title: Volunteers assess marine biodiversity.
abstract: Much less is known about marine biodiversity than that of terrestrial and freshwater environments. There is surprisingly little information about even the most common of organisms that live on the seashore. Science has limited resources to study them and volunteers can therefore make significant contributions. This article considers the value of a project in which volunteers are mapping the distribution and abundance of littoral animals and plants of the Northumberland coast.
authors.affiliation: The Dove Marine Laboratory, Department of Marine Sciences and Coastal Management, Newcastle University, UK.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Foster-Smith
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Welch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D006801:Humans; D008386:Marine Biology; D010944:Plants; D006113:United Kingdom; D014838:Volunteers; D000078329:Workforce