Transforming conservation and understanding of seagrass ecosystems through the use of citizen science. in Out of the blue: The value of seagrass to the environment and to people

[Extract] Members of the public have recorded their observations of the natural world for centuries (Miller-Rushing et al. 2012). In an era of professional ecological science, the use of members of the public acting as volunteers creates a low cost means of data collection. The use of volunteers from the general public creates a much-needed workforce, while helping to link science, policy and practice as a core part of coastal natural resources management (Jones et al. 2018). Volunteers trained to undertake citizen science projects also learn about the topic, enabling them to communicate its importance beyond the scientific field. Finding a way to engage the general public about seagrass ecosystems is vital given the consistent evidence showing the poor level of societal appreciation for them (Duarte et al. 2008)