Background

The Scottish Coastline is an internationally significant area for whales and dolphins, with 21 different species recorded. Furthermore, the economic impacts from eco-tourism opportunities, and rich social and cultural coastal heritage built on cetacean – human relationships, underline the importance of protecting these ocean giants, particularly in the face of threats such as climate change, marine pollution, and entanglement.

The Shorewatch Project

Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) work to protect cetaceans on the global scale but run several programmes in Scotland. From their Scottish Dolphin Centre, in Spey Bay, Moray, they run the Shorewatch programme. At the time of applying to HIEF, the programme had recruited, trained, and engaged a total of 1,300 people, and established a network of 200 volunteers across 28 sites on mainland and Hebridean coasts. Through free training sessions, and distribution of equipment such as binoculars, WDC have created a cetacean monitoring programme that involves regular 10 minute surveys from established watch sites.

However, youth and disadvantaged communities were identified as a priority group for future engagement. In April 2022, HIEF awarded WDC a grant of £4,981 in match-funding to support a youth Shorewatch project, aiming to overcome some of the barriers preventing young people from engaging with cetacean conservation on the Scottish coastline.

Project Activities

The project had several strands, but overall aimed to use citizen science to engage young people, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, with cetaceans and the marine environment.

Training sessions:

• 17 theory and 12 practical based sessions were held, with 81 and 56 young people attending respectively. These sessions trained young people in Shorewatch methodology.
• To make these more accessible, WDC offered free transport, which 26 young people used.
• They also ran 2 practical sessions for 9 young refugees.

 

Outreach

WDC gave 8 community talks, attended 5 community events, held 5 webinars, distributed a youth-specific newsletter, and produced a podcast.

Shorewatch app

All young people who took part inputted their data in the Shorewatch app – this totalled 682 Shorewatch records. This data contributed towards six University research projects.

 Field trips

WDC supported and funded 7 young people to take field trip experiences in other Shorewatch regions such as Skye, Shetland and Orkney. One young person attended a Scotlink event at Parliament.

WDC Young Adult Network

10 young adults signed up to be part of a network that supports youth voices in marine policy advocacy

New Shorewatch sites

New sites were set-up with free kits in Clachtoll, Fraserburgh, and Greenock that are accessible for young people.

Impact

Feedback from participants highlighted the positive impact it had on them:

The training was incredibly well-balanced with information and opportunities for practising. I especially appreciated the learning about the environmental benefits of whales. Katie was very approachable and knowledgeable about the marine wildlife beyond cetaceans as well which meant that we learnt a lot at the Shorewatch site despite few sightings” – Ellen, 24

The educational and participatory opportunities this project enabled are of considerable importance to whale and dolphin conservation efforts in Scotland – training and inspiring the next generation of coastal citizens.

Legacy

Lessons learnt from this pilot have informed future engagement with young people, which is still a high priority for WDC. Subsidies are still available to those who need them, and different marketing approaches have increased their success.

The Young Adult Network continues to provide a voice for young people in marine policy.