Providing that the seaweed can by positively identified (or ‘verified’), then your photo and the additional information that you upload will form a ‘biological record’. A biological record must contain four essential pieces of information: what was found, where it was found, when it was found and who found it. This is why we ask you for your name; it ensures that your seaweed sighting can contribute to our shared understanding of the UK’s seaweeds for decades to come.
We ask for your email address so that we have contact details associated with your observation. You will only be contacted if an expert from the Natural History Museum wishes to find out more about your observation, for example to learn more about where you found it, if it is an exciting or unexpected find.
If you agree (by ticking the opt-in boxes when you enter your survey results), we will also use your email to let you know about other citizen science projects and marine activities that are taking place. You can stop receiving this information at any time by emailing seaweeds@nhm.ac.uk.
All data, including personal data, are stored in the Biological Records Centre's Data Warehouse in accordance with Data Protection Regulations and will only be used by the Natural History Museum and Marine Conservation Society for the above purposes. You can access the Museum's full privacy statement here.