Citizen science
Welcome to the alien-species recording platform for citizen scientists!
An initiative of the Hydrobiological Station of Rhodes / Hellenic Centre for Marine Research.
Citizen science is the participation of citizens in scientific research. Technology and the wider use of the internet and social media have allowed bathers, divers and fishers — amateur and professional — to take part. Citizen involvement in biodiversity monitoring provides valuable data that the scientific community increasingly uses, especially for the study of alien species.
In recent decades, globalisation (intensified trade and human movement) and climate change (rising seawater temperature) have rapidly increased the number of alien species in the Mediterranean. An alien or non-native species is one that has spread outside its natural range through human activities (shipping, trade, tourism, the pet trade). About 1,000 marine alien species have entered the Mediterranean; more than 300 have been recorded in Greece, a large share of them first recorded in Rhodes.
Some alien species — invasive species — have severe consequences for biodiversity (predation or displacement of native species, food-web change, transmission of parasites and disease) and for fisheries (damage to gear, reduced commercial catch).
Because of its position in the south-eastern Aegean, Rhodes is the most frequent gateway into Greek (and European) waters for marine aliens from the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The programme invites citizen scientists to document the spread of alien species on the coasts of Rhodes and nearby islands. Early reporting of a new species can help limit the effects of its establishment.
This research has been supported by the project “DRESSAGE – Development of the infrastructure, human resources, marine research and innovation of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) in the South Aegean Region” (MIS 5045792), implemented under the Action “Development of Research and Innovation Infrastructures”, financed by the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014–2020) and co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund).