The importance of public engagement for maerl conservation: Insights from Scotland

Effective marine monitoring and conservation efforts are urgently needed because anthropogenic pressures such as overfishing, habitat damage, pollution and invasive species are increasing (Laffoley et al., 2022). Public engagement activities can enhance marine monitoring efforts, providing valuable observations and increasing ocean literacy in society (Boaventura et al., 2021). Sharing knowledge about marine wildlife in accessible ways, such as digital media and at interactive workshops, can greatly increase the involvement of people in protecting their local environment. Marine citizen science is growing globally (Garcia-Soto et al., 2021; Kelly et al., 2020) ranging from specific environmental issues (e.g. plastic pollution; Rambonnet et al., 2019), habitat protection (e.g. seagrass meadows; Smale et al., 2019) or a focus on certain taxa (such as seaweeds; Brodie et al., 2023).

Most UK marine citizen science initiatives have been driven by non-governmental organizations (Garcia-Soto et al., 2021). Examples include Project Seagrass, a Welsh University-led organization that combines research, public involvement and outreach activities to share seagrass knowledge and restore seagrass meadows (www.projectseagrass.org). More than 800,000 habitat and species observations have been reported to the UK National Biodiversity Network by Seasearch. This group of SCUBA divers and snorkelers are trained by the Marine Conservation Society and have been collecting data for marine conservation since 1988, greatly expanding the known distribution of maerl (www.seasearch.org.uk). Seasearch maerl data were used to inform the design of a network of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Seasearch continues to build a database with maerl distribution records to inform future conservation and management initiatives and is working with Natural England to help improving maerl habitat classification (Angus Jackson, pers. comm.).

Maerl is a seabed habitat made up of coralline algae thalli that grow unattached to substrata (Figure 1). Maerl habitats occur worldwide and have high ecological, socio-economic and cultural value but are far less well known or studied than habitats such as coral reefs, kelp forests or seagrass beds (Tuya et al., 2023). This habitat harbours high biodiversity and provides nursery areas for commercially valuable species such as cod and scallops and spawning areas for herring (Hall-Spencer, 2023).

Scottish Natural Heritage (now called NatureScot; www.nature.scot) funded a workshop which drew together researchers from Europe and North and South America (Donnan & Moore, 2003) who noted that maerl is particularly sensitive to physical disturbance such as towed demersal gear impacts, it is now known to also be sensitive to fish farm wastes (Hall-Spencer, 2023).

In a region where maerl was being heavily damaged by scallop dredging (Hall-Spencer & Moore, 2000), the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) paved the way in establishing Scotland's first No Take Zone in 2008 to protect maerl. Local divers and COAST worked alongside academic scientists to monitor the seabed recovery that occurred after scallop dredging was stopped, sending the clear message that citizen science can help change policy and improve the marine environment (Stewart et al., 2020). Maerl is now a Priority Marine Feature in Scotland and is on the OSPAR list of threatened and declining species and habitats. It is an Annex 1 habitat in the EU Habitats Directive and is on the European Red List of endangered and threatened habitats (Perry & Tyler-Walters, 2023). Donnan & Moore (2003) provided a scientific basis for the establishment of a tranche of SAC and MPAs with maerl listed as a Priority Marine Feature (Table 1 and Figure 2). These lines on maps drawn by government are now being used by citizens and community groups to monitor the protected areas and call for stricter controls on illegal or damaging activities, and a Priority Marine Feature review by NatureScot is ongoing to try to improve protection given to maerl outside the network of named protected areas.

Founded in 2015, the Blue Hope Alliance (BHA) is a coalition of groups and people interested in protecting marine ecosystems and biodiversity in northwest Scotland, with a special focus on maerl (www.bluehopealliance.co.uk). It was created due to growing concern about illegal scallop dredging and the expansion of fish farms in the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area, the largest maerl protected area in the world (Baker et al., 2023). The groups include the Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation, North and West District Salmon Fishery Board, Sea Change Wester Ross, Wester Ross Area Salmon Fishery Board and SubSea TV. The alliance is supported by a scientific advisory group and has volunteer anglers, Marine Conservation Society Seasearch divers and snorkelers, scallop divers, underwater photographers, recreational divers and community coordinators with experience of journalism, storytelling, filmmaking and artistry (Baker et al., 2023). In total, around 70–80 volunteers are involved in the work at different levels, with, for example, cooking during surveys, diving, arranging public arrangements or maintaining or lending equipment (Sara Nason, pers. comm.).

After illegal scallop dredging within the Wester Ross MPA was reported in 2019 by local fishermen to Alasdair Hughson, member of the Scottish Creel Fishermen's Federation and one of the founders of BHA, volunteers from BHA documented damage from the dredging and presented the video and photo material as evidence in court, together with a witness testimony of A. Hughson (Sara Nason, pers. comm.). The skipper in charge of the fishing vessel was later fined £3211 (COPFS – Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service, 2022). This case highlights that engaged local people can record and quickly report illegal damaging activities to the authorities, thereby protecting the fragile habitats contained in the marine ecosystem.

The BHA coalition has been surveying, observing change and communicating the need to protect the marine environment with SCUBA diving fixed transect maerl surveillance since 2018 to follow alterations in the structure and abundance of the maerl beds over time. These data are openly available on the BHA web page, and it can also be found at NatureScot. The survey locations are concentrated around the Summer Isles, Loch Broom, Loch Carron and Loch Ewe (MPA 3 and 4; Figure 2). Voluntary divers from BHA have extended the known maerl habitat distribution around the Summer Isles, and they have recorded new marine species for the geographical area (the red speckled anemone Anthopleura ballii and the sea slug Placida dendritica) as well as the critically endangered flapper skate Dipturus intermedius. Another intriguing discovery is that flame shell (Limaria hians) nests seem to be spreading and smothering several maerl beds in the region, so transects have been set up by BHA members to monitor the situation. A Sea Change Wester Ross group submitted a protest to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) against establishment of a new fish farm at Horse Island. The SEPA outcome gave the farmers a Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations (CAR) license; however, the farming has not yet started. The BHA transects might prove useful to follow maerl status before and after farm establishment. The BHA strives to increase ocean literacy by arranging public events showcasing films about the importance of maerl (Baker et al., 2023). The BHA is also supporting emerging groups, Maerl Friends of Loch Torridon and groups in Loch Ewe and Applecross, focusing on maerl conservation with knowledge sharing, survey protocols and scientific advice to create linkages and joint efforts in protecting maerl (Sara Nason, pers. comm.).

In conclusion, citizen science and community engagement by COAST and the BHA have managed to (i) increase knowledge of maerl abundance and status, (ii) monitor maerl habitats over time, (iii) promote maerl importance in political discussions, (iv) document and report illegal activities damaging maerl and (v) promote public awareness and engagement within the local and wider public. These examples demonstrate the importance of volunteer organizations for maerl conservation that could be applied elsewhere where maerl is at threat such as in Iceland from gravel extraction and Brazil from oil spills (Tuya et al., 2023). They show how public engagement can aid maerl conservation by gathering a diverse group of people with different skill sets, with efforts made to translate essential scientific evidence into key messages that speak well to policymakers and public. Local environmental activists can feel that this is a ‘David against Goliath’ task but are prepared to stand up to corporate power, persist in the face of slow decision making and feel rewarded when destructive practices abate.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.