Citizens are coming to the rescue of endangered seagrass meadows – a vital habitat for species as diverse as seahorses, turtles and even Atlantic cod – in a new global citizen-science programme that is mapping vital information about the species.
An online platform, SeagrassSpotter, helps volunteers to locate and document the meadows, collecting data and photos that can be used for targeted conservation efforts. Complete with a ‘Pokémon-Go’ style smartphone app, this provides scientists with reliable, geo-referenced data. So far, over 750 observations have been recorded from around the world.
