The marine environment plays an important role for many communities along the Welsh coast, however, it isn’t accessible to all.
Using our flagship species (angelshark, spurdog, common stingray, tope, blue skate and flapper skate) Project SIARC is working with diverse school groups, citizen scientists and underrepresented groups to inspire, engage and gather information on elasmobranchs in Wales.
Schools
Project SIARC aims to inspire the future generation to safeguard the marine environment, by providing a range of interactive sessions with schoolchildren aged between 7 – 13.
Citizen Science
By working with citizen scientists, we can gather more information about elasmobranchs in Wales whilst inspiring volunteers to engage with their local marine environment.
We are focusing on three main citizen science activities:
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
There is an urgent need to diversify opportunities for involvement in marine conservation. Through research including interviews and focus group discussions, we’re working to identify communities underserved by marine conservation, the barriers to participation and measures to achieve greater diversity and inclusion across Wales. These learnings will be shared with our partners and implemented within our citizen science programmes.
The Project SIARC flagship species will also be used to develop a new appreciation for the underwater environment in Wales, opening access and enabling the engagement of underrepresented groups.