Growing literacy levels and educational attainment in many parts of the world make it possible for more people to contribute to science research in a meaningful way. The process is known as citizen science, broadly defined as public participation in scientific research and knowledge production.

The citizen science methodology allows for direct engagement of local communities to enhance the development of a collective consciousness for the protection of the marine environment. According to recent research, citizen science projects widely contribute to learning, skill development, scientific understanding, awareness and enjoyment.

For the monitoring phase of Save the Wave restoration activities, the project decided to adopt a citizen science approach collaborating with the staff of the local diving center who have been trained by the researchers from the University of Bari.

This simple scientific methodology allows citizens and skilled divers to support the scientific community in the collection of data to monitor the health of the restored Posidonia meadows.

To replicate the process and support the divers, the researchers from the University of Bari, The Oceancy and UNESCO-IOC developed a toolkit explaining the activities step-by-step.