Your data
Your survey sheets are collected, uploaded onto a website designed for Shoresearch surveys, from there they are verified via the iRecord system and eventually (it takes time) are uploaded onto the National Biodiversity Network (NBN). From here they become available to all researchers, conservationists, relevant bodies etc to use.
At the North Wales Wildlife Trust we have been working with Natural Resources Wales to hone the surveys, ensuring the data can be used in the monitoring and wider promotion of some of our Marine Protected Areas
and to update information about any marine Invasive Non-Native Species. The data collected will be available to them as data, but also yearly reports and will be utilised in their monitoring work. The success of this depends on many factors, but the more surveys done and the better informed our volunteers. the greater the value of these Shoresearch surveys.
Your input and enthusiasm will, of course, be helped by receiving some feedback and as well as the Shoresearch blogs on our website, there will be summary reports each year to read.
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)
You will get to learn more throughout the Shoresearch training, but for now we will introduce the main types of protection and what that means for Shoresearch monitoring. This section needs to be in brief, because protected areas, especially Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are complicated.
In Wales we have different types of truly Marine Protected Areas, together with protected areas, which have marine features within them. There are a total of 139 marine protected areas in Wales, covering over 2/3rds of Welsh seas.
MPAs come under different levels of hierarchy (National, European and International). These levels help to protect sites for reasons which are important at these levels. For instance, a site can be given local protection because it is important for a rare species/habitat in the UK, but those species can be found much more abundantly elsewhere.
Protection within marine protected areas means adopting policies, using regulation and promoting good practice, which is designed to keep species safe and avoid disturbance and deterioration of the habitat/population which is receiving protection, as well as strengthening the wider network within which they function. Under the OSPAR agreement, countries signed up should be working towards an ecologically coherent network of MPAs, which are “areas for which protective, conservation, restorative or precautionary measures have been instituted for the purpose of protecting and conserving species, habitats, ecosystems or ecological processes of the marine environment.”
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
SSSIs are seen as our most protected areas. They are chosen to represent the range, quality and variety of habitats and species across Wales. A SSSI’s marine limit was formally restricted to the Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT) or the seaward limits of estuarine waters, by the UK Marine and Coastal Act 2009 (some do stretch further). We can define those sites, which stretch that far, as Marine Protected Areas.
For SSSIs the aim is to bring to and keep in favourable condition rare and representative wildlife (habitats, species) at the national level. Since some of these sites cover the intertidal marine areas to a particular point, they are an important part of protection for the marine fringe where humans come into contact most with our marine environment. SSSI protocol has recently been updated recognising the development of the ecosystem approach and Climate Change etc.
Most of the Shoresearch Cymru group-led surveys will be carried out in marine SSSIs.
Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
One of two major types of protected area which are a legacy of our inclusion in the EU and have been unchanged, so far, after Brexit. Commonly found in Wales, they aim to protect wildlife/habitats which are important at a European level. The current MPA network in Wales is made up of a majority of these sites – Special Areas of Conservation SACs are designed to protect wildlife (other than birds) and habitats of European importance. They are classified under the EU’s Habitats Directive.
Each SAC has its own list of particular (qualifying) features (habitats and/or species) which form the basis of the protection; the overall conservation objectives are to maintain populations and their habitats in a favourable conservation status.
Many of our Shoresearch group surveys lie within an SAC and some have features which are intertidal.
Special Protection Area (SPA)
One of two major types of protected area which are a legacy of our inclusion in the EU and have been unchanged, so far after Brexit. The current MPA network in Wales is made up of a majority of these sites – SPAs (Special Protection Areas) are designed to protect rare and vulnerable birds of European importance and their essential habitats, used for overwintering, feeding, migration, breeding. SPAs are classified under the EC Birds Directive.
Site management is designed to avoid adverse effects of human behaviour on the birds or their feeding. Monitoring is carried out by the various Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies. Every 6 years the results of this monitoring form a UK-wide assessment of status and trends both within and outside of protected sites and are reported to the EU. Every 10 years reviews are also published.
A few of our Shoresearch group surveys lie within an SPA and, although the surveys will not be covering featured species, they will be monitoring important food species for these protected bird populations.
Marine Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS)
Since a major threat to marine ecosystems comes from Invasive Non-Native Species, our Shoresearch surveys will incorporate training and monitoring at all levels.
We have marine invasive species in many species groups (molluscs, algae, crustaceans, sea squirts) and coming in via many different routes (aquaculture, marina traffic, ports, deliberate releases).
Their interactions are problematic for several different reasons, some affect our economies by damaging or clogging infrastructure and traffic, but many have serious implications for native wildlife (preying on, taking space from, introducing disease to). Their presence in our protected areas are therefore, important to avoid and monitoring for them will be an important part of the Shoresearch Cymru surveys.
We will be using our surveys to keep an eye out for (all shore activities) or particularly search for these species (timed species searches/specific survey sites/specific sessions).
Alternative Factoids
Some Marine Protected Areas have their own website run by MPA officers or groups of organisations whose marine/coastal work lies within the MPA.
You can find some of these websites from MPAs around Wales here.