The Wildlife Trusts’ annual celebration of the sea, National Marine Week, is underway in Somerset until Sunday 11th August 2024.
This year’s theme is ‘Sea the Connection‘, and Somerset Wildlife Trust is highlighting how we are all closely connected to Somerset’s coast and why a healthy, thriving marine environment matters.
As part of this celebration, Somerset Wildlife Trust is encouraging people to visit the coastline and look out for different seashore species.
By recording these sightings using iNaturalist, a platform for recording wildlife data, the public can help the Trust build up a more complete picture of the state of Somerset’s coastal nature.
Mark Ward, Somerset’s Wilder Coast Project Manager at Somerset Wildlife Trust, says: “Many conservation organisations rely on data collected by members of the public to help them monitor and protect wildlife.”
“We still have very few records for the Somerset coast and we need help from citizen scientists to build up a better baseline picture of species.”
“Wherever you live in Somerset, you’re connected to the sea, even if you’ve never set foot on the beach. The sea’s influence reaches far beyond the shore, affecting our climate, what we eat, and even the air we breathe.”
Find out about National Marine Week and some of the different species to keep an eye out for here: www.somersetwildlife.org/blog/mark-ward/gearing-national-marine-week
