Key facts
- The RedPROMAR project uses public photos to monitor marine life in the Canary Islands.
- Over 85,000 sightings have been recorded, identifying more than 5,000 species.
- Dennis Rabeling, a diving instructor, discovered three species previously unknown in the Canary Islands.
- One newly discovered species is named Gibberula Dennisi, after Dennis Rabeling.
- The project has expanded to include Cape Verde, Madeira, and the Azores.
- Citizen science data helps track alien species and those linked to climate change.
The RedPROMAR project, an EU initiative co-funded by the Government of the Canary Islands, is leveraging public contributions to monitor marine life in real-time around the Canary Islands. The project invites members of the public to upload photographs of marine flora and fauna to its platform, aiming to gauge the ocean's condition on a day-to-day basis.
To date, more than 85,000 sightings have been recorded and validated, leading to the identification of over 5,000 species in the North Atlantic waters of the region, often referred to as the ‘Lucky Islands’ or Macaronesia. Dennis Rabeling, a diving instructor, has been a significant contributor, uploading thousands of photos and aiding in the discovery of three species previously unknown in the Canary Islands, one of which has been named Gibberula Dennisi in his honor.
Rabeling highlighted the project's value, stating, "With RedPROMAR, if you upload your photos, you become another pair of eyes on the water. In this way, scientists can identify new species that we did not previously know lived here." He noted that even a short thirty-minute dive can reveal twenty to thirty species.
The project also engages educational institutions, bringing ocean culture into classrooms. Secondary school pupils from IES Yaiza have studied the effects of human activities on the marine environment, created podcasts on tropicalization, and participated in field trips to learn about local marine species and the RedPROMAR platform. Teacher Juan Francisco Rodríguez García emphasized how the tool empowers students to contribute to scientific research by photographing and geotagging species.
With a total budget of just under two million euros, 85% funded by the European Cohesion Policy and 15% by the Canary Islands Government, the project's scope has expanded beyond the Canary Islands to include Cape Verde, Madeira, and the Azores. Each geotagged photo undergoes expert verification.
Marc Martín Sola, a marine biologist and RedPROMAR technician, described citizen science data as crucial pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that, when combined, provide valuable insights for scientists and authorities. This data helps in identifying introduced or protected species, assessing distribution, and understanding breeding seasons. The platform also functions as an early-warning system for the arrival of invasive species and those linked to climate change, with significant surges in sightings often coinciding with mass coastal arrivals of organisms.