Clean Coasts has launched its 2025 Observers Workshops on World Ocean Day, offering Cork residents the chance to become trained citizen scientists protecting Ireland’s marine environment through partnership with the National Biodiversity Centre’s Explore Your Shore! project.
The nationwide initiative, running from June through November, will train volunteers in coastal towns and villages across six counties, including Cork, to monitor marine biodiversity and contribute vital data to Ireland’s environmental protection efforts.
Dave Wall, Citizen Science Officer at the National Biodiversity Data Centre, explains:
“Partnering with Clean Coasts through the Observer initiative helps mobilise the strength of the Clean Coasts network, and the enthusiasm of local Clean Coasts groups for all things marine, to improve our knowledge of Ireland’s Coastal Biodiversity through Citizen Science. A better understanding of marine biodiversity helps foster stewardship of our seas and coastline, improve local skills in marine species identification, and contributes to the monitoring of marine habitats in Ireland.”
The workshops address a critical gap in Ireland’s environmental monitoring. Coastal species serve as vital indicators of marine health, yet the country struggles with insufficient baseline data to properly assess biodiversity loss in marine ecosystems.
Cork’s extensive coastline makes the county particularly important for this citizen science initiative. Local participants will develop species identification skills whilst contributing to Ireland’s national marine database and becoming ecological guardians for their communities.
Liane Costello, Clean Coasts Biodiversity Officer, remarks:
“The Clean Coasts Observers Explore Your Shore! Workshops are a fantastic opportunity to connect with our vital coastal habitats. Care and understanding for our local nature is key to empowering collective action and community guardianship.”
To earn official Clean Coasts Observer status, participants must register online, complete a free digital workshop, and attend at least one in-person training session. Successful participants receive a Clean Coasts Observer badge and completion pack.
The programme builds on Clean Coasts’ impressive track record since 2003, now involving over 40,000 volunteers across more than 2,000 registered groups throughout Ireland. These volunteers conduct hundreds of beach clean-ups annually, removing substantial quantities of marine litter from Ireland’s coastline.
Workshop schedules and registration details are available at cleancoasts.org/clean-coasts-observer, with Cork sessions to be announced alongside events in Dublin, Clare, Galway, Wexford, and Wicklow.