Our Projects
We are always looking for new volunteers to get involved with our projects so please get in touch, and keep an eye on our Eventbrite or Facebook events page, if you are interested!
Beachwatch
We organise and lead groups of volunteers to carry out beach cleans surveying marine litter on 4 beaches in the local area 4 times a year. That’s 16 beach cleans a year!
We also get involved in any wider coastal clean ups and can arrange to support groups, schools and corporations who would like to do beach cleans.
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Read our latest beachwatch report here
Shorewatch
A Shorewatch survey is a ten minute survey conducted from a designated site. Details of any cetacean seen are submitted to Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and form the backbone of their efforts to protect whales and dolphins in our waters.
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Through partnership with WDC we have been able to train a team of Shorewatch volunteers to collect important data on cetaceans in the BMR.
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Intertidal Marine Monitoring
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Four times a year we will carry out a full assessment at Coldingham, St Abbs & Killiedraughts Bay. This regular survey will allow us to obtain a baseline of species and habitat data, as well as monitor any changes in abundance or distribution of marine life.
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As part of this project we provide full training to volunteers on how to undertake an intertidal habitat assessment as well as species identification. We are always looking for new volunteers so please get in touch if you are interested!
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Bioblitz
A Bioblitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short space of time. The primary goal of a BioBlitz is to get an overall count of the plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms that live in a place.
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In August 2023 we teamed up with National Trust for Scotland team at St Abbs Head National Nature Reserve to undertake a BioBlitz on both the Nature Reserve and Marine Reserve.
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The Great Nurdle Hunt
Nurdles are tiny granules of plastic less than 5 millimetres in size that are used in industry to manufacture all kinds of plastic products.
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When we undertake a beachclean we will often also undertake a nurdle survey. The data collected is submitted to The Great Nurdle Hunt.
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Beach Rubbish Art
After witnessing the increasing pressure on the environment, Berwickshire Marine Reserve aims to raise awareness of the threats and damage caused by marine related litter on the environment.
This will be done through art workshops in collaboration with local artist, Scapa Joe, where materials gathered from local beach cleans by volunteers will be used to create environmental art. These art pieces will reflect on the threats and challenges of local climate and environmental change and help inform the public, and effect behavioural change around litter.
They will also be used at future public displays and exhibitions to help encourage community volunteering and environmental and conservation action.​
Thank you to Sea-Changers for your support with this project!
CoastSnap
We are working with the Berwickshire & Northumberland Marine Nature Partnership to monitor how our coastal landscape is changing over time.
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After the dramatic changes made to Coldingham Bay by Storm Babet, we have installed a CoastSnap post on the viewpoint at Homeli Knoll along the coastal path, at the Southern end of the Bay.
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This post will allow us to monitor how the beach recovers and any changes in the future. Details of how to submit photographs are given on the sign attached to the photo post or alternatively, click here for more information.
Anglers National Recycling Scheme
We are supporting the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme (ANLR) which aims to remove as much fishing line from the UK coast as possible and investigating how to recycle angling equipment that currently can't be.
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Our bins are deployed in both Eyemouth and St Abbs harbours, and at Coldingham Bay.
The Big Seaweed Search
The big seaweed search is a citizen science project run by the Marine Conservation Society in partnership with the Natural History Museum. ​
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Horse Mussels Project
We are undertaking a baseline mapping and site condition assessment of Horse Mussel beds to assess the full extent of their presence within the BMR. Only by knowing the locations and numbers of horse mussels in the BMR can appropriate measures be considered for their protection or restoration.
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