Kelp beds and the marine life and fisheries that they support provide commercial, recreational and aesthetic value to local communities, businesses and visitors alike. Public engagement is vital to raise awareness of the value of these coastal ecosystems and involve a wide audience beyond the scientific community in their recovery.
Over the past two years SKRP partners have reached millions of people through activities as diverse as:
Talks and beach experiences with local school children
Outreach with fishers along the Sussex coast
A hackathon for 16-25 year olds
Briefings at climate and environmental conferences
Presenting to a global audience at COP26, Glasgow 2021.
TV, radio and newspaper articles
Films and documentaries
Kelp Summit 2021
Over 100 people including international experts, local fishers, community groups and youth ambassadors came together in person at the Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham to celebrate and share the journey of the first six months of the SKRP. A series of presentations highlighted why kelp is important locally as well as globally, the initial SKRP research to establish baseline data and how people and coastal communities are at the heart of the project and are actively involved from championing the underwater world, to contributing to critical citizen science. The event was live streamed and recorded, and the event has been viewed over a thousand times since on YouTube.
Engaging local fishers
Engaging the local fishing community is of huge importance to the SKRP: to harness their knowledge, engage them in research and support the future of local fisheries as key beneficiaries of the recovery of kelp and other essential fish habitats.
SKRP partners have worked with fishing communities in Selsey, Bognor and Worthing to help develop collaborative conservation, research and marketing initiatives.
Sussex Kelp
Find out about the research that the Sussex Kelp Restoration Project have been conducting to establish baseline data.
Community
People and coastal communities are at the heart of the project and are actively involved from championing the underwater world to contributing to critical citizen science.