Version 1: created 21/07/2021
Privacy Notice
Shoresearch is a citizen science project run by The Wildlife Trusts. When you participate in Shoresearch, we ask for some information about yourself, so that we know who has helped collect records, and so that we may contact you if there are any queries. We don’t use the information you provide for any other purpose.
If you participate in Shoresearch, all the information that is recorded on the paper survey forms and/or the Shoresearch app, is then uploaded onto the Shoresearch Data Portal website, allowing the survey records to be stored and analysed centrally. This information includes your name, the location and the date of the record. If you are a volunteer, you may decide if you wish to use the tablet/mobile app or the paper recording forms. Your name will be stored as part of the record and may be made publicly available along with the species name, date and location of the record.
If you choose to use either the tablet/mobile app for Shoresearch or the Shoresearch Data Portal, you will need to register for a Shoresearch account. Your contact details will be held in a database at the Biological Records Centre and will only be used to contact you if there is a query about the verification of your wildlife observations.
We use cookies to enable site/app functionality and we also store some information about your use of the app/Data Portal. This tracking information will not be used for advertising or any other use.
If you wish to learn more, please read the full Privacy Policy below. You may also wish to review the Terms and Conditions for users of the app/Data Portal and further information on what happens to the data submitted.
Full Privacy Policy
Shoresearch is committed to respecting and protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy sets out the basis on which we will process any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us.
We may change this Policy from time to time, so please check this page occasionally to ensure that you’re happy with any changes. By taking part in Shoresearch/using the Shoresearch app or web portal you are agreeing to be bound by this Policy.
Any questions regarding this Policy and our privacy practices should be sent by email to marine@wildlifetrusts.org or by writing to Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire. NG24 1WT. Alternatively, you may telephone 01636 677711.
Who are we?
Shoresearch is The Wildlife Trusts’ national citizen science survey programme of the intertidal shore – the exciting world of extremes where the sea meets the land. The programme is nationally coordinated by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (a registered charity: 207238) and led by your local Wildlife Trust, with volunteers trained to identify and record the wildlife on our shores across the UK.
To learn more about us, please visit our website.
Why are we collecting your information?
We are collecting your personal data in order to administer, run and share data/results of Shoresearch. This means that in data protection terms we have a ‘legitimate interest’ in processing the data we hold about you.
When you submit records to Shoresearch, your name will be included alongside the survey information (including the location time and date of the record) to form the ‘Shoresearch record’. You may be contacted with queries about the records you provide for the purpose of validating and verifying the survey data.
What kind of personal data does Shoresearch collect?
Shoresearch may collect the following personal data about you:
- Your name (as the recorder or as someone who has contributed to a record)
- Your contact details (such as your email)
- The location, date and time, and associated photos of any records you submit
- Website and mobile/tablet application user statistics
From where does Shoresearch collect your personal data?
Data from Shoresearch survey forms (including both paper forms and forms completed on the Shoresearch mobile/tablet app) is submitted onto The Wildlife Trusts’ Shoresearch Data Portal (this site) via your local Shoresearch coordinator/volunteer or via the Shoresearch smartphone/tablet application.
If you register with an account to use the Shoresearch app or the Shoresearch Data Portal, additional personal data is collected, such as your email address and user statistics.
What happens to the data I submit?
Your name, as the recorder, will be part of the Shoresearch record and may be made publicly available, along with the species name, date and location of the record. We’ll keep your contact details in a database at the Biological Records Centre and on the Shoresearch Data Portal and will only contact you if there is a query about the verification of your wildlife observations. Your data may be kept indefinitely.
Full details of the data verification process and use of the record data can be found here.
Queries about how we process your personal data
How can I access my records?..
If you have a Shoresearch account, you can access your records via the ‘Download records’, ‘Explore my records’ and ‘My surveys’ pages of the Shoresearch Data Portal. You may also be able to access your records when they become publicly available on the NBN Atlas.
If you wish to access any further information, please contact us.
What if I’m unhappy with my record or it’s distribution?
As outlined in our data processing section, in order for your record to achieve the greatest conservation impact, Shoresearch records are widely distributed and available in the public domain. If you are unhappy with this, we ask that you do not participate in Shoresearch.
If you have uploaded records in the past which you are now unhappy with, please contact us and we will do our best to rectify this wherever possible. However, please note, due to the complex data flow of Shoresearch records, it is difficult to alter or erase a submitted record and we are unable to guarantee we will be able to do so.
If you have any further queries about data processing, please contact us via the details outlined at the start of this Policy.
How to complain about data processing
The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts want to exceed your expectations in everything we do. However, we know that there may be times when we do not meet our own high standards. When this happens, we want to hear about it, to deal with the situation as quickly as possible and put measures in place to stop it happening again.
We take complaints very seriously and we treat them as an opportunity to improve and strengthen our relationship with our supporters and volunteers. This is why we are always very grateful to hear from people who are willing to take the time to help us improve.
If you have a complaint, please contact us via the contact details outlined at the start of the Policy. All query and complaint information will be handled sensitively, in line with relevant data protection requirements.