Nova Scotia’s coastal waters are changing. The Northwest Atlantic is warming faster than the global average, and as species move northward, new introductions and shifts in marine biodiversity are occurring. Understanding these changes requires long-term, widespread monitoring – but this isn’t something researchers can do alone.

That’s where the Community-Oriented Coastal Observatory (COCO) comes in. COCO is a new environmental (e)DNA-based citizen science initiative that bridges the gap between community knowledge and academic research, expanding the reach of marine biodiversity monitoring.

This presentation will explore the important role of marine biodiversity, why and how we use eDNA for monitoring, why community involvement is essential, and how groups or individuals might take part in COCO.