Coastal Nature Challenge
Help us spot and record coastal wildlife this National Marine Week
What is it?
Join our Coastal Nature Challenge this National Marine Week:
25 July - 9 August
We're on a mission to spot and record as many different coastal wildlife species as possible this National Marine Week! We are challenging people up and down the coast of the North West to get out and look for wildlife on their local coastline.
Whether that’s searching for shells on the strandline, looking into crevices and rockpools, exploring the critters that live in our mudflats, or discovering flowers in the sand dunes - we want to know what you see and where you see it!
When you sign up you will be sent details of how to use the iNaturalist app and submit sightings to our project, spotter sheets and our coastal code of conduct.
How do I take part?
Taking part is as easy as 1, 2, 3... Spot it, snap it, record it!
The Challenge runs over 2 weeks so you can join in for as long as you like - whether that’s 2 minutes, 20 minutes or several hours. The Challenge begins on Saturday 25 July and runs right through until the end of National Marine Week on Sunday 9 August.
We are looking for records up and down the coast of the North West, so get out and explore your local coastline and see if you can discover something new wherever you are! No special knowledge or skills are required - we’ll provide you with everything you need to make it easy and fun.
You can take part using the iNaturalist app, which is free on your smartphone or tablet. The app allows you to upload pictures of the wildlife you spot and your records can be verified by a community of naturalists. You can also help other people identify what they find. We are asking you to sign up to our Coastal Nature Challenge so that we can collate all of the records from our Challenge area in one place.
At the coast © Matthew Roberts
Why are we recording coastal nature?
We all need healthy seas. Over half of our wildlife lives in the sea. And a healthy, wildlife-rich natural environment is not only valuable in its own right; it is fundamentally important for human health, wellbeing, and our economy.
Our seas are threatened by pollution, overfishing, construction and increasingly, the effects of global climate change. It is not too late though, we can bring our seas back to life!
Together we will discover how many species call our coasts and shorelines home. We'll use the vital information we collect to monitor and protect our marine life across the coast of the North West.