Redmap

There was a media launch of Redmap Australia on 27th November 2012. Redmap invited Australia’s divers to report sightings of any marine species that are uncommon along particular parts of our coast. Redmap says that many species are undergoing range expansions or shifts in their distributional range. The Redmap site allows the local community to act as ‘citizen scientists’ and record scientific data by logging sightings of species that are caught or observed outside their usual or known range. Community participation in Redmap can create for individuals the sense (and in this case, the reality) that they are actively and constructively helping with a major issue currently facing the global community – people can log on and literally see ‘their’ data point on the map. For more information, visit the Redmap site at www.redmap.org.au and sign up to receive a quarterly newsletter. Redmap is to be represented at OZTeK2013.