United for the Sea
from 23/12/2024 until 30/04/2027
United for
the Sea is a national citizen science initiative dedicated to understanding,
protecting and restoring the marine ecosystem of the Slovenian Sea and the
northern Adriatic. The project is led by the NGO Morigenos – Slovenian Marine
Mammal Society, in partnership with three independent institutes (YouSea, NOMED
and IZRIIS), which contribute expertise in marine ecology, communication,
education and digital innovation.
Slovenia has
only a few organisations dedicated to marine conservation, and they have
traditionally functioned independently. United for the Sea establishes a
coordinated national framework combining scientific research, public
participation, youth engagement, media communication and digital tools. The
project addresses key challenges such as biodiversity loss, habitat
degradation, marine litter, microplastics, climate change impacts and the
limited availability of science-based information accessible to the general
public.
A central
pillar of the initiative is the development of a modern digital citizen science
platform (planned launch: 2026). This free, user-friendly platform will allow
citizens to record observations of marine animals, plants, seagrass meadows,
marine litter, and environmental changes in or near the sea. Participants will
be able to upload geolocated sightings, photographs and videos. The platform
will systematically connect scientific expertise with distributed public
observations, enabling faster and broader data collection and improving
understanding of the state of the marine environment. The platform is designed
for everyone—from casual coastal walkers, swimmers and families to snorkelers,
sailors, divers, school children and seniors. It will strengthen ocean
literacy, support environmental education and empower people to become active
contributors to marine conservation.
Partners
- YouSea, institute for conservation of marine biodiversity
- NOMED, Institute for Independent Media Activity, Koper
- IZRIIS Institute, Information Research Institute for Education and Consulting
Aim
United for
the Sea brings together four NGOs (Morigenos, YouSea, NOMED and IZRIIS) with
the shared aim to:
1.
Establish
a unified framework for marine-focused citizen science in Slovenia.
2.
Develop
a free, accessible and modern digital platform enabling widespread public
participation in marine monitoring.
3.
Strengthen
public involvement,especially among children, young people and coastal
communities, in protecting marine ecosystems.
How to participate
Participants can join the project in several ways:
- Submit observations
- Through digital tools developed within the project (web platform or mobile interface), citizens can report sightings of dolphins, marine organisms, seagrass meadows, unusual conditions or pollution events. Each report contributes to national marine monitoring datasets.
- Participate in educational activities
- Schools, youth groups and families can join hands-on workshops, field activities, lectures and exhibitions organized by the consortium partners.
- Join community events
- The project hosts public events such as beach clean-ups, citizen science days, ocean-literacy programmes, exhibitions and media-based activities where participants learn while contributing data.
- Become long-term volunteers
- Volunteers can join structured programmes supporting research, outreach and data collection, including dolphin monitoring, seagrass awareness and environmental communication.
Participation is open to all ages and does not require prior knowledge.
Needed equipment
No special equipment is required. Participants only need:
- a smartphone for submitting observations (optional but recommended)
- basic outdoor clothing for field events
- optional camera or binoculars for improved species detection
About funding
Funding bodies: Government of the Republic of Slovenia - Ministry of Public Administration donors sponsors
Funding program: Public call for development and professionalisation of NGOs and volunteering 2024
Coordinator
