, and become local ecological guardians.
To receive a Clean Coasts Observers badge and completion pack, participants must:
- Be a registered Clean Coasts Observer
- Complete the Explore Your Shore! free online workshop
- Attend at least one in-person Clean Coasts Observers Explore Your Shore Workshop
Recording our marine biodiversity is as vital as recording terrestrial plants and animals. Our coastal species are indicators of the health of our seas, and, unfortunately, due to a lack of baseline data, we struggle to realise the extent of biodiversity loss in our marine ecosystems.
About Clean Coasts
An Taisce's Clean Coasts programme engages communities in the protection of Ireland’s beaches, seas and marine life. Since 2003, Clean Coasts has been working with communities to help protect and care for Ireland’s waterways, coastline, seas, ocean and marine life. To highlight the importance of citizen science, they launched the 'Clean Coasts Observer' initiative in 2021.
About the National Biodiversity Data Centre
The National Biodiversity Data Centre works to make biodiversity data and information more freely available in order to better understand and assist the protection of Ireland's biodiversity.
