Coastwatch Survey

Coastwatch is seeking volunteers to participate in the annual Coastwatch Survey 2015. Bookings are now open for the ALL IRELAND part of the survey which runs from September 15th to October 15th. Volunteers take on one or more ‘survey units’ (500 m of shore) and do an eco-audit on the shore at low tide once during the survey month. We hope to break the 1000 survey site barrier in this autumn’s survey and also get citizens to experience the particularly low spring tides at the start, mid and end point of the survey. All the information you will need is available from the new Coastwatch website. Survey areas are shown for pre-booking on the online map - zoom in on your area here. The survey unit booking form and the recording form are online now. Volunteers are encouraged to book their survey units and request test kits to be posted out now.

Special focus on Dublin Bay Biosphere

This year Dublin Bay is a priority area where we hope every bit of accessible shore will be surveyed to celebrate that Dublin Bay has been designated as a Biosphere by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), in recognition of the area’s unique ecological habitat and biological diversity. This coastal Biosphere reserve goes beyond EU nature law designations as it includes the whole of Dublin Bay and a buffer around it from Portmarnock to Ballybrack.