Protecting Seagrass Meadows: Step Into the Salt Fields as a Citizen Scientist

The Editor says: Beginning in 2019, the Ocean Conservation Administration (OCA) has rolled out a variety of "Marine Citizen Scientist Training Programs," encouraging the public to take part in citizen science activities — from observing dolphins and whales, sea turtles, and coral reefs, to even seagrass meadows. These programs not only cultivate citizen scientists but also help collect and report ocean-related data for further research. Come join BlueTrend and become a marine citizen scientist! <Full article reprinted from the Taiwan Environmental Information Center, contributing reporter Li Yu-chin, reporting from Tainan, 2024.05.07>

Citizen science is a popular and widely applied scientific survey method in recent years. Scientists recruit members of the public who are interested in science, and after basic training, participants observe and record data in their daily lives — all it takes is a smartphone to contribute to scientific research. In Europe and the United States, using citizen scientists to conduct surveys is already very common, particularly in research on conservation, biodiversity, and climate change, enabling rapid progress in these fields.

Since 2019, the OCA has launched the "Marine Citizen Scientist Training Program," inviting the public to participate in citizen science initiatives covering cetaceans, sea turtles, fishing, coral reefs, and more, helping to collect and report marine data. By partnering with local community stewardship programs, the initiative has expanded into different thematic categories, and to date 50 marine citizen science projects are underway across Taiwan. This year, the OCA is also hosting one-day marine citizen scientist experience events, inviting the public to participate, become marine citizen scientists, and further contribute to marine science research and influence marine conservation policy.

Fun, Engaging Citizen Science Activities That Draw Public Participation

This year's OCA one-day marine citizen scientist experience activities include surveys of beach microplastics, seagrass, clams, and horseshoe crabs, taking participants into the field to learn citizen science survey methods and gain a deeper understanding of marine conservation issues.

"The most important part of citizen scientists is the 'citizens,'" said Yen Ning, CEO of Cheng Yang Environmental Consultants, the company contracted to run the OCA's citizen scientist experience activities. Without everyone coming together to participate, scientists would have to conduct surveys on their own and would be unable to gather sufficient data in a short period of time. That's why the citizen science survey process must be fun and engaging, so that the public is willing to join in.

People participate in citizen science for many different reasons. Some enjoy venturing into nature, some attend as a group activity with friends, and some local residents join out of concern for the environment around them. Citizen science is like a game, allowing participants to engage with an enjoyable mindset. The survey data collected can later be used by scientists for academic publications, or conveyed to the public through media coverage, drawing more attention and potentially driving changes in government policy.

How Do You Tell Seagrass from Seaweed? Citizen Scientists Monitor with Just a Smartphone

In late April, a group of citizen scientists visited the fan-shaped Jiangjun Qingkunshen Salt Fields in Tainan. Their survey target: seagrass, which appears only in a handful of locations across Taiwan and in quite sparse numbers.

The seagrass meadows along the Tainan coastline were fragmented in the past due to salt field development. After salt production ceased, the salt fields were transformed into tourist attractions, with the installation art piece "Tree of Life" standing prominently among them, drawing visitors to admire and photograph the scenery. However, the citizen scientists raised their phones not to capture picturesque views, but to look down in search of seagrass within the salt fields.

According to surveys, there are 12 species of seagrass along Taiwan's coastline, found primarily in waters around Hsinchu, Gaomei Wetlands in Taichung, Tainan, Chiayi, Kenting, Penghu, Green Island, Kinmen, and Dongsha Island. With the exception of Dongsha Island, the vast majority of seagrass meadow areas are extremely small — less than 1 hectare.

The seagrass citizen science program uses grid measurement tools and smartphones to survey seagrass found in wetlands, recording information including species, distribution coverage, and plant height. GPS positioning via Google Maps is used to mark the location where seagrass is found, and data is ultimately reported back to the survey group.

However, citizen scientists must first be able to identify seagrass. The green plants growing in the salt field seawater may actually be seaweed rather than seagrass. Hu Jie-shen, Research Director at Cheng Yang Environmental Consultants, explains that seagrass is a submerged vascular plant living in shallow coastal waters — it has roots, stems, and leaves, and is capable of flowering and bearing fruit. Seaweed, on the other hand, is not a plant; it has no fibrous tissue and is an alga made up of many single cells linked together. Before the survey, participants can use field guides to familiarize themselves with the species and appearance of seagrass.

Seagrass Provides Vital Ecological Functions — More Monitoring and Attention Needed

The seagrass species commonly found in Tainan's salt fields include Halodule uninervis and Halophila ovalis. During the activity, participants also learned about the ecological and environmental significance of seagrass, and used smartphone microscopes to examine collected seagrass samples and the organisms living among them.

Hu Jie-shen explained that seagrass meadows are like underwater forests, hosting complete ecosystems with important ecological functions. They shelter a wide variety of algae, plankton, and small organisms; seagrass serves as food for sea turtles, dugongs, and other species; and some large fish species also live within seagrass meadows during their juvenile stages. In addition, when it comes to addressing climate change, seagrass meadows help prevent coastal erosion and hold significant value as carbon sinks.

Awareness of seagrass in Taiwan is relatively low, and public knowledge of it is limited. Internationally, seagrass citizen science has a long history. Yen Ning pointed out that as far back as 1998, "Seagrass Watch" was conducting seagrass monitoring research through citizen science. The UK's "Project Seagrass" also invites the public at an introductory level — encouraging anyone who spots seagrass to photograph it and log the data. Through open-access data sharing, seagrass-related research has already produced 80 papers. Beyond monitoring, "Project Seagrass" also carries out seagrass seed collection, cultivation, and restoration efforts.

Affected by coastal development and trampling by visitors, Taiwan's seagrass populations are declining and require more monitoring and attention. Yen Ning noted that the barrier to entry for seagrass citizen science surveys is low — no diving or offshore fishing is required, as surveys can be conducted simply by walking to the shoreline. She therefore encourages local communities and schools to join in, helping to collect relevant data and further drive impact on marine environmental science research and seagrass ecosystem conservation.

The old salt field wetlands on both sides of Provincial Highway 61 along the Tainan coast have seen dramatic landscape changes in recent years, as the arrival of solar power plants has impacted intertidal zone ecosystems. To protect the wetland environment, civic groups formed the "Qigu Jiangjun Salt Flat Wetland Restoration Alliance" and adopted 1,605 hectares of salt fields from the National Property Administration. The Taiwan Environmental Planning Association has adopted the Qingkunshen Fan-shaped Salt Fields, conducting ecological surveys and environmental maintenance there, while progressively organizing various citizen science activities that invite local residents and school groups to participate, with the aim of promoting locally collaborative and sustainable management of the salt field wetlands.

Related Links

• Taiwan Environmental Information Center
• Original article: Protecting Seagrass Meadows: Step Into the Salt Fields as a Citizen Scientist
• These People Aren't Catching Pokémon — The Golden Bat Hall Is Training the Next Generation of Citizen Scientists
• Birders, Assemble! Going Beyond Bird Counts — Taiwan's Bird Map Is Being Drawn
• Marine Citizen Scientists Gather for the First Time — Being an "Underwater Paparazzo" Is No Longer Out of Reach

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