Berwickshire Marine Reserve

Conserve the biodiversity of the coastal waters, Raise awareness of the marine environment through education and research, Promote responsible recreational use alongside a sustainable fishery to the mutual benefit of all


Current opportunity

Volunteering with the BMR includes a variety of activities and citizen science projects. Our events are usually held on a Wednesday morning and there may be some weekend events as well. We run our ‘Beachwatch’ programme in collaboration with the Marine Conservation Society which involves carrying out a beach clean and recording all of the litter that is picked up. This is a great opportunity to visit the scenic beaches found in the BMR as well as leave the space clean and safe for all. We work with Whale and Dolphin Conservation to carry out ‘Shorewatches’ at the 2 designated sites in the BMR. This is a fantastic opportunity to see some of the marine mammals that pass through the Reserve such as minke whales, bottlenose dolphins, and harbour porpoises. We provide full training for our ‘Intertidal Marine Monitoring Project’ which involves surveying species found in the intertidal zone at 3 different locations within the BMR. The data gathered from this is shared with Nature Scot and other relevant organisations to see the variance in species found during the different seasons and years, as well as keep track of any invasive species which could threaten our coasts. We also hold numerous events with partners such as British Divers Marine Life Rescue and talks hosted by local experts about the life that can be found and the geology of the coast. During the summer we organise walks with local experts along the coastal path which is a great chance to learn more about the history of the area as well as the nesting birds which visit the Reserve each year.