Citizen Science at University of Third Age in Poland!
University of Third Age is organised system of popular education for seniors in Poland.
The coastal region of Gdańsk have several such groups, and often they are very keen to learn something about climate and environment. For three separate groups, we have offered presentations and field excursions focused on the issue of marine biodiversity valuation - the socio-economic one, ecological and socio- cultural.
For this last valuation system, we have distributed simple questionnaires with a request to use it during the coastal walks. The questions in the questionnaire are "what is drawing you attention on the shoreline ? what is important there ? what you would like to keep and save ? Over 200 questionnairies were distributed, and we are waiting for the answers that will be presented (soon!) on MARBEFES web page.
As part of the task of collecting information about the elements of the environment that hold the greatest value for residents of the Gdańsk Bay coast, we asked seniors to share their impressions with us. After a meeting at the IO PAN, participants from the University of the Third Age in Wejherowo filled out surveys, revealing that they hold dune vegetation (27%), mollusk shells (14%), birds (12%), and fish (10%) in particular esteem. The survey was conducted while anglers were catching garfish near the beach, which served as a visible signal for volunteers emphasizing the connection between humans and the sea and the romance of this relationship. The survey results also included mentions of the colors of the bay and the soothing waves (11% and 5%, respectively), as well as references to human activities (5%), both in terms of recreation (sailboats, tourist infrastructure) and the economy (commercial ship traffic). We encourage residents of the Gdańsk coast to participate in this survey to gather as much data as possible. All BBTs will be engaged into this survey.
Foto presents group of seniors from Wejherowo, during their visit to Sopot coastline.