The Peron Naturaliste Partnership has partnered with the University of Western Australia to implement the first ‘CoastSnap’ project in Western Australia. CoastSnap, which started in NSW, is now a successful global initiative that is engaging and involving the community in scientific and environmental research to monitor our changing coastline.
Members of the community take photos of beaches from a fixed smartphone camera stand that ensures photos have the same field of view. These photos are then uploaded, emailed and/or shared via social media to a database where they are analysed to measure how the beach is changing.
The Partnership Chairperson Cr Mark Jones from the City of Rockingham said “The information will help us study coastal processes to better understand coastal dynamics. It can also be used by decision makers such as local governments in coastal planning and management.”
“Furthermore, decision makers and coastal researchers can use this data to investigate how much the beach may change during extreme conditions, or in response to the long-term effects of climate change.”
“I encourage beach users to get involved in collecting scientific data so that we can continue to enjoy the beaches we value” he said.
The sites include vulnerable coastal locations in each of the nine Partnership member Local government areas – Mersey Point Jetty, Rockingham; Silver Sands, Mandurah; Heron Point, Birchmont; Preston Beach; Binningup Beach; Eaton Foreshore; Dolphin Discovery Centre, Bunbury; Dalyellup Beach; and Busselton Jetty
You can view photos submitted by citizen scientists on the CoastSnapWA Facebook page and there is a short video introducing the project on the UWA Facebook page. Further information is on the CoastSnap page.